Tehachapi edged 5-4 in D-III final
| Wednesday, May 20 2009 10:35 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, May 20 2009 10:35 PM
Tehachapi's boys tennis team fell just short of the school's first Central Section team title on Wednesday, losing 5-4 at top-seeded Hanford West in the Division III section championship.
The No. 2-seeded Warriors won just two of six singles matches and were unable to sweep the Huskies in doubles, even though Hanford West was playing without No. 1 singles player Henry Eiland, who was out for disciplinary reasons.
It was the first section final appearance in program history for Tehachapi, which has fielded a boys tennis team since the early 1980s.
The Warriors won their first team South Sequoia League title this year and first individual SSL title, a doubles crown from Tyler Thoms and David Croy. That team is still alive for this weekend's individual section tournament.
On Wednesday, Thoms won his No. 1 singles match, 6-1, 6-4 over J.C. Williams. But Hanford West's No. 3 player, Taylor Herron, was able to step up to No. 2 singles and edge Croy, 7-5, 6-3.
In doubles, the Huskies wrapped up the title with a 6-2, 6-2 win from Herron and A.J. Wynne at No. 3 doubles.
Tehachapi, forced to split up its top three players to gamble for three wins, battled back and won the other two doubles -- 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3) for Thoms and Jimmy Boyd at No. 1 and 3-6, 7-5, 10-6 for Croy and Wade Burris at No. 2 -- but it was too little, too late.
Austin Zehr also won a singles match for Tehachapi, 6-4, 6-2 over Ryan Pagan at No. 6.
