Hesston doubles pairing wins 3-1A state tennis; Collegiate’s Hawley retires after 59 championships

WICHITA, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - Hesston’s duo of senior Micah Dahlsten and Asher Deutschendorf won a 3-1A doubles championship Saturday afternoon at Riverside Tennis Center, though it didn’t happen how they hoped.

The pair took the opening set 6-3 against Kansas City Christian’s James Vander Ark and Jackson Newman. They jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the second set, though the Panthers roared back for a 4-2 lead before Newman went down with cramps, causing a 20-minute delay in action.

The Swathers came back to win the next two sets, evening the second set at 4-4. With Dahlsten serving and a 40-40 game in action, Newman went down with cramps again and was forced to retire from the match, giving Hesston the state championship.

“You wanna play the full match. I guess it’s a bittersweet feeling,” said Dahlsten, who helped deliver a state title on the final day his father, Mark, would coach the team. “State champions - that’s really nice - but you wanna play the match all the way through.”

Deutschendorf and Dahlsten took third a year ago and knew the importance of playing their best at the right time.

“I think coming to state, we have been playing our best tennis recently and that’s what got us here,” Deutschendorf said.

Collegiate’s legendary coached calls it a career

Dave Hawley, the 46-year coach who led Collegiate to a Kansas state record 59 state titles, led the Spartans for the final time Saturday. He filed his retirement paperwork following the girl’s team championship in the fall, and rode off with a second-place finish for the boys.

He has coached 35 singles champions and helped guide 47 doubles pairs to titles between the boys and girls teams.

“(I) outlasted a lot of people,” Hawley joked. “Just a tremendous amount of wonderful memories. I started in Wichita here in the summer teaching lessons at Riverside while at Collegiate, so this place has a special meaning to me.”

Hawley will continue coaching the middle school program for at least one more year while also continuing to teach lessons.

Area placers

Singles - Alvarado, Dodge City, 12th. Doubles - Morren/Kleysteuber, Garden City, 9th; Bowman/Carrillo, Derby, 11th.

Singles - Ritchie, Maize, 2nd; Steven, Bishop Carroll, 3rd; Judkins, Kapaun, 5th. Doubles - O’Donnell/O’Donnell, Ark City, 2nd; Musser/Franz, Newton, 3rd; Grizzell/Krumm, Maize South, 5th; Wilson/Strickland, Andover Central, 6th; Huber/Sagehorn, Andover Central, 7th; Herrera/Baleriola-Lopez, Maize, 8th; Arnett/Brantley, Ark City, 11th.

Singles - Spies, Buhler, 3rd; Harder, Buhler, 4th; Cornejo, Wellington, 7th; Elder, McPherson, 10th; Archer, McPherson, 11th. Doubles - Davis/Everett, Winfield, 3rd; Berger/McVicker, McPherson, 4th; Hilger/Woleslagel, Buhler, 7th; Pfiefer/Ruddle, Augusta, 8th; Wright/Worley, Wellington, 9th; Norton/Palmer, Winfield. 11th; Bleich/Foes, Circle, 12th.

3-1A

Singles - Ryan, Central Plains, 2nd; Gentile, Wich. Collegiate, 3rd; Drumright, Wich. Collegiate, 5th; Henderson, Trinity Academy, 6th; Douglas, Sacred Heart, 7th; Doom, Wich. Classical, 9th; White, Hesston, 10th; Frank, Scott Community, 12th. Doubles - Dahlsten/Deutschendorf, Hesston, 1st; Graham/Yourdon, Wich. Classical, 3rd; Clennan/Hageman, Hutch Trinity, 4th; Cunningham/Fujinuma, Wich. Collegiate, 5th; Anderson/Bourbon, Ellsworth, 6th; Sebits/Bryant, Trinity Academy, 7th; Noll/Stoecklein, Scott Community, 8th; Duff/Franco, Scott Community, 10th; Madhavan/Rasberry, Wich Collegiate, 11th.

Team finishes

T-3rd - Maize

3rd - Buhler; 4th - McPherson

3-1A

2nd - Wichita Collegiate; 3rd - Hesston; 4th - Wichita Classical