Fargo South's Lawley wins East Region singles title

GRAND FORKS - Parker Lawley says he's had some bad memories at Center Court Fitness Club.

"And they've all come against Grand Forks players," he said.

The Fargo South senior, playing in the indoor courts for the final time in his high school career, was able to wash them all away.

Lawley marched to his second straight East Region singles title by beating a pair of Grand Forks Red River players Saturday. He started the day by taking out Ryan Hoverson 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals, then he finished it off with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Joseph Lee.

Lawley was in control of the final from the start, using his big serve and phenomenal net game to keep Lee off balance. He only lost four games and three of them came on deuce points.

"The big thing was my first-serve percentage," said Lawley, who has been South's No. 1 player for the last six years. "That was up. My volleys started to come around, too. I needed them because Joe has great ground strokes. He probably has the best backhand in the state."

South coach Vic Youngs said Lawley's serving and volleying was the difference.

"He is the best volleying player I've seen at South," Youngs said. "He has a lot of confidence in it. Any time he hits a good deep ball, he follows it in. It's really tough to get it by him."

This was the third time Lawley and Lee have met in high school tennis. Lawley had to rally from behind the other two times to beat Lee.

"This was for sure my best match against him," Lawley said.

Lee's best match of the day came in the semifinals, when he knocked off teammate Erik Johnson 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. Johnson has played No. 1 for the Roughriders all season, but finished fourth in the region.

Red River coach Greg LaDouceur said Johnson had a strain in his leg and he encouraged the junior to default against Hoverson in the third-place match. That means Johnson and Lee will again be on the same side of the draw at state, opposite Lawley.

Anderson-Wischer

win doubles title

Red River's top-seeded team of Joey Anderson and Greg Wischer cruised to the doubles title, beating teammates Andre Caoili and Jared Vigen in the championship 6-2, 6-4.

Wischer, an eighth-grader, and Anderson, a freshman, got off to a quick start in the first set and held off a strong charge by Caoili and Vigen in the second set.

"It was a very good tournament for both teams," LaDouceur said. "Vigen and Caoili got the third seed and I had to fight to get them that, because of where they play in our lineup. But they beat a very good North team pretty handily in the semis and they played very well in a great final match."

The state team tournament will begin Thursday in Bismarck. The finals will be Friday morning. The individual tournament will begin Friday afternoon and will end Saturday.

Individual tournament

Singles

Championship

Parker Lawley, South, over Joseph Lee, RR, 6-2, 6-2

Third place

Ryan Hoverson, RR, over Erik Johnson, RR, default

Semifinals

Lawley, South, over Hoverson, RR, 6-3, 6-3; Lee, RR, over Johnson, RR, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5

Consolation state-qualifying

Eric Moe, South, over Austin Swecker, FN, 6-0, 6-0; Bryan Tykwinski, VC, over Sawyer Dahl, FN, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5; Carson Miller, Wahp, over Logan Tretter, South, 6-0, 6-1; Justin Beach, Davies, over Kevin Roberts, WF, 6-0, 6-0

Consolation semifinals

Moe, South, over Tykwinski, VC, 6-2, 6-0; Beach, Davies, over Miller, Wahp, 6-3, 6-2

Fifth place

Moe, South, over Beach, Davies, 6-0, 6-1

Seventh place

Tykwinski, VC, over Miller, Wahp

Doubles

Championship

Joey Anderson-Greg Wischer, RR, over Jared Vigen-Andre Caoili, RR, 6-2, 6-4

Third place

David Russell-Andy Ficek, FN, over Nick Moe-John Simonson, GFC, 6-4, 6-3

Semifinals

Anderson-Wischer, RR, over Moe-Simonson, GFC, 6-3, 6-3; Vigen-Caoili, RR, over Russell-Ficek, FN, 6-2, 6-2

Consolation state-qualifying

Jay Hanson-Michael Gehrtz, Shan, over Avi Rajender-Abhi Vaidya, South, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; Ben Ballweber-Brady Ballweber, WF, over Josh Stenhjem-Brandon Nelson, Davies, 6-0, 6-2; Leo O'Day-Seth Hochstatter, South, over Dane Poppe-Sean Thompson, Davies, 6-1, 6-1; Cory Zimmerman-Jared Sorlien, GFC, over Collin Boetel-Cameron Johnson, North, 6-1, 6-4

Consolation semifinals

Ballweber-Ballweber, WF, over Hanson-Gehrtz, Shan, 6-3, 6-4; O'Day-Hochstatter, South, over Zimmerman-Sorlien, GFC, 6-2, 6-2

Fifth place

Ballweber-Ballweber, WF, over O'Day-Hochstatter, South, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

Seventh place

Zimmerman-Sorlien, GFC, over Hanson-Gehrtz, Shan, 7-5, 6-4

Schlossman writes for the Grand Forks Herald