Four finalists and two regional champions helped the Powell Panther boys’ tennis team win its first north regional title in four years in Gillette this past weekend — while the Panther girls continued to grow late in the year.

BOYS TAKE TITLE

Leading the way for the Panthers at the No. 1 singles spot was Cade Queen, who cruised to the finals after defeating Campbell County’s Jaxon Richert (6-0, 6-0) in the first round and then Sheridan’s Peter Jost (6-2, 6-2) in the semifinals to make the championship.

Queen then overcame a first set loss in the championship to defeat Jackson’s  Hayden Clark (4-6, 6-4, 6-0) who was Queen’s only loss in conference action this season with Queen earning the regional title.

“After that first set Cade got things dialed up and really took control of that match,” coach Joe Asay said.

The other victory on the weekend came at the No. 3 doubles, where Isaac Stensing and Tevon Schultz earned a victory.

The most difficult matchup for the duo came in the first round against the Cody duo of Law and Domingo (6-1, 4-6, 6-3) before Stensing and Schultz cruised in the semifinals (6-1, 6-0) to make the championship.

In the final they earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Moeller and Mortenson from Sheridan to give Powell a second title in Gillette.

“They got it done, they played great tennis and got wins where they needed to,” Asay said.

Powell also had another set of finalists, with Nathan Preator making his way to the title match after a first round victory (6-4, 6-2) and a come from behind semifinal victory (4-6, 6-4, 6-0).

Preator came up short in the final (3-6, 4-6) but earned the second seed at the state tournament.

No. 1 doubles had the other finalists for the Panthers, where Keegan Hicswa and Taeson Schultz battled back from an opening set loss in the first round (2-6, 6-1, 6-2) and a close semifinal battle (7-5, 6-4) to make the championship match.

They came up short in the final, but earned the second seed at state this weekend (1-6, 4-6).

The final pair of Seeger Wormald and Ryan Barrus battled back from an opening round loss (6-7 (5-7), 2-6) with a 6-1, 6-1 consolation bracket victory.

They came up short in the next match (2-6, 4-6) to finish with a 1-2 record on the weekend.

The four finalists allowed Powell to outpace Jackson and Sheridan, finishing with 54 points compared to 46 for Jackson and 42 for Sheridan respectively.

“It can be awfully challenging to come back year after year to be competitive with kids graduating,” Asay said. “After 2019 we had the whole roster leave apart from two boys … it’s fun when you get a good group of kids that can come in and be competitive.”

That team title is the first for the Panthers since 2019, the only time the Panthers have won the state tournament.

GIRLS GROW

A difficult weekend for the Powell Panther girls allowed for some growth, battling in a tough north conference where four teams earned more than 30 points.

Lachelle Lee earned one of two victories for the Panther girls, bouncing back from an opening three set loss to finish 1-2 on the weekend.

The other victory came from the recently formed pairing of Anneliese Peterson and Kyra Morrow at No. 3 doubles, who bounced back from an opening match loss to finish 1-2 on the weekend.

Maya Landwehr finished 0-2 at No. 2 singles, Lucy and Naomi Whipple finished 0-2 at No. 1 doubles with a pair of difficult three set matches while Sophie Czirr and Meaghan McKeen finished 0-2 at No. 2 doubles where they battled in one three set match in the opening round.

“Every time these kids have come out to play they have always improved,” Asay said. “They are really applying the things we have been working on. It was a good weekend for the girls despite three of the five spots not being able to play on Saturday.”

STATE BOUND THURSDAY

After the regional title victory this past weekend the Panther boys have their sights set high, heading back to Gillette with an opportunity to compete for high placements and a trophy this weekend.

It is expected to be a tough race between Powell and the defending state champion Jackson from the north, alongside the two top teams in the south from Laramie and Cheyenne Central with Powell seeking its first title since 2019.

“Every time they get out on the court we want them to leave it all out there,” Asay said. “Excited for them to get out there and have a unique opportunity to step back out on those courts.”

Rain is forecasted on at least one day at the state tournament this weekend, with temperatures expected to be cooler throughout the weekend starting on Thursday.

STATE FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS

No. 1 singles: Cade Queen vs. Adam Bartlett (Torrington); Lachelle Lee vs. Mia Wallhead (Laramie)

No. 2 singles: Nathan Preator vs. Tanner Tryzbiak (Rock Springs); Maya Landwehr vs. Abby Jones (Rock Springs)

No. 1 doubles: Keegan Hicswa and Taeson Schultz vs. Chizek/Bergman (Rawlins); Lucy and Naomi Whipple vs. Moore/Thorburn (Laramie)

No. 2 doubles: Seeger Wormald and Ryan Barrus vs. Baker/Aanerud (Rock Springs); Sophie Czirr and Meaghan McKeen vs. Proctor/Smith (Laramie)

No. 3 doubles: Isaac Stensing and Tevon Schultz (Bye); Anneliese Peterson and Kyra Morrow vs. Frazier/Killpack (Rock Springs)