The Trenton High School tennis team just missed a team title at the Benton Tennis Tournament held in St. Joseph on Friday, falling to Maryville in the tournament championship, 3-2.
Trenton opened the day with a 5-0 win over St. Joseph Lafayette in the quarterfinals and stopped LeBlond 5-0 in the semifinals to reach the championship.
Against Lafayette, Trenton got singles wins of 10-0 from both Nick Shields and Gabe Swann. Kade Ockenfels and Creed Houghton combined for a 10-1 doubles win and Wyatt Neal and Jeremy Elliott won 10-0. Isaac Harris and Weston Otto received a forfeit win to give Trenton the sweep.
Against LeBlond, Shields and Swann again dominated the two singles matches, each winning 10-0. Houghton and Ockenfels won 10-0 as well in doubles play while Neal and Elliott combined for a 10-4 victory and Harris and Otto won 10-1.
Shields finished his day undefeated with a 10-0 win in singles play against his Maryville opponent in the championship. Through three matches, Shields didn’t even drop a game, outscoring his opponents 30-0 on the day. Swann was nearly as good, winning his championship singles match 10-1.
But Maryville’s team was weighted toward doubles and Ockenfels and Houghton lost 10-8. Neal and Elliott fell 10-6 and Otto and Harris were defeated 10-1 to give the Spoofhounds the championship by a 3-2 score.
While being relegated to second place at the tournament, Trenton did receive championship honors in both singles flights as Shields won the individual championship for number one singles and Swann won the individual title for number two singles.
Houghton and Ockenfels placed third in the number-one doubles flight and Harris and Otto placed second in the number three doubles flight.
“This was a very successful tournament for us,” Trenton Coach Dave Sager said. “In singles, Shields and Swann both played solid the entire day and we want them to stay consistent going into district play. In doubles play, Ock and Houghton played really good doubles and they were mixed in with a great bunch of doubles teams in the number-one doubles division. The competition was really high there and Ock and Houghton were in the mix the whole way, getting them to a third-place finish. Harris and Otto also had a good day. Being both of these boys’ first tournament of the year, they did a great job of helping the team get to the final. I’m very proud of my team and what they have accomplished in the regular season.”
With the 2-1 showing, Trenton’s overall combined record for the regular season finished at 13-3
UP NEXT
Trenton will host a district semifinal on Tuesday against the winner of today’s Excelsior Springs-Chillicothe quarterfinal. The semifinal in Trenton is scheduled for first serves at 4 p.m. Should Trenton win, the Bulldogs will play for what would be a second-straight district championship in Excelsior Springs on Wednesday at 4 p.m.