PREP TENNIS: Coeur d'Alene boys, Lake City girls win 6A district titles

6A

COEUR d’ALENE — Sometimes, when teammates square off in the finals, it can be bittersweet because yes, your team wins, but also, your team loses. 

But Coeur d’Alene High junior Grant Johnson looked at it as a win-win after he defeated his Viking teammate, Sam Mandel, 6-2, 4-6, 10-8 in the boys singles championship match at the 6A District 1 tournament Friday at Coeur d’Alene High. 

“I love it because I love to see our teammates in championship matches,” Johnson said. “This gives him another chance to go to state too.” 

After the Coeur d’Alene teammates split the first two sets, they played a tiebreaker to 10 points to decide the champion. 

“Today I knew it would be a grinder of a match,” Johnson said. “I’ve played Sam over and over, being teammates, and I knew I was going to have to put my best foot forward.  He gets tons of balls back, so I knew I was going to have to play long points and finish points too.” 

It will be Johnson’s third trip to state in as many years. He qualified in boys singles as a freshman, then finished second in mixed doubles last year with then-senior Caitlin Coombs. 

He wanted to return to singles this year. His goals for state? 

“Hopefully have a good week, have fun, and make it to the second day,” Johnson said.  

Mandel came back to win his second-place match to earn a trip to state. The top two placers in each event advance to state May 15-16 at Appleton Tennis Center in Boise.

In a lengthy girls singles final, Lake City junior Savannah Spencer defeated sophomore teammate Emily Walker 7-5, 6-4. 

Coeur d'Alene's boys and Lake City's girls won district title. Coeur d'Alene won the combined title.

Isaiah Robinson and Branson Morse of Post Falls won the district title in boys doubles.

Gabby Knutson and Natalie Knutson of Coeur d'Alene won in girls doubles.

Morgan Knutson and Brody Raber of Coeur d'Alene won in mixed doubles.

BOYS TEAM SCORES — 1, Coeur d’Alene 61.5. 2, Lake City 46. 3, Post Falls 33. 

GIRLS TEAM SCORES — 1, Lake City 72. 2, Coeur d’Alene 65.5. 3, Post Falls 2. 

COMBINED TEAM SCORES — 1, Coeur d’Alene 127. 2, Lake City 118. 3, Post Falls 35.

Winners of championship and second-place matches advance to state 

BOYS SINGLES — Championship: Grant Johnson, Coeur d’Alene, d. Sam Mandel, Coeur d’Alene, 6-2, 4-6, 10-8. Consolation: Semifinals: Mason Bates, Lake City, d. Tanner Teisl, Post Falls, 6-1, 6-0; Reese Carron, Lake City, d. Josh Atwood, Lake City, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2. Final: Bates, Lake City, d. Carron, Lake City, 6-3, 6-4. Second-place match: Mandel, Coeur d’Alene, d. Bates, Lake City, 6-1, 6-1. 

BOYS DOUBLES — Championship: Isaiah Robinson/Branson Morse, Post Falls, d. Trey Lambert/Josh Rojo, Lake City, 6-1, 6-0. Consolation: Semifinals: Noah Ingle/Tyler Korn, Post Falls, d. Ryder Frank/Logan Cotant, Coeur d’Alene, 6-2, 7-5. Second-place match: Lambert/Rojo, Lake City, d. Ingle/Korn, Post Falls, 6-3, 6-2.  

GIRLS SINGLES: Championship: Savannah Spencer, Lake City, d. Emily Walker, Lake City, 7-5, 6-4. Consolation: Semifinals: Greta Nace, Lake City, d. Krysten Moore, Coeur d’Alene, 4-6, 7-5, 10-7; Maddie Hunt, Coeur d’Alene, d. Cora Woydziak, Post Falls, 3-6, 6-1, 10-2. Consolation final: Hunt, Coeur d’Alene, d. Nace, Lake City, 6-1, 6-2. Second-place match: Hunt, Coeur d’Alene, d. Walker, 6-1, 3-6, 10-6. 

GIRLS DOUBLES — Championship: Gabby Knutson/Natalie Knutson, Coeur d’Alene, d. Libby Morrisroe/Ava Jaeger, Coeur d’Alene, 6-3, 6-3. Consolation: Finals: Chloe Fitzgerald/Whitlee Sudol, Lake City, d. Madelynn Penn/Roxanne Perfumo, Lake City, 6-0, 6-0. Second-place match: Fitzgerald/Sudol, Lake City, d. Morrisroe/Jaeger, Coeur d’Alene, 3-6, 6-3, 10-6. 

MIXED DOUBLES — Morgan Knutson/Brody Raber, Coeur d’Alene, d. Emily Stillert/William Watkins, Coeur d’Alene, 6-1, 6-2. Consolation semifinals: Jaden Ross/Drew Merk, Lake City, d. Elizabeth Montgomery/Caden Oxenrider, Lake City, 7-5, 7-5. Second-place match: Ross/Merk, Lake City, d. Stillert/Watkins, Coeur d’Alene, 6-4, 4-6, 10-4. 

5A

Lakeland's Babb/Costello

advance to finals

LEWISTON — The Lakeland mixed doubles team of Marty Babb and Caitlin Costello won two matches to advance to today’s championship match of the 5A Region 1 tournament at the Lewiston Country Club. 

Full results were not available to a computer error. 

    MARK NELKE/Press Lake City junior Savannah Spencer hits a backhand volley against teammate Emily Walker in the girls singles finals of the 6A District 1 tennis tournament Friday at Coeur d'Alene High.