The first day of the 2019 State Tennis Tournament in Gillette was a memorable one for the Powell High School boys’ tennis team, with the Panthers advancing to Friday’s semifinals in all five events.

Powell currently sits in first place as a team, with 15 points; Thunder Basin is second with 10, while Sheridan rounds out the top three with 9.5 points.

On the girls’ side, the Lady Panthers are in eighth place after one day, with four points. Four of the PHS girls' five competitors remained alive in the consolation bracket after Thursday's action.

For the boys, Powell senior Jesse Brown cruised to a pair of easy wins in No. 1 singles. He beat Rock Springs’ Nico Woolsey (6-0, 6-0) and Thunder Basin’s Jackson Voigt (6-2, 6-1) in straight sets. Brown will face Laramie’s Kyle Moore in Friday’s semifinals.

At No. 2 singles, fellow Panther senior and defending state champion Dylan Preator opened the tournament with a straight-set win over Rock Springs’ Kaeden Hanson (6-0, 6-0). In the quarterfinals, Preator outlasted Kelly Walsh’s Austin Putnam in three sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-2) and will face Sheridan’s Reed Rabon in Friday’s semifinal.

Aiden Jacobsen and Justin Vanderbeek won matches against Rock Springs and Green River to advance to the semifinals in No. 1 doubles. Jacobsen and Vanderbek will square off against the Kelly Walsh duo of Drew Rasmussen and Jackson Catchpole.

In No. 2 doubles, Powell’s Grand Dillivan and Ethan Bartholomew opened with wins over Cheyenne East and Sheridan; they’ll take on Cheyenne Central’s Caden Bogus and Jackson Cook in Friday’s semifinals.

At No. 3 doubles, Jay Cox and Logan Brown advanced to the semifinals with wins over Cheyenne South and Laramie. They’ll square off Friday against Thunder Basin’s Luke Lass and Josh Lubben.

On the girls’ side, the Lady Panthers are in the midst of a logjam in the middle of the pack. Sheridan is first with 13.5 points; Kelly Walsh, Central and Cody are tied with 13 points in the runner-up spot.

Powell senior Sloane Asay finished 0-2 on the day at No. 1 singles, ending her tournament, while teammate Ashley Dunkerley finished 1-1 with a win over South’s Jessie Foster (6-0, 6-0) in the consolation bracket. Dunkerly will square off against Cody’s Torrie Schutzman Friday in the consolation quarterfinals.

In No. 1 doubles, Hailee Paul and Sophe Morrow fell to Cody in the opening round against Cody, but rebounded with a win over Rock Springs’ Mignery/Johnson (6-4, 6-2). They’ll face Kelly Walsh’s Blumberg/Lane in Friday’s consolation quarterfinals.

In No. 2 doubles, Sami Cole and Sydnee Thompson opened with a loss to East, but battled back with a win in the consolation bracket against South’s Hernandez/Willoughby (6-0, 6-0). They’ll face Green River’s Beutel/Harrison in Friday’s consolation quarterfinals.

At No. 3 doubles, Whitney Hull and Kaili Wisnieswki won their opening-round match against Rock Springs’ Pitt/Cozad in three sets (6-1, 4-6, 6-2). Hull and Wiznieswki lost in the quarterfinals to East, but bounced back in the consolation bracket against Natrona County (6-1, 6-1). They’ll face the winner of Green River v. Laramie in the consolation quarterfinals.