Bluth, Antiporda Qualify for State in Doubles

By Don Eskins

The Carlsbad Cavemen and Cavegirls competed in the District 4/5A Tennis Tournament in Carlsbad on Friday, May 2.

Participants competed in either singles or doubles play at the meet. Players who placed in the top three of each event, singles or doubles, qualified for state. No team competition took place.

“We went into the tournament knowing that it was going to be a very difficult one this year,” said CHS coach Diamond Morrill. “And it was every bit of that.”

Only the Cavemen doubles team of Lucas Bluth and Evan Antiporda were able to punch their tickets to state. Bluth and Antiporda placed second.

“Lucas and Evan played really well. Although they lost to Hobbs’ No. 1 team, they worked hard on their consistency and were very aggressive at the net,” said CHS assistant coach Diamond Morrill. “They have played together all year long, so they have developed good communication and work well together.

“Individual competition at state will start on Wednesday. Lucas and Evan will start play at noon against another unseeded team from La Cueva,” said Morrill. “I think they have a good chance to get pretty far in the state tournament this year.”

Just missing out on earning spots at the state tournament for individual play were Gavin Otto (Boys’ Singles), Claire Navarrete (Girls’ Singles), and Olivia Glissen and Sara Jones (Girls’ Doubles). All four CHS athletes placed fourth.

As for teams, the District 4/5A champion Hobbs Eagles got an automatic bid to the state tournament. However, although there are 12 spots to fill on the state tournament team bracket, there are only five districts.

In order to fill their tournament bracket, the NMAA sent out several wildcard berths. The Cavemen were selected for one of those spots, but the Cavegirls weren’t.

“The Cavemen did not get seeded, but they’ll open up against the No. 6 seeