BREMERTON — Port Angeles will send a singles player and a doubles team to the boys state tennis tournament in the spring after punching their tickets at the West Central District III tournament Friday.
Reef Gelder went 3-2 over the course of the tournament to qualify for state as a No. 6 seed. Coach Brian Gundersen said Gelder won behind the strength of his ground strokes and serving.
“Reef played extremely well at districts. He played some very strong competition and more than held his own,” Gundersen said.
Meanwhile, Sequim’s Garrett Little, the Olympic League singles champion, made it to the district semifinals after winning his first two matches. He lost in the semis and ended up qualifying to state as a No. 4 seed. He lost a close match (7-5, 6-4) to Oscar Grados of Fife in the third/fourth-place match to finish fourth.
The Roughriders’ duo of Michael Soule and Damon Gundersen also went 3-2 at district, two of which went to tiebreakers. They lost one tiebreaker to an Enumclaw team 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 (10-6), but they won a lengthy loser-out tiebreaker to a Bremerton team that sent the Port Angeles duo to state. Soule and Gundersen won the Bremerton match 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (11-9).
“Damon and Mike nearly gave me a heart-attack on many occasions during this tournament, but found a way to win the biggest points. I couldn’t be prouder of all three boys and am looking forward to the opportunity to compete this spring,” said coach Gundersen.
Sequim’s Connor Bear won a match at district but was not able to qualify for state.
The state tennis tournament is held in May.
