BY JIM MISUNAS
Great Bend High School missed out on a banner spring season when activities were canceled by the Kansas State High School Activities Association due to the coronavirus.
The rebuilding of Great Bend’s tennis program took a major hit as fourth-year veterans Hayden Honomichl (16-13) and doubles players Josh Hoisington, Israel Esparza and Rogelio Arias were unable to complete their senior campaign. Arias was scheduled to compete, but was forced to the sidelines with a knee injury.
Honomichl lost 6-0, 6-0 at 5A regionals to Salina Central’s Austin Beatty last year. He placed as Western Athletic Conference No. 2 singles runner-up with a 3-1 record. He teamed with Malachi Williams to place third at No. 1 WAC doubles in 2018.
No. 1 doubles Josh Hoisington and Malachi Williams finished with a 4-10 record and lost 6-1, 6-0 to Maize’s Chase Schreiner and Tanner Ohnmeis at 5A regionals last year. Hoisington and Williams placed third at No. 1 WAC doubles.
No. 2 doubles Rogelio Arias and Matthew Zorn recorded a 3-6 record and lost 6-0, 6-0 to Valley Center’s Hayden Brown and Colby Swift at 5A regionals last year. Arias and Zorn finished third at No. 2 WAC doubles.
Returnee Israel Esparza teamed with Robert Frizell to place runner-up at No. 2 WAC doubles in 2018.
“With four seniors playing varsity, we had a decent shot competing for the WAC title with Garden City,” said first-year Great Bend tennis coach Chris Manning. “We were excited because we had four strong players who were building on what they’d done as players.”
Manning played No. 1 singles during a time when Great Bend won three Western Athletic Conference titles. Manning, who also played college soccer, played No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles at Bethel College, which competes in the KCAC.
Manning said Honomichl had clinched the No. 1 singles spot. Josh Hoisington and Luis Zamarripa were battling for a second singles spot or a No. 1 doubles position. Esparza would team with Hoisington or Zamarripa for the No. 1 doubles team.
Manning said the No. 2 doubles team would’ve been hotly contested.
“We were making progress, but we were still getting to know what the players were capable of doing,” Manning said. GREAT BEND TENNIS
SENIORS—manager Rogelio Arias, Israel Esparza, Josh Hoisington, Hayden Honomichl, Anthony Molina, Brian Stapleton, Luis Zamarripa
JUNIORS—Chris Hayes, Bryce Hopkins, Carlos Jacobo, Shiv Karshan, Damian Rivas, Alex Sandoval
SOPHOMORES—Rafael Gomez, Jacob Horner, Remy Martin, Anthony Ramirez, Isaiah Smith
NINTH-GRADERS—Brady
Hopkins, Brendyn Schroeder, Jordan Sohm, Sawyer Stoskopf
