North Sanpete netters start season with busy week, end with 5-2 record
3-19-08

ST. GEORGE—The North Sanpete Hawk tennis team started their season with a very busy week and finished with a respectable 5-2 record.
The Hawks began last week with a home win over the Manti Templars, 3-2, last Wednesday before traveling south to blank Cedar High, 5-0, on Thursday. They then went to St. George where they participated in the Bloomington Country Club tournament.
Against Manti, Scott Bentley and Michael Lewis earned wins in second and third singles, with Brian Anderson and Parker Earl doing the same in second doubles
Against Cedar, Bentley switched to first singles and won 6-1, 7-5. Josh Benson played second singles and won 7-6(1), 6-2, and in third singles Lewis was again victorious, 6-3, 6-2.
Earl and Anderson dominated their opponents in first doubles, 6-3, 6-3, while Jarryd Seely and Tucker Morin got their first varsity victory in second doubles, 2-6, 6-1, and 7-5.
The victory was costly for the squad as their most experienced player, Scott Bentley, went down on match point, his knee crumpling underneath him, ending the match. He will see doctors this week to determine the extent of the damage.
Sixteen teams traveled to St. George for the Bloomington Country Club Tournament, one of the largest and toughest meets in the state, which featured teams from 2A to 5A.
Teams were placed into pools of four that played on Friday in a round-robin format to determine bracket placement on Saturday.
North Sanpete dropped their first match on Friday against Park City, a favorite for the state title, before defeating Gunnison and Ben Lomond. Their 2-1 record earned them a second-place seed on Saturday.
On Saturday, the Hawks dropped their first contest against Tooele, 2-3.
Michael Lewis handily defeated his opponent 6-2, 6-0, while Parker Earl played for over two hours before winning his match, 6-7(4), 7-5, and 10-5.
North Sanpete then faced Uintah at Green Valley for a shot at seventh place.
The two teams were very closely matched, but the Hawks came out on top 3-2 with both squads playing some of their best tennis of the early year.
Winners included; Michael Lewis 6-3, 7-5, Brian Anderson took three sets to win 7-5, 4-6, and 10-8, while Seely and Morin came back to win 5-7, 6-3, and 10-8.
North Sanpete will take on Gunnison tomorrow in Mt. Pleasant. The varsity matches begin at 3 p.m.