Remaining undefeated on the season, Boulder City High School boys tennis picked up a quality win over 5A Liberty on Sept. 19.
Defeating the Patriots 11-7, junior Shane Barrow and senior Alec Imboden finished 3-0 in doubles play, while seniors Chandler Shamo and Carson Alder finished 2-1.
In singles play, junior Logan Borg finished 2-1, while junior Bennett Forney finished 1-1.
“Liberty has some really good players,” head coach Rachelle Huxford said. “This win definitely gives them confidence that we can beat these big teams. We still have a lot of important matches coming up, so I need them to buckle down and play hard. This was a good challenge for us, it was a good close win. It was really good for us to get a look at some good competition.”
Suffering their first defeat of the season, the girls fell 11-7 to the Patriots, but got a standout performance from the senior doubles tandem of Maddie Morris and Chayce Larson.
Finishing 3-0 on the day against their 5A opponents, the duo with high individual postseason aspirations seems to be clicking on all cylinders.
“They set goals for themselves that they want to go far in the postseason,” Huxford said. “They’re playing great right now. Beating some of these big teams will only give them more experience. They have really good confidence right now. These wins make them stronger.”
Senior Ava Gibson and junior Mariah Torgesen finished 2-1 in doubles play against the Patriots.
Coming on strong in a rivalry game on Sept. 18, both teams handily beat Virgin Valley.
Leading the charge in a 17-1 rout, Barrow, Borg and Forney all finished 2-0 in singles play.
In doubles play, sophomores Tate Crine and Branch Danko finished 3-0, while Alder and Shamo finished 2-0.
For the girls in a 12-6 victory, Chayce Larson and Morris finished 2-0, while Gibson and Torgesen finished 2-1.
In singles play, junior Kendall Shamo and sophomore Chelsie Larson each finished 2-1.
“Whenever you play a rival, you pump the kids up,” Huxford said. “No one ever wants to lose to their rival. Rivalry tends to bring out the best in our athletes. We have an important history against them. They came out and wanted it a little bit more. They wanted bragging rights.”
Looking to continue their winning ways, the Eagles will play Pahrump Valley today, followed by a road game at Mater East on Monday.
Contact Robert Vendettoli at robvendettoli@yahoo.com.