Senior Hough stays tough in boys singles final for team champion Ferris

Whitman Hough had his back against the chain-link fence surrounding the tennis courts at University High on Saturday.

The Ferris senior had just dropped a game to go down 5-3 in the final set of the 4A regional boys singles final to Richland’s fiery Troy Zuroske – a single game away from losing the match.

“My game plan coming in was to get into his head,” Hough said. “He’s always yelling and ranting. So when he went up 5-3 and then lost the next game love-40, I knew I had him.”

Hough won the next game to even the set, then lost to trail again 6-5. He rallied to force a tiebreaker, and took that with help from a key double fault by Zuroske – winning 4-6, 6-2, 7-6.

“I just tried to stay positive the whole match,” Hough said. “The more he was a head case, the more I tried to stay positive.”

Hough earned the regional’s No. 1 seed into next week’s state tournament at the Vancouver Tennis Center. Clint Vidano of Wenatchee knocked off Central Valley’s Peter Ho 6-1, 6-0 to claim the third state berth.

The district boys doubles tournament was filled with upsets, with Ferris’ Kevin Satre and Colin Siok, the No. 3 seed from the Greater Spokane League going into the tournament, reaching the finals to claim the No. 2 state berth behind regional champions Elliot Martin and Chris Shallman of Richland.

The doubles berth lifted the Saxons to the regional team title with 25 team points.

Mead’s Ethan Vaughn and Ethan Burns, the No. 2 GSL seed, bounced by the Bombers in the semifinals, rebounded to claim the No. 3 state seed.

Ferris senior Katie Griffith survived a three-set battle with Gonzaga Prep’s Anna Lambert in the semifinals to win an all-GSL final, knocking off Mead’s Katrina Schwab 6-4, 6-2. Schwab, half of last year’s state championship doubles team, returns to state as the No. 2 singles seed.

“I just tried to stay positive the whole tournament,” said Griffith, heading to state for the second straight year. “You just have to keep thinking positive and not get down on yourself when things don’t go your way.”

Wenatchee’s Nicole Barnhart kept sophomore Lambert from a return trip to state, winning the third-place match 6-4, 6-4.

Junior Britta Stime, Schwab’s state-title doubles partner last year, teamed with her freshman sister Katijene to win the regional doubles title, losing just two games in sweeping Tatiana Wood and Amy Scheumann of Wenatchee in the final.

3A

Host Mt. Spokane qualified two doubles teams for next week’s state tournament at the Tri-City Court Club and came away with the regional team title.

Jarred Dahl and Freddy Identeg lost a 7-6, 6-4 decision to Peter Brown and Anh-Bu Thai of Kamiakin in the final but claimed the No. 2 state seed. Nick McMurray and John Maccini knocked off Micah Spaun and Dillon Delabarre of Eastmont 6-2, 6-3 to earn the No. 3 seed.

The Columbia Basin League swept all six girls state berths.

2A

The host Clarkston Bantams dominated the District 7 tourney.

The Bantams’ Richard Muszynski III beat Medical Lake’s Max Nelson to win the boys singles title. Teammate Elise Rooney bested Colville’s Abby Lentz to win the girls singles title.

The Bantams also won in doubles. Dustin McConnell and Shane Roberts topped the boys, while Katie Servatius and Katie VanCleave topped the girls.

The top three finishers in each discipline qualified for state.