Individuals Win Tennis Titles for Jenks
By MIKE MOGUIN
GTR Sports Writer
After winning state on both sides last year neither Jenks squad could repeat on the tennis court this year, but still got state champions in the individual ranks.
The Lady Trojans were in first place after day one of the Class 6A girls state tournament at the Tennis Center in Oklahoma City early last month. But on day two, they were passed over by Bixby. The Lady Spartans, who won two events with freshmen, finished with 31 points, while Jenks totaled 26 as runner-up.
It ended a grip in which Jenks or Edmond North had won the team title since Class 6A began competition in 2009.
Andie Williams, a No. 1 seed, repeated as No. 1 Singles champion, beating Westmoore’s Jenna Noel, 6-1, 6-0 in the final.
“It was meaningful,” Williams said.
“I didn’t go into the match thinking I was going to crush her. I was thinking that it was going to be a harder match and then I just took everything slowly, and before I knew it, the match was over,” she says.
The teams of Maddie Cameron/Sloane Johnston and Hailey Juen/Darci Roberson placed third respectively in No. 1 and No. 2 Doubles and Sophia DeBenedetti took fourth in No. 2 Singles.
One week later, the Trojans were edged by Edmond North by one point, 30-29, in the Class 6A state boys tournament at the same facility.
“It was pretty tough,” said sophomore Graydon Lair. “I knew going into it, it was going to come down to a couple of points. But at the end of the day, we were all satisfied with how we all competed out there and gave it our best shots.”
Lair was the No. 1 Singles champion. He defeated Michael Grunstead of Norman, 6-1, 6-2.
“It means a lot, especially since it is for Jenks,” Lair said. “I thought it was cool to win something for a bigger organization, a school, rather than just winning something for myself.
“I think the key was my conditioning and my fitness going into the match. I think the kid was a little bit tired from the previous match he played before that, and I had a little bit of the upper hand wearing him down.”
Gabriel Wilbourn, who was the No. 1 Singles champion last year, captured the No. 2 Singles championship after beating Aaron Boyington of Union, 6-0, 6-0.
“I just try to go out there and have fun and play hard,” Wilbourn said.
“It’s (winning No. 2 Singles) good,” Wilbourn says. “But I was a little disappointed we didn’t win as a team. I really wanted to win as a team. That’s what I take away from it.”
The team of Clayton Hughes/Reed Slick took third in No. 1 Doubles, while Caylor Hesson/Syon Patel finished fourth in No. 2 Doubles.
Girls Golf finishes runner-up
Jenks finished runner-up in the Class 6A state girls golf tournament at Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville.
The Lady Trojans had to beat Bixby in a playoff on day two of the event to get second place in the team standings. Both teams finished with a two-round score of 689 (Jenks — 333-356; Bixby — 344-345). Edmond North took first with 668 (337-331).
Lauren Behnken was the highest finisher for Jenks, taking ninth with 165 (82-83). Meg Medders tied for 10th with 168 (82-86).
Ryan repeats in 800 run
Ally Ryan repeated as state champion in the Class 6A Girls 800-meter run. The Kansas-bound sprinter finished with a time of 2:11.72 on May 12 in Yukon.
Updated 06-26-2018
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