Jackets claim Route 66 tennis title

Medals in all four brackets helped Kingfisher High School boys tennis capture a team championship.

The Yellowjackets won No. 2 doubles, had two runner-up finishes and a thirdplace win en route to taking home the team title from the Clinton Route 66 Tennis Tournament on April 28.

Jett Matson and Easton Pine downed second-seeded Clinton 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 2 doubles championship.

After the top-seeded duo from KHS earned a firstround bye, they defeated Woodward 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals.

The No. 1 doubles team of Caden Kitchens and Will Shaver also reached their title match.

However, Clinton was able to knock them off 6-2, 6-1.

Shaver and Kitchens were seeded second in their bracket and also earned an early bye.

They defeated Woodward 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals to earn their spot in the championship.

Xavier Ridenour was seeded third in No. 1 singles, but pulled off an upset in the semifinals.

He defeated second-seeded Josh McDowell of Elk City 10-5 in the decisive set. Ridenour dropped the first set 7-5 before coming back to win the second one 6-3 and forcing the tie-breaker.

He was defeated by Harrah’s Alex Patterson in the championship. Ridenour beat Woodward’s Wes Meinders 6-0, 6-0 in the opening round.

Drake Friesen went 2-1 on his day to take the bronze medal in No. 2 singles.

A first-year player, Friesen beat Woodward’s Josiah Heflin 6-0, 6-0 in the third place match.

He started the tournament with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Chickasha’s Cashen Shire.

Friesen was dropped by Elk City’s Jackson Ivestor in the semifinals. Ivestor went on to win the bracket.

Sydney Watkins madesure the KHS girls also came home with some hardware.

Watkins took third in the No. 1 singles bracket.

She won the first set 6-0 before Weatherford’s Morgan Mouse defaulted in the third-place match.

Watkins was seeded fourth and beat Altus’ Emma Gregg 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinal round.

Emma Dowdell of Chisholm, who ultimately won the bracket, defeated Watkins 6-1, 7-5 in the semifinals.

Watkins took fourth April 21 in the Elgin Owl Classic.

After winning her opening-round match 6-3, 6-4, Watkins dropped her next two matches.

Watkins accounted for half of the team’s 10 points in the tournament.

The KHS boys finished tied for fourth with 20 points. Kitchens and Friesen

Kitchens and Friesen netted nine of those by winning the No. 2 doubles bracket.

Seeded second, they won 6-4, 7-5 over Moore, 6-4, 6-3 over Choctaw and then beat Lawton 6-4, 6-3 in the championship.

Pine and Matson were runners-up in No. 1 doubles.

They defeated Southeast 6-3, 6-2 and Moore 6-4, 6-3 to reach the finals before Lawton High won the title.

Ridenour bounced back from an opening-round loss to take fifth in No. 1 singles.

He won a third-set tie-breaker 10-7 over Elgin in that final match.