Greenwood’s Lancaster looks to win fourth-straight region singles title as the Gators look to win eight-consecutive team titles
By Perry Swack
The 4th Region Tennis Tournament will be played for the first time in two years as area tennis teams hit the court to decide who the best players are in the Greater Bowling Green Area. Four different tournament brackets will be commenced at Greenwood High School over the span of six days – the boys’ singles, girls’ singles, boys’ doubles, and girl’s doubles. Sixteen schools from the 4th Region will partake in the festivities, with each school having the ability to field up to two entries (for a maximum of eight) in each field. The top four individuals (or duos) in each bracket will advance to the state tournament.
2019 Results
Boys’ Singles
Champion: Jacks Lancaster, Greenwood
Runner-Up: John Guthrie, Bowling Green
Semifinalists (state qualifiers): Nick Morosa, Glasgow & Kenyu Goto, Glasgow
Boys’ Doubles
Champion: Landon Gann & Parker Young, Greenwood
Runner-Up: Dylan Dethridge & Will Parks, Greenwood
Semifinalists (state qualifiers): Ronit Patel & Tate Sine, Bowling Green and Hunter Armstrong & Owen Logsdon, South Warren
Boys’ Singles Preview
Greenwood junior Jacks Lancaster returns to the court looking to win his fourth-straight region singles title after winning in 2017, 2018, and 2019. With the 2020 season being canceled, the junior will have a chance to win another championship in 2021. Bowling Green senior John Guthrie is seeded second and will look to reach his third-straight region final. Lancaster and Guthrie have met in each of the last two region finals. Greenwood’s Landon Trinh and Russell County’s Lucas McFall are the #4 seeds. 20 boys are in the field and will each look to bring home the crown. With only 20 entries, there will only be six opening round matches played – all on Thursday. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be played on Saturday, May 22. The semifinals will be held on Monday, May 24, and the championship match on Tuesday, May 25 at 4:30pm.
Boys’ Doubles Preview
27 duos are entered in the 4th Region doubles’ tournament bracket. The Greenwood pair of Landon Gann and Parker Young won the 2019 region title, and another Gator team is favored to win the 2021 title. Dylan Dethridge and James Chen are the #1 seed for the event. South Warren’s Jake Taylor and Cadan Stephanski are the #2 seed for the tournament, while teammates Bradan Stephanski and Antonio Noble are the #4 seed. Greenwood’s Gary Zheng and Seth Thomas are the 3-seed. The boys’ doubles tournament will play seven of its opening round matches on Thursday, followed by four more on Friday. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be played on Saturday. The semifinals will be on Monday and the championship on Tuesday at 4:30pm.
As Greenwood looks for an eighth-straight team title, coach Tim Dethridge reflects on the 2021 journey. “We are a very young group that loves to play tennis and compete,” he said. “They have been the hardest working group of players I have coached at Greenwood. This has led them to becoming a very close group.” As a team the Gators are 19-2 on the year with wins at the North Laurel Tennis Classic, Match Madness Tennis Tournament, Leachman Buick Cup, and the KHSTCA Section 1 Championship. “I expect them to go out and compete hard,” said Dethridge when asked what his expectations for the tournament are. “Give their best effort and let their hard work give them the confidence to succeed.”
