Injury, illness contribute to rough week for North Sanpete tennis
4-9-08

The boys tennis team at North Sanpete High had a rough week battling injury and sickness while trying to gain invaluable experience vital for region play.
The Hawks traveled to Wasatch on Thursday, where they lost 3-2 to the Wasps, and then went 1-2 on Saturday at the competitive Woods Cross Tournament.
In Heber, the weather was cold and the wind was blowing, a typical spring day. Josh Benson played first singles and was still hobbled by a sore calf. The injury limits his ability to make quick starts and stops, a large part of his game. The Fairview senior played well, but lost 4-6, 6-7 with the second set tiebreaker going to the Wasps 10-8.
Benson was joined in the loss column by Brian Anderson, who also had a tough match. Anderson dropped the first set of his third singles match, 2-6, but then dug deep and roared back to a 6-2 second set victory. Anderson continued to work hard in the third, but dropped the set 4-6.
The first doubles pairing of Jarryd Seely and Jeremy Garlick also dropped their match 3-6, 3-6. The two have not played together much this year, but due to one of the players not being able to make the trip, Coach Ericksen put the two together.
The winning matches came at second singles and second doubles. In the singles contest, junior Michael Lewis overcame a lung infection and played a tight match to win 6-4 and 7-5. Lewis found ways to win points and eventually the match.
In second doubles, Parker Earl and Colton Clark were put together for the first time since early in the year, and after a bit of a bump in the second set, went on to win 6-3, 2-6, and 6-0.
On Saturday, the Woods Cross Tourney featured two teams each from 5A and 4A, and four schools from the 3A ranks. North Sanpete ran into a strong Highland High team, and the Rams ran roughshod over the Hawks, winning the match 5-0.
The second round match against the Logan Grizzlies was much more competitive with Brian Anderson winning 8-3 in a pro set match, and Parker Earl and Jeremy Garlick pairing up to win a hard fought 6-3, 4-6, 10-5 victory.
The third and final contest of the day pitted the Hawks against their Region 8 foes, the Juan Diego Soaring Eagle.
In a heartening turn of events, North Sanpete secured the victory 3-2. Michael Lewis fought back for a 4-6, 6-1, 10-4 win despite having to stop in between points to clear his lungs.
First doubles got their first win of the day by battling to a 7-6 (8), 6-3 victory. This win was especially big because the team win was dependent on the duo of Jarryd Seely and Tucker Morin securing the victory.
The second doubles team of Parker Earl and Colton Clark also worked well together, and cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win.
The team will get a break for the next week and a half to recover and hopefully be healthy for the last half of the season.