Williams, Simko secure No. 1 seed to districts
Blaine Williams prepares to hit a backhand down the line during practice on March 18 at the Pend Oreille Shores Resort tennis court.
(Photo by DYLAN GREENE)
COEUR d'ALENE — Clark Fork's Wesley Simko and Blaine Williams took care of business on Thursday.
The duo beat Coeur d'Alene Charter's No. 1 doubles team 8-3 to secure the No. 1 seed to the 3A-1A District 1-2 championships.
Now the Clark Fork seniors are just two wins away from grabbing their first district title and punching their third trip to state together in doubles.
Head coach Jeff Emmer said Simko and Williams grabbed the top spot to districts without firing on all cylinders.
"I think they were both a little nervous," he said about the match. "It wasn't their top tennis, but it was good enough to get by [the Panthers]."
The duo then played a talented mixed doubles team from Coeur d'Alene Charter. They fell behind 6-3, but won five straight games to secure a comeback victory.
Eli Engelhart played a pair of singles matches against the Panthers, losing both.
On Tuesday, the Wampus Cats headed to the Post Falls junior varsity team for a handful of matches.
They started with singles and Simko and Williams each cruised to a pair of 6-0 wins. Engelhart lost both his matches by a score of 6-3.
Simko and Williams then teamed up in doubles to secure a 6-1 victory over the Trojans.
"Wes and Blaine are both playing very well," Emmer said. "The stronger the opposition, the better they play."
In their three years as a doubles pair, Simko and Williams have never entered districts as the No. 1 seed.
With seven doubles teams in the district and five state berths available, Emmer said Simko and Williams are basically a shoo-in for state.
On the other hand, Engelhart will have to navigate a crowded field of singles players to secure his first state berth.
Emmer said Simko and Williams are confident about where they are at as they head into the most important part of the season.
If the pair can win districts, they will secure a huge advantage at state — a first round bye.
Emmer excepts the duo to draw on their state experience in the coming weeks.
"That's the nice thing is they've seen it twice and they know what they are getting into," he said about state. "They're so much stronger than they were two years ago, so I think they are feel pretty good."
The Wampus Cats will compete at districts Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15 in Coeur d'Alene.