Tennis Rivals Support Injured Teammate

PRAIRIE GROVE — An injury forced Prairie Grove tennis coach Dana Froud to rearrange the lineup last week.

Junior Will Luther, who along with classmate Cole Vertz, formed the boys No. 1 doubles team, is out. Luther previously attended Farmington before transferring to Prairie Grove, but didn’t get to face his old schoolmates after being struck in the head by a line drive while playing baseball.

Froud didn’t know if Luther was playing travel ball or engaged in a recreational pick-up game. The activity wasn’t a school-sponsored event and the injury occurred over the weekend of Sept. 15-16. Luther was flown to Arkansas Children’s Hospital at Little Rock and missed Thursday’s senior night ceremony with Prairie Grove recognizing seniors: Brandon LeDuc (No. 1 boys singles), Noah Akey (No. 3 boys singles), and Luke Mitchell; and Grace Gauldin (No. 2 girls singles).

Luther and Cole Vertz were the boys No. 1 doubles team before his injury.

“The No. 2 boys doubles team (Mitchell and junior Micah Sam) becomes No. 1 (doubles),” Froud said.

Farmington’s Joshua Jowers and Noah Disheroon defeated Mitchell and Sam Thursday.

Junior Griffin Roton was boys No. 2 singles. He and Akey are now competing as the No. 2 boys doubles team. Akey and Roton lost to Farmington’s Taylor Raabe and Connor Sharp.

Switches affected singles competition. LeDuc No. 1 while Vertz becomes No. 2 singles, which Froud thinks is a good move.

“Most points are made by error not by a good shot,” Froud said. “Most boys, like Brandon, he wants to serve and volley and get up to the net as fast as he can.”

LeDuc defeated Farmington No. 1 singles Conner Kennedy; and Vertz defeated Farmington No. 2 singles Gavin Pennington on Thursday.

Junior Sarah Myane (girls No. 1 singles) lost 8-5 to Farmington’s Reagan White.

Sophomore Alyssa LeDuc and freshman Julissa Mauk girls No. 1 doubles lost to Farmington’s Taighton Pettigrew and Mary Stewart Beard.

Freshmen Toni Parrish and Maci Edwards (girls No. 2 doubles) lost 8-6 to Farmington juniors Isabella Guess and Morgan Campbell, who now have a 4-6 record.

Freshman Hayleigh Hunt is girls No. 3 singles. Farmington won seven matches and Prairie Grove won two.

The District 4A-1 tournament began at Harrison on Tuesday, Sept. 25, and continues Thursday.

SHELLEY WILLIAMS SPECIAL TO THE ENTERPRISE-LEADER Prior to Thursday’s tennis matches, players and coaches from Farmington and Prairie Grove gathered to show support for Prairie Grove senior Will Luther, a former Farmington student, who was injured by a baseball accident and didn’t compete against his old school.