6A STATE QUARTERFINALS OFFER A FEW SURPRISES, BUT BLUE VALLEY WEST RETAINS FRONTRUNNER STATUS AS THE JAGUARS CHASE AFTER 3-PEAT

Blue Valley West was not quite able to duplicate last year’s perfect Day 1 performance, but the Jaguars still have to feel great about their chances of clinching a three-peat after sending three of their four state entries into the semifinals.

Blue Valley West sophomore Anish Poojari maintained his perfect record this season. Poojari dropped just two games through his two matches, both in a 6-1, 6-1 win over Mill Valley freshman Dalton Parde.

Poojari will face Olathe South sophomore Nolan Fosha in the semifinals on Saturday. Fosha earned a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Shawnee Mission East sophomore Brody Feldman in the quarterfinals.

Heading into state, Feldman actually held a 2-0 advantage in matches this season. Feldman won 8-3 during a tournament on April 26. They faced off again in the singles final of the Sunflower League tournament on May 6. In that one, Feldman squeaked out an 8-7 (3) tiebreaker victory.

Blue Valley West junior Jonah Stolte reached the state semifinals in the singles bracket for the third straight season. Stolte held off Maize senior Hayden Herrerra in the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (5) tiebreaker in the first set, followed by 6-0 win to clinch it. Herrera won a 6-3, 3-6, (5) tiebreaker over Shawnee Mission East sophomore Aidan Lashley in the previous round.

Stolte will face Blue Valley Northwest senior Luke Pennington in the semifinals, which will be a rematch of last year’s semifinals. Pennington won last year’s match 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 over Stolte before ultimately losing to Stolte’s teammate Francisco Landeras in the finals. 

To reach this year’s semifinals, Pennington picked up a 6-0, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Manhattan freshman James Hoke in the quarterfinals.

This year, Landeras reached the semifinals in doubles as the No. 1 seed alongside junior Aarya Anjankar. The duo earned a 6-1, 6-3 win in the quarterfinals over Olathe Northwest juniors Bryan Branstrom and Aidan Messerly.

Shawnee Mission South junior Ryder Heaven and sophomore Carson Mower prevented Blue Valley West from advancing all six of its state qualifiers into the 6A state semifinals for the second straight season.

Heaven and Mower knocked off Blue Valley West senior Ethan Kumar and sophomore Ishaan Musti in the quarterfinals in a three-set thriller. The Raiders duo won 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7).

Blue Valley Northwest senior Krrish Sanjanwala and junior Srinivasa Vel beat Shawnee Mission East sophomores Aiden Bush and Christian Clough in the quarterfinals, winning 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

Shawnee Mission East senior Jake Hanson and sophomore Christopher Long were able to punch their ticket into the semifinals. Hanson and Long earned a 6-1, 6-3 win over Washburn Rural juniors Dylan Willingham and Cale Deutscher in the quarterfinals.

In last year’s tournament, Hanson and Bush reached the semifinals before losing to their own teammates, seniors Gregor Wiedeman and George Kahl, who would go on to win the doubles state title.


TOP SEEDS CRUISE IN 5A, SETTING UP SEMIFINAL SHOWDOWNS 

No major upsets occurred on Day 1 of the Class 5A tournament at Salina Tennis Center, setting the stage for intriguing showdowns in the semifinals. 

Reigning singles champion Sanjay Rajkumar from Blue Valley Southwest cruised to wins over Newton’s Ethan Downey (6-1, 6-1) and Andover’s Lad Oborny (6-1, 6-2).

Up next, Rajkumar will meet a fellow 2024 state champ in Arkansas City’s Dawson O’Donnell, who won the doubles titles last year with older brother Oakley.

O’Donnell dropped just one game Friday in wins over Seaman’s Ethan Winters (6-0, 6-0) and St. James’ Elijah Donaldson (6-1, 6-0). 

A potential rematch of last year’s championship match is still on the table after Maize South’s Evan Goates secured his spot in the semis with wins over Hays’ Kale Schwien (6-1, 6-0) and Eisenhower’s Kyle King (6-0, 6-1). Rajkumar defeated Goates 6-3, 6-3 in last year’s final. 

Standing in the way of Goates’ return to the title match is Bishop Carroll standout freshman Brandon Steven, who defeated Goates in last week’s regional final, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Steven’s only loss came against Rajkumar early in the season. He beat Seaman’s Camden Dutton (6-0, 6-0) and Andover Central’s Henry Walker (6-1, 6-2) on Friday to reach the semis. 

In doubles, top-seeded Andrew Chan and Isaac Homan from Andover beat Aquinas’ Brett Baltuska and Brogan Johnston, 6-1, 6-0, to start the day before topping St. James’ Luke and Sam Niesen in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 7-5. 

Chan and Homan will meet Carroll’s Gabriel Weber and Braeden Dugan in the semifinals. Weber and Dugan beat Blue Valley Southwest’s Jacob Cook and Nidhish Padmanaban 6-1, 6-4 before taking a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Piper’s John Vogel and Baird Greenamyre in the quarterfinals. 

On the other side of the bracket, Kapaun’s Trey Lacy and John Korfhage will meet Andover Central’s Jaxon Post and Elias Kachelmeier in the semifinals. Lacy and Korfhage survived a scare against Newton’s Gavin Hadley and Adam Oswald, pulling out a 5-7, 6-2, 10-5 win before beating Valley Center’s Braxton Nicholson and Gabriel Shaffer 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. 

