The Scottsbluff Bearcats collected medals in three of the four divisions in Class B last Friday with the team finishing in sixth place overall in the team standings at the State Tennis Tournament in Lincoln.
Oliver Carpenter finished in third place at No. 2 singles while at No. 1 singles it was Kian Blomstedt finishing seventh and the third medal came from the No. 1 doubles team of Matthew Hafner and Joey Escamilla with their sixth place finish.
It was a banner season for the team and head coach Darren Emerick.
“One of our program goals for some time is to finish in the top 10 in the state tournament. We have not had a singles player reach the medal rounds in more than eight seasons and this year’s 6th place team finish was based on the exceptional 3rd place (Carpenter) and 7th place (Blomstedt) medals we earned at #2 and #1 singles, respectively. The #1 Doubles team of Escamilla and Hafner improved significantly on their 11th seed with their 6th place finish.”
Blomstedt had over 100 wins in his time with the program and Hafner got his 100th career win while at the State Tournament; both, along with Escamilla and Thatcher Thomalla are seniors and Emerick says they’ll be missed.
“All four student athletes have helped build a successful program that will serve as a foundation for future season’s continued strength.”
