The Powell High School tennis teams took on their cross-county rivals in Cody Tuesday, the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The teams split the difference, with the Panthers overpowering the Broncs 4-1 and the Lady Panthers losing in a sweep, 5-0.

“It was a non-conference win on the boys’ side, but we’ll take it,” said PHS head coach Joe Asay. “We’ll do it again for keeps next Thursday [Sept. 5] over here for conference results. Unfortunately, the other side of that was our girls battling against what continues to be just a real strong Cody Fillies team.”

Panthers 4, Cody 1

Senior Jesse Brown remained undefeated at No. 1 singles, making short work of the Broncs’ Cody Champlin in straight sets 6-0, 6-0.

“I felt pretty good out there,” Brown said following the match. “I’ve played him [Champlin] before, so I kind of knew what to expect. It’s been a good start to the season, I’m feeling really confident.”

“Jesse just played great tennis,” Asay said. “The kid playing that spot for Cody is a sophomore, and a good, solid player. It gives Jesse something to work with — he wasn’t pushed, necessarily, but it certainly gave him a chance to really work aspects of his game.”

Below Brown, the Panthers featured a bit of a new look.

Justin Vanderbeek, an exchange student from Belgium, claimed the No. 2 singles spot from Dylan Preator earlier this week. The shift caused a ripple effect throughout the boys’ lineup, as Preator dropped to the No. 1 doubles spot, Ethan Bartholomew dropped to No. 2 doubles and Jay Cox dropped to No. 3 doubles.

In his first outing at No. 2 singles, Vanderbeek squared off against Cody’s Jackson Golden, winning the first set 6-4. The second set was a battle, with Jackson outlasting Vanderbeek 6-4 to square the match at 1-1. Vanderbeek ran out of steam in the third and final set, dropping the set and the match 6-1.

“... He battled, played really good tennis,” Asay said of Vanderbeek, adding, “He kind of faded a little bit in the third set, but it was good to see him out there battling. He [Vanderbeek] has a really good game, and him playing at the spot did open up a pretty neat opportunity at No. 1 doubles for us.”

At No. 1 doubles, Preator reunited with old partner Aidan Jacobsen for the first time since the 2017 season. That year, the then-sophomores made an improbable run through the state meet in Gillette. They advanced all the way to the No. 2 doubles title match before losing to a duo from Cheyenne East. Both players earned All-State honors for their efforts.

Against Cody’s Dillon Romero and Hayden DeMaranville Tuesday, Preator and Jacobsen got off to a slow start, as they struggled to regain the tempo from a couple of years ago. It finally clicked midway through the first set, and the team went on to a straight-set win 6-4, 6-2.

“That was a lot of fun; it was fun to get back with him [Preator],” Jacobsen said. “We started off a little slow, but we picked the pace right back up. One of the Cody kids had a pretty good serve, it took a little bit to get used to. But we ended up geting it done.”

Asay said he’s a fan of the pairing, and he’s eager to see what the two can accomplish should they keep playing together.

“They’re both [Preator and Jacobsen] just so super-athletic, and they’ve been playing the game for a while now,” Asay said. “I felt like they really dominated this match, a great win over a pretty solid Cody team. They were a little slow out of the gate, but obviously finished really well, so that was fun.”

The first-ever pairing of senior Grant Dillivan and sophomore Ethan Bartholomew was a success as well, with the pair topping the Broncs’ Tristan Dollard and TJ Smith in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

“Ethan has just stepped in to play some really good doubles tennis this season,” Asay said. “He’s playing so well, so it’s been fun to see him in that spot, battling.”

The No. 3 doubles pairing of Jay Cox and Logan Brown closed out the match for the Panthers with a straight-set win over CJ Dominick and Mitchel Schwab 6-4, 6-1. The match was a first for Cox and Brown as a team, and Asay said he liked the way the players complemented each other.

“Logan Brown comes out and competes really well. He’s pretty raw, but just a good, athletic kid,” Asay said. “ Playing with our other tall, long, athletic kid in Jay Cox, they got after it and had a good win as well.”

Cody 5, Lady Panthers 0

It was a struggle throughout for the Lady Panthers, as Cody once again proved to be a strong contender for the 3A state crown.

Cody’s Teagan Thompson, last year’s state runner-up at No. 2 singles, competed in the No. 1 singles spot, beating Powell’s Sloane Asay 6-1, 6-2.

“Teagan Thompson has always been super-competitive in the two spot, and if it weren’t for Tessa Blough a year ahead of her, she would have been a very competitive No. 1 singles player,” coach Asay said. “Sloane Asay is still new to the position, so it was kind of a David and Goliath situation. But Sloane is playing good tennis, got some great points off of Teagan. Really battled her all the way through.”

At No. 2 singles, Lady Panther Ashley Dunkerley lost in straight sets to Torrie Schutzman, though she made her Cody opponent earn it, especially in the second set.

“Ashley Dunkerley is a scrappy player and played another real scrappy player from Cody’s side,” coach Asay said. “She was the last one off the court. She came up short, but was there the whole way through, really battling. She’s really stepped up well in that two spot.”

Powell’s Hailee Paul and Sophe Morrow fell in straight sets to Maddy Icenogle and Simona Wambeke in straight sets in No. 1 doubles action 6-1, 6-0.

In No. 2 doubles, Lady Panthers Sami Cole and Sydnee Thompson lost to Anna Brenner and Ashlynn Staggs 6-1, 6-3, while in the No. 3 doubles spot, Whitney Hull and Kaili Wisniewski lost by the same scores to Cody’s Soffy Anderson and Nathalia Morales.

“All the girls had really good matchups ... I see great tennis being played,” Asay said. “That’s just a really strong Cody team.”

The PHS tennis teams are on the road Friday, taking a trip through Yellowstone and the Tetons for matches against Jackson.

“Anytime you get to spend some time in the park with a good bunch of kids it’s always fun,” Asay said, adding that, “Knowing what they [Jackson] had last year, it will be good, competitive tennis.”