Simko, Shelton just miss out on state tennis wins

BOISE — There is no 1A state tennis tournament, or 2A for that matter. The 3A Idaho State tennis tournament is the lowest classification, so it figured to be tough sledding when the Wampus Cats sent four underclassmen down to Boise to compete against schools three and four times their size.

The junior girls doubles team of Lily Simko and Grace Shelton showed up for the challenge in defeat, putting up a scrappy fight in a 7-5, 6-3 loss to Weiser and a 6-3, 7-5 loss to Gooding. They progressed a lot this season, and figure to be ready to break through next season.

“Grace and Lily’s matches were very close, well played matches. I think they were unsure if they could compete with the Southern teams at the state level. They proved to themselves that they could,” said Cats head coach Jeff Emmer. “I think the experience will give them the confidence to make big gains next year. For us, that’s what the state competition was all about.”

The freshman boys doubles team of Wesley Simko and Blaine Williams had their eyes opened, losing to the eventual 3rd place Fruitland team 6-0, 6-0, and 6-1, 6-0 to Weiser. They were new to the sport, and enjoyed a rare varsity state experience for freshmen.

“Wes and Blaine were a bit shell-shocked in their first match with Fruitland, and really couldn’t get anything going. In their second match they loosened up and played a lot more scrappy,” claimed Emmer. “Even though the game score doesn’t show it, they played some really good points. It was a great learning experience for them. How many boys make it to state after playing for 2 1/2 months? I was really pleased with the two of them.”