Doubles lead propels Palo Verde to 4A crown

PREP BOYS STATE TENNIS in the first round.

Each of the other five first-round matches were already done, and members of both teams gathered to watch as Brandt and Huckfield finished off a 7-5 set win over Nick Rinehart and Chase Gonfiantini that gave Palo Verde the 4-2 first-round lead coach Zach Brandt was looking for.

“When Noah and Hayden got the fourth point, that was huge for us, because we were all waiting to see if it was going to be 3-3 or 4-2,” Zach Brandt said. “Then everybody felt more confident.”

Palo Verde followed by winning the second round 5-1. Axel Botticelli had a key win, beating Riley Boyden 6-4 after a 6-2 loss to Mikael Tiilikamen in the first round.

“A big turning point was that after Axel lost, he bounced back and beat that real good player,” Zach Brandt said. “That’s real good when you come back and beat a better kid.”

Botticelli and Mike Safbom each went 2-1 in singles as part of a balanced effort in which the Panthers scored seven points in singles and six in doubles. CLASS 3A

The Meadows boys tennis team didn’t get its usual results in singles Friday, as the Mustangs combined to go 2-7 in the three rounds against Boulder City in the Class 3A state final at Reno Tennis Center.

But they certainly got the most important singles win.

Daniel Pereira, the team’s No. 3 singles player, upset Boulder City’s Breton Erlanger 6-1 in the second round to break a tie, remove a potential tiebreaker and help the Mustangs win their first state title with a 10-8 win over the Eagles.

Pereira finished 1-2 on the day. But The Meadows’ doubles play more than made up for singles by winning eight of nine possible points.