Glacier’s Smith wins second tennis title

GREAT FALLS — High winds were gusting at their worst Friday morning at the State AA tennis tournament, but Glacier’s Rory Smith persevered to win his second state title.

Smith beat Jace Tolleson-Knee of Missoula Big Sky 6-2, 6-0 in the final match.

“It was just staying patient and playing his own game,” Glacier coach Josh Munro said. “Trusting his own shots and executing was his biggest challenge. He was definitely relieved and happy.”

Glacier won the team title as well, with doubles pair Ethan Purdy and Harrison Sanders’ consolation semifinal win clinching the Wolfpack’s second team title and first since 2013.

Glacier’s boys tennis team was undefeated this season and also won the Northern AA divisional title.

“A really cool footnote on the state championship was getting to finish that undefeated season,” Munro said.

Sanders and Purdy ended up third.

“Something clicked this morning and they rode the momentum all the way to third place,” Munro said. “Our team was deep and it showed.”

Flathead’s Nolan White lost a three-set match to Tolleson-Knee in the semifinal and went on to defeat Helena Capital’s Ryan Ashley (who lost to Smith in the semis) for third place, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1.

“After losing a tough semifinal in tricky winds, Nolan White came back to win two three-set matches to claim third place,” Flathead coach Jimmy Cripe said. “He fought off match points in the 3rd place match versus Ryan Ashley to come from behind to win.”

White’s points alone helped Flathead to a sixth place finish.

Meg McCarty of Bozeman followed in her sister Maicy’s footsteps to win the girls singles title. Bozeman won the girls team title for the ninth consecutive time with 38 points. Missoula Hellgate was second.

Maicy McCarty and Laine Banzinger (Bozeman) won the girls doubles title, and Jake Fame and Ayden Schonhoff of Gallatin topped the boys doubles field.

Bozeman was the runner-up to Glacier in the boys team race with 18 points and Gallatin was third with 16.

State AA Tennis

Friday

GIRLS

Team scores — Bozeman 38, Missoula Hellgate 18, Helena High 17, Helena Capital 13, C.M. Russell 13, Belgrade 10, Billings Senior 8, Billings Skyview 4, Gallatin 3, Flathead 2.

Singles

Semifinal

Meg McCarty (Bozeman) d. Hailey Buss (Bozeman) 6-0, 6-0. Regan Hanson (Capital) d. Qayl Kujala (Helena) 6-2, 6-4.

Championship

McCarty d. Hanson 6-0, 6-0.

Consolation round 3

Bella Anderson (Belgrade) d. Hannah Bingham (CMR) 6-0, 6-2. Ruby Jennings (CMR) d. Logan Roberts (MBS) 6-2, 6-1.

Consolation semifinal

Anderson d. Kujala 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Buss d. Jennings 6-3, 6-0.

Third place

Anderson d. Buss 7-5, 7-5.

Doubles

Semifinal

Emma Hasquet/Eva Santos (Helena) d. Mackayla Kennedy/Bailee Sayler (Hellgate) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0. Maicy McCarty/Laine Banzinger (Bozeman) d. Madison George/Becca Sherman (CMR) 6-1, 6-1.

Championship

McCarty/Banzinger d. Hasquet/Santos 6-4, 6-2.

BOYS

Team scores — Glacier 25, Bozeman 18, Gallatin 16, Helena Capital 13, Missoula Big Sky 13, Flathead 10, Billings Senior 9, Missoula Sentinel 8, Helena High 6, Missoula Hellgate 6.

Singles

Semifinal

Jace Tolleson-Knee (MBS) d. Nolan White (Flathead) 6-4, 7-6(7). Rory Smith (Glacier) d. Ryan Ashley (Capital) 6-1, 6-4.

Championship

Smith d. Tolleson-Knee 6-2, 6-0.

Consolation round 3

Blake Phillippi (Bozeman) d. Carson Rich (CMR) 6-3, 6-3. Luke Donaldson (Helena) d. Ethan Schroeder (Hellgate) 6-1, 6-2.

Consolation semifinal

White d. Donaldson 1-6, 6-1, 6-1. Ashley d. Phillippi 601, 6-4.

Third place

White d. Ashley 6-7, 7-5, 6-1.

Fifth place

Phillippi d. Donaldson 7-5, 6-2.

Doubles

Consolation round 3

Ethan Purdy/Harrison Sanders (Glacier) d. Chris Ledyard/Colton Quirk (Hellgate) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. Ryan Schreiber/Calvin George (Senior) d. Ethan Hayes/Dylan Maharg (Helena) 6-3, 6-3.

Third place

Purdy/Sanders d. Schreiber/George 6-2, 6-3.

Fifth place

Olsen/Shipley d. Nelson/Zimmerman 6-4, 6-3.

Semifinal

Jake Fame/Ayden Schonhoff (Gallatin) d. Noah Nelson/Nathan Zimmerman (Sentinel) 6-0, 6-3. Luke Rayonvich/Josh Angell (Bozeman) d. Jerrick Olson/Ashton Shipley (Capital) 6-4, 6-0.

Championship

Fame/Schonhoff d. Rayonvich/Angell 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.