We started off the day with a match against defending 5A state champions Summit. Summit is a well-coached team that has tremendous depth. Their top 3 singles players are as tough as the top 3 singles players from the top few teams in the state at the 6A level. At the 1-3 spots or guys played great matches and had tough matches at the same time. Jesse faced the defending 5A state singles champion to open the day's play. The Summit player (Paxton Duel) is the top returning player in the state and has an excellent game. Jesse played a great match, competed hard, and played a much closer match than the 6-0, 6-1 final score indicated. At 2 singles Nathan played a great match, competed well, and used a variety of spins against a very tough freshman player (who happens to be one of the top 20 players in the northwest in the 14s age bracket in USTA Tournament play). Despite the great effort, Nathan lost the match 6-0, 6-0.
Reza and Bradyn both battled hard in their matches at the 3 and 4 spots in singles, and Bradyn came out on the winning end. He won in two close sets to a very good #4 singles player from Summit.
In doubles, all of our d0ubles teams came out firing, playing good consistent, aggressive doubles against 4 very talented doubles teams from Summit. Will and Adam gave a great effort against a returning state-qualifying team, and Cody and Brendon played very well against another returning state team at No. 2 doubles. At No. 3 Wyatt and Daniel played in their first varsity match and competed really well against a tough No.3 Doubles team. At No. 4 Doubles, Nicky and George had the closest result of all 4 of our teams. They dropped a close match 3-6, 5-7.
Overall, I am very proud of the effort of the guys in their first match. Playing a defending state champion is a very tough task, and the guys challenged their opponents at all spots in the line-up. For those of you who are new to the varsity team, I award a game ball at the end of each match for the player or players who I believe exemplify great character and effort in the team match. For his gritty, two set win in singles, Bradyn Stowe earned the game ball for this match! Congratulations Bradyn!
Here are the match scores vs. Summit (Semi-Final Round):
Summit 7, McMinnville 1 (McMinnville Players in BOLD)
Singles
1. Paxton Duel def. Jesse Stahl 6-0, 6-1
2. Chandler Oliviera def. Nathan Johnson 6-0, 6-0
3. Parker Nichols def. Reza Refaei 6-1, 6-0
4. Bradyn Stowe def. Max L'Etoile 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
1. Liam Hall/Lionel Hess def. Will Worth/Adam Kiff 6-3, 6-1
2. Bo Hall/Scott Parr def. Cody Thomas/Brendon Walters 6-3, 6-4
3. Wes Franco/William Dalquist def. Wyatt Waterbury/Daniel Post 6-2, 6-1
4. Ben Souther/Tosh Harrington def. Nicky Domenichini/George Zakaib 6-3, 7-5
After completing our match against Summit, we awaited the loser of the South Salem vs. Redmond match. South Salem finished 3rd in the 6A state tournament last year and only lost 2 of their team members. In my opinion, the Saxons are definitely one of the favorites to compete for the state title this year. They beat a very good Redmond team in the other semi-final match 6-2. As a result, while South Salem took on Summit for the tournament championship, we would be playing the Redmond Panthers for 3rd place in the Inaugural Saxon Invitational. With one match under our belt, we were ready to go out and compete again against a very tough squad.
In singles, Redmond was very solid. In my opinion, all four of their singles players were very good "No. 2 Singles Players" in most line-ups. This would make them a challenging match-up for most teams around the state. At the top spot, Jesse came out firing, playing good consistent and aggressive tennis to beat his opponent 6-2, 6-3. At No. 2, Nathan played a very crafty and skilled player. Although Nathan played very well, he came out on the losing end of the match 6-0, 6-2. At No. 3 Reza played very comfortably and confidently and lost a close match 6-4, 6-3. At No. 4, Bradyn played very well, losing to one of the more solid No. 4 players I have ever seen at the high school level. The score was 7-6(2), 6-2. After doing some research the day after the match, I discovered that Bradyn's opponent played No. 1 singles for most of the season last year. Overall, the guys played very well in singles.
On the doubles side, with one match already played, the guys played with more poise and confidence than in their first match. Will and Adam played a very good, athletic team at No.1 and lost 6-2, 6-2, but the match was much closer than the score indicates. At No. 2-4 doubles, we showed the tremendous depth we have at doubles this year as each duo won by playing aggressive, smart tennis. Cody and Brendon made quick work of their opponents, Wyatt and Daniel won a close 3 set match, and Austin and Nicky won 8-3 in a modified match (due to time constraints). Overall the boys played really well in this match, and we ended up with a tie score of 4-4. However, the first tiebreaker rule to break the tie in this tournament was sets won. Redmond had won 9 sets, we had won 8, so we ended up losing the match. Despite this technicality, I was very pleased with the effort the guys displayed in this match. It's difficult to bounce back after losing to a tough opponent, and to go back on the court with little to no rest. However, the guys showed their resilience and played very well. Game balls in this match went to Jesse (singles), and Cody/Brendon (doubles) for their efficient wins.
Redmond 4, McMinnville 4 (McMinnville Players in BOLD) (3rd Place Match)
Singles
1. Jesse Stahl def. Zach Powell 6-2, 6-3
2. Carlo Gangan def. Nathan Johnson 6-0, 6-2
3. Miguel Hidalgo def. Reza Refaei 6-4, 6-3
4. Luke Maxwell def. Bradyn Stowe 7-6(2), 6-2
Doubles
1. Aaron Chriss/Zack Jackson def. Will Worth/Adam Kiff 6-2, 6-2
2. Cody Thomas/Brendon Walters def. Stephen Witherom/Calen Fitzsimmons 6-3, 6-2
3. Wyatt Waterbury/Daniel Post def. Joe Guerra/Trevor Jordan 3-6, 6-4, 11-9
4. Nicky Domenichini/George Zakaib def. Blair Binder/Caleb Maxwell 8-3
1st Annual Saxon Invitational Final Results:
1. Summit 2-0 (def. McMinnville 7-1, def. South Salem 5-3)
2. South Salem 1-1 (def. Redmond 6-2, lost to Summit 3-5)
3. Redmond 1-1 (lost to South Salem 2-6, def. McMinnville 4-4 (9-8))
4. McMinnvile 0-2 (lost to Summit 1-7, lost to Redmond 4-4 (8-9))
Overall I am pleased with the performance of our guys at this event, and the sportsmanship they continue to display with each match they play. The guys competed really well against some of the best teams in the state at the 6A and 5A levels. It was a great time by all, and I want to send out a special thanks to Kathy Stahl and the Worth family for providing food for the guys, and to all of the families who drove down to Salem to watch the guys compete. After the tournament was over, a few parents and family members joined us for dinner in Salem and it was a great time had by all.
I am truly excited to see what great things the guys will accomplish this season. I can only hope for the weather to get better as we await to play!!!!
-Coach Gabrielsen