Post and Kachelmeier opened with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Seaman’s Dayton Schneider and Owen Stewart and beat Andover’s John Rather and Pierce Anderson 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.  BUHLER’S SPIES, PARSONS’ SHULTZ STAY ON REMATCH COLLISION COURSE IN CLASS 4A
 
After playing an epic Class 4A singles championship match a year ago, Buhler’s Davian Spies and Parsons’ Wyatt Shultz are one win away from getting a rematch of that final, which Spies won in a 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-2 marathon.
 
Spies, a two-time champion after also winning as a freshman in 2022, had no trouble getting back to the semifinals at Winfield's T.H. Vaughan Tennis Center, taking a 6-0, 6-0 win over Concordia’s Evan Bombardier to start his day and then handling Winfield’s Copeland Quiett 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
 
Shultz, meanwhile, had an even easier time in earning his spot in the semifinals, taking 6-0, 6-0 wins in both of his matches, Fort Scott’s Jaxen DeMott in the second round and Wellington’s Maverick Peterson in the quarterfinals.
 
Shultz will face Bishop Miege’s Luca Marrello in his semifinal match after Marrello beat Independence’s Alan Mah 6-3, 6-2 in the second round and Winfield’s Joshua Moore 6-4, 6-0 in the quarterfinals. Spies will face Independence’s Keith Sanders, who won 6-2, 6-1 over Clay Center’s Eli Pfizenmaier and 6-4, 6-3 over Hesston’s Janmejay Patwardhan in the quarterfinals.
 
In doubles play, Hesston's top-seeded Asher Deutschendorf and Braiden Liechty cruised in to the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Circle’s Landon Boldra and Keaton Koenigsman and a 6-0, 6-3 quarterfinal win over Independence’s Matthew McLenon and Zachary Scott.
 
They’ll take on Hayden’s Chase Blaser and Evan George, who fought past a pair of McPherson teams for their semifinal berth, beating Jonas Emery and Mason Eisenbarth, 6-4, 6-4 and the pulling out a 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 win over Bryson Archer and Alex Berger in the quarterfinals.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed Jackson Davis and Adam Everett of Winfield rolled into the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Independence’s Kevin Mah and Heston Smith and a 6-2, 6-2 quarterfinal win over Chanute’s Ethan Burnett and Ayden Cummings.
 
In the semifinals, they meet Buhler’s Von Woleslagel and Reuben Harder, who helped the Crusaders in their pursuit for a second straight team title with a head-to-head win over Parsons’ Cole Kennett and Conner Barcus in the semifinals, taking a 6-3, 6-3 decision. The duo topped Bishop Miege’s Joe Schmidt and Matt Morris 6-2, 6-0 to start their day. 
 
Parsons did have all three of its state entries still alive after the first day with both doubles team still playing in the consolation bracket. Buhler only has its two semifinalists left as its second doubles qualifier went 0-2.
 
Winfield also has all three of its state entries alive with both singles qualifiers in the consolation quarterfinals.
 

 
WICHITA COLLEGIATE DOMINATES CLASS 3-2-1A OPENING DAY
 
Going into the Class 3-2-1A state tournament with the No. 1 and 2 seeds in both the singles and doubles draw, Wichita Collegiate’s entries more than lived up to those seeds on the first day of action at Kossover Tennis Center.
 
In singles play, top-seeded freshman Amir Khicha rolled in the semifinals dropping only one game on the day, that coming in a 6-1, 6-0 win over Lyons’ Fred Chuen in the second round. He followed with a 6-0, 6-0 romp past Conway Springs’ Levi Mies in the quarterfinals.
 
He was joined in the semifinals by teammate Charlie Gentile, who placed third at state last year. Gentile beat Trinity Academy’s Alex Hobson 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals after taking a 6-0, 6-1 win over Phillipsburg’s Nathan Fischer in the second round.
 
Now 19-1, Khicha will take on Wichita Classical’s Isaac Yourdon, a runner-up in state doubles last year. Yourdon cruised 6-1, 6-0 in his first match with Neodesha’s Jackson DeLong before getting an early battle from Sterling’s Jace Darnauer in the semifinals before taking a 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 win.
 
Gentile, meanwhile, will face Central Plains’ Camden Stiles, who topped Hoisington’s Brody Rossman 6-3, 6-2 in his first match and then survived a three-set quarterfinal with Wichita Classical’s Noah Doom, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
 
Collegiate’s doubles showing was nearly as impressive as their singles. Defending state champions Carter and Maddox Drumright had no trouble returning to the semifinals. The duo stayed unbeaten, improving to 23-0 by beating Marysville’s Nicholas Frese and Bomani Monono 6-0, 6-0 and Sterling’s Ben Bierstedt and Zach Wohler 6-3, 6-0.
 
Freshman teammates William Farha and Vihaan Ganganala, who paired for the first time at regionals, posted identical scores in their march to the semifinals. The Spartan duo beat WaKeeney’s Graeden Deines and Camdyn Flavin 6-0, 6-0 and Trinity Academy’s Preston Sebits and Blane Farley, 6-3, 6-0.
 
The Drumrights will face the Conway Springs duo of Layne Whitney and Isaac Winter, who pulled out a 6-1, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1 victory over Smoky Valley’s Gabe and Ezekiel Baker in the quarterfinals after cruising 6-3, 6-0 over Phillipsburg’s Colton Ewing and William Jessup in their opening match.
 
Farha and Ganganala will take on Cair Paravel’s tandem of Drew Fay and Eric Buchenau, who improved to 28-1 with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Sacred Heart’s Benjamin Disberger and Jonah Kaumans in the second round and a 6-2, 6-4 win over Central Plains’ paxton and Peyton Dody in the quarterfinals.