Blackhawks tennis defeats Lakeside

The Cheney boys tennis team continued their undefeated season after a 5-2 win over Lakeside, March 26.

At the No. 1 spot, Ryan Smedley came back from a one-game deficit to defeat Seth Abrams (4-6, 7-6, 6-1). After he lost the first game, Smedley came back to win a close second game then breezed through the third.

"Smedley tends to drop early sets but once he finds his opponent's weakness, he turns it around," head coach Jesse Erickson said.

Britton Williams remains undefeated at the No. 3 singles spot, with a shutout win over Jacob Zaw (6-0, 6-0). At No. 4 singles, Ben Sanchez was successful in his return to the Blackhawks, defeating Andrew Mitchell (6-0, 6-0).

"Those guys had no problems being aggressive and taking charge," Erickson said. "They knew when to attack the net. Sometimes you can't attack right away or it gives your opponent a chance to prepare their defense."

Ryan Axtell lost at No. 2 singles, in his match with Brady Smith (2-6, 2-6).

Jay Gould and Brandon Foster, teaming up for the first time at No. 2 doubles, won a close match over Tom Schueller and Parker Emerson (6-3, 6-4).

"They were up 3-0 at the beginning of the match but their opponents started to come back," Erickson said. "Their chemistry may take a little bit of time but their communication is getting better."

Dirk Ray and Luke Huguenin, No. 3 doubles, continued their winning streak with a victory over Nathaniel Koolstra and David Rothe (7-5, 6-1).

At No. 1 doubles, Adam Passey and Shogo Starr lost a close match to Tim Schueller and Justin Goldin (2-6, 7-5, 2-6).

"After losing that first set, Adam (Passey) and Shogo (Starr) battled back to win the second," Erickson said. "It was good to see them maintain confidence in such a tough situation. Unfortunately they weren't able to maintain their momentum and close it out."

Cheney's March 24 nonleague match against Central Valley was canceled due to weather. It will be rescheduled for a later date.

The Blackhawks, 3-0 overall, entered Great Northern League play March 31 at West Valley then faced Ferris, April 1. They will enjoy a nice break until April 14 when they host GNL rivals East Valley.

"I'm looking forward to league matches and seeing what we can do," Erickson said. "We're looking much stronger than we did last year."

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].