The Great Bend High School boys tennis team had each of its players earn a medal at the Great Bend invitational on Saturday.
This season, the Panthers’ No. 1 singles and their No. 1 doubles each received third place. The No. 2 singles player, Ramon Garcia, secured second place.
The No. 2 doubles finished in a three-way tie for first place, but was awarded second place based on winning percentage.
“The team played very well today,” GBHS head coach Shannon Schartz said. “We still lost two tough tiebreakers. Last year, no one medaled at our meet and this year everyone did. I am very happy with the improvement they have made.”
The Panthers finished in third place as a team behind Liberal, which got first place with 44 points and Garden City, which scored 42 points.
The GBHS No. 2 doubles team consisting of Ky Heeke and Adam Neeland won each of its matches except to Liberal’s twosome of Adrian Amado and Joseph Coto, losing in a tiebreaker, 8-6, for the final match score of 8-7.
“We need to be more consistant,” Schartz said. “We lost three tiebreakers in McPherson and we lost two more (Saturday). We just need to learn to close matches, but they have shown a lot of improvement.”
Noel Rodriguez, who took third place as Great Bend’s No. 1 singles player, defeated singles players from Ellinwood, Hoisington and Dodge City before being topped by Garden City’s Blake Stacky. Rodriguez battled to a tiebreaker, but lost the set 7-4 and lost the match, 8-7.
The Panthers’ No. 2 singles player Ramon Garcia went 4-1 on Saturday, but Fidelix Kyaw of Garden City got past him, 8-6.GBHS senior Greg Hildebrand, who is playing competitive tennis for the first time this season, filled in a few matches for another team.
“He played in five matches today,” Schartz said. “He looked pretty good. These were the first competitive matches of his life. He beat Dodge City 8-5. He did a real good job.
“He is going to be in some JV matches on Monday. Down the line, he could play some varsity for us.”
 
Great Bend begins season with seventh-place finish
McPHERSON — The GBHS boys’ tennis team tied with Hays for seventh place at the McPherson meet on Friday.
No. 2 singles player Ramon Garcia and the No. 2 doubles team, Ky Heeke and Adam Neeland, both took fifth place.
No. 1 singles player Noel Rodriguez and the No. 1 doubles team, Nick Moyers and Austin Jacobs, finished in eighth place.

Ellinwood starts season with fifth-place finish
Ellinwood scored 11 points on Saturday to put them four behind Dodge City for fifth place.
The Eagles’ head coach Lyle Stickney said he wasn’t worried about his team’s rough start.
“It’s still early in the season,” Stickney said. “We’re going to get better as the year progresses. I saw some things that I liked out there, and I saw some things that I’ll address at practice.”
Ellinwood plays again on Tuesday in Ellsworth.
 
Hoisington takes sixth in Great Bend
Hoisington struggled to score points against Class 5 and 6A schools at the Great Bend Invitational. It did better against Class 2A Ellinwood, winning the No. 2 doubles.
Hoisington’s No. 1 singles player Ethan Smith had to pull himself from the competition due to a sore arm.
Hoisington hosts a varsity invitational on Thursday.

HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
At Great Bend
Saturday
Team standings
1. Liberal, 44; 2. Garden City, 42; 3. Great Bend, 34; 4. Dodge City, 15; 5. Ellinwood, 11; 6. Hoisington, 2.
Great Bend results
No. 1 singles — Noel Rodriguez, Great Bend, def. Kale Clawson, Ellinwood, 8-4; Noel Rodriguez, Great Bend, def. Ethan Smith, Hoisington, 8-6; Noel Rodriguez, Great Bend, def. Tanner Miller, Dodge City, 8-4; Blake Stacky, Garden City, def. Noel Rodriguez, Great Bend, 8-7 (7-4); Lareyn Carter, Liberal def. Noel Rodriguez, Great Bend, 8-2. 
No. 2 singles — Ramon Garcia, Great Bend, def. Aaron Pike, Ellinwood, 8-2; Ramon Garcia, Great Bend, def. Jordan Klima, Hoisington, 8-2; Ramon Garcia, Great Bend, def. Hendrik Kronsbein, Dodge City, 8-4; Fidelix Kyav, Garden City, def. Ramon Garcia, Great Bend, 8-6; Ramon Garcia, Great Bend, def. Josh Hamilton, Liberal, 8-4.
No. 1 doubles — Nick Moyers and Austin Jacobs, Great Bend, def. Kyle Blakeslee and Shawn Troyer, Ellinwood 8-5; Nick Moyers and Austin Jacobs, Great Bend, def. Chris Batt and Chase Buntain, Hoisington, 8-6; Nick Moyers and Austin Jacobs, Great Bend, def. Garrett Salem and Zak Nichols, Dodge City, 8-5; Evan Riggs and Brian Clarke, Garden City, def. Nick Moyers and Austin Jacobs, Great Bend, 8-5; Vince Nguyen and Duc Nguyen, Liberal, def. Nick Moyers and Austin Jacobs, Great Bend, 8-2.
No. 2 doubles — Adam Neeland and Ky Heeke, Great Bend, def. Cody Isern and Matthew Niles, Ellinwood, 8-3; Adam Neeland and Ky Heeke, Great Bend, def. Brian Schaaf and Darwin Brickley, Hoisington, 8-0; Adam Neeland and Ky Heeke, Great Bend, def. Trevor Brack and Miguel Lopez, Dodge City, 8-4; Adam Neeland and Ky Heeke, Great Bend, def. Brennon Keller and Denton Keller, Garden City, 8-6; Adrian Amado and Joseph Coto, Liberal def. Adam Neeland and Ky Heeke, Great Bend, 8-7 (8-6).
 
