Cruiser boys tennis players secure spots at district tournament

Eatonville High School’s boys tennis team competed at the 2A SPSL League Championships held Wednesday through Friday across Clover Park High School and Lakewood Tennis and Racquet Club. The tournament featured seven schools, with the top six singles and doubles players advancing to the WCD III Tournament on Nov. 1-2 at the Kitsap Tennis and Athletic Center in Bremerton. Eatonville’s standout athletes, senior Brody Thirtyacre in singles and the doubles team of Carl Lucas and Nate Goode, successfully advanced to districts.

Singles

Entering as the No. 3 seed, senior Thirtyacre dominated his opening match against Clover Park’s Salvador Cortes, winning in straight sets 6-0, 6-2. His strong performance continued as he overcame Robert Carlos of Fife 6-4, 6-3. However, Thirtyacre faced a tough semifinal match against Fife’s Bass Becker on the indoor courts, where he fell 1-6, 5-7, moving him out of the final bracket. Thirtyacre rebounded outdoors to secure his place at districts by defeating Gio Rosales from Franklin Pierce, 6-1, 6-4, claiming the No. 3 seed for districts.

Sophomore Jacob Golding, seeded eighth, encountered challenging weather conditions and fell to Franklin Pierce’s Colin Ryle, 2-6, 3-6. However, Golding fought back in his next match, defeating Asher Swift from Fife 6-2, 6-4. His tournament run ended against Kevin Thai of Foss, losing 0-6, 0-6, and Golding ultimately finished tied for ninth place.

Doubles

Eatonville’s top-seeded doubles team, Lucas and Goode, encountered an unexpected early setback against Aiden Breiting and Jesus Herrera of Franklin Pierce, losing 6-7, 0-6. Shifting to the loser’s bracket, Lucas and Goode bounced back with a determined 6-4, 6-7 (3), 10-6 win over Steilacoom’s Ryan Lang and Jack Merchant. The duo continued their momentum, overpowering Washington’s Jace Spencer and Caden Peloquin, 6-0, 6-4, and Steilacoom’s J. Folino and D. Perry, 6-1, 6-4, securing their district berth.

In a rematch with Breiting and Herrera, Lucas and Goode came with new strategies and a game plan that was different from when they played the day before and won decisively 6-1, 6-4, and earned the No. 4 district seed.

Thirtyacre, along with the doubles team of Lucas and Goode, will compete at the WCD III District Tournament with hopes of advancing to the 2A State Championship.