RUSSELL — Central Plains High School’s Benn Kirmer and Layne Bieberle won a Class 3-1A regional championship over the weekend.
The title qualifies them for the state tournament at the Riverside Tennis Complex in Wichita on Friday and Saturday.
“They’ve been playing well lately,” Central Plains head coach Gary Bittner said. “They really dominated the competition.”
Kirmer and Bieberle are 25-4 this season.
“They had a first-round bye,” Bittner said. “They beat Trego. Then they beat Ellinwood 6-3, 6-4, and Sterling 6-2, 6-4.”
Kirmer, a senior, has been to the state tournament before. He finished seventh last year as a singles player.
Bieberle is a freshman competing at the state tournament for the first time.
“Kirmer has played doubles for three years,” Bittner said. “We really didn’t have a player to pair him up with last year, but he wanted to finish his senior year as a doubles player.
“Layne is a real solid player. They have worked really well together.”

                                                          — Kevin Price