Hoisington results
No. 1 singles — Blake Stackley, Garden City, def. Ethan Smith, Hoisington, 8-2; Noel Rodriguez, Great Bend, def. Ethan Smith, Hoisington, 8-6; Kale Clawson, Ellinwood, def. Ethan Smith, Hoisington, 6-0; Default final two matches.
No. 2 singles — Fidelix Kyav, Garden City, def. Jordan Klima, Hoisington, 8-0; Ramon Garcia, Great Bend, def. Jordan Klima, Hoisington, 8-2; Aaron Pike, Ellinwood, def. Jordan Klima, Hoisington, 8-7 (8-6); Josh Hamilston def. Jordan Klima, Hoisington, 8-2; Hendrik Kronsbein, Dodge City, def. Jordan Klima, Hoisington, 8-3.
No. 1 doubles — Evan Riggs and Brian Clarke, Garden City, def. Chris Batt and Chase Buntain, Hoisington, 8-7 (7-3); Nick Moyers and Austin Jacobs, Great Bend, def. Chris Batt and Chase Buntain, Hoisington, 8-6; Kyle Blakeslee and Shawn Troyer, Ellinwood def. Chris Batt and Chase Buntain, Hoisington, 8-7 (7-1); Vince Nguyen and Duc Nguyen, Liberal, def. Chris Batt and Chase Buntain, Hoisington, 8-1; Evan Riggs and Zak Nichols, Dodge City, def. Chris Batt and Chase Buntain, Hoisington, 8-4.
No. 2 doubles — Brennon Keller and Denton Keller, Garden City, def. Brian Schaaf and Darwin Brickley, Hoisington, 8-2; Adam Neeland and Ky Heeke, Great Bend, def. Brian Schaaf and Darwin Brickley, Hoisington, 8-0; Cody Isern and Matthew Niles, Ellinwood, def. Brian Schaaf and Darwin Brickley, Hoisington, 8-7 (9-7); Adrian Amado and Joseph Coto, Liberal, def. Brian Schaaf and Darwin Brickley, Hoisington, 8-4; revor Brock and Miguel Lopez, Dodge City, def. Brian Schaaf and Darwin Brickley, Hoisington, 8-2.
 
Ellinwood results
No. 1 singles — Noel Rodriguez, Great Bend, def. Kale Clawson, Ellinwood, 8-4; Lareyn Carter, Liberal, def. Kale Clawson, Ellinwood, 8-5;  Kale Clawson, Ellinwood, def. Ethan Smith, Hoisington, 6-0 (default); Tanner Miller, Dodge City, def. Kale Clawson, Ellinwood, 8-6; Blake Stackey, Garden City, def. Kale Clawson, Ellinwood, 8-1.
No. 2 singles — Ramon Garcia, Great Bend, def. Aaron Pike, Ellinwood, 8-2; Josh Hamilton, Liberal, def. Aaron Pike, Ellinwood, 8-4; Aaron Pike, Ellinwood, def. Jordan Klima, Hoisington, 8-7 (8-6); Aaron Pike, Ellinwood, def. Hendrik Kronsbein, Dodge City, 8-2; Fideliz Kyav, Garden City, def. Aaron Pike, Ellinwood, 8-0
No. 2 doubles — Adam Neeland and Ky Heeke, Great Bend, def. Cody Isern and Matthew Niles, Ellinwood, 8-3; Adrian Amado and Joseph Coto, def. Cody Isern and Matthew Niles, Ellinwood, 8-2; Cody Isern and Matthew Niles, Ellinwood, def. Brian Schaaf and Darwin Brickley, Hoisington, 8-7 (9-7); Trevor Brock and Miguel Lopez, Dodge City, def. Cody Isern and Matthew Niles, Ellinwood, 8-4; Brennon Keller and Denton Keller, Garden City def. Cody Isern and Matthew Niles, Ellinwood, 8-2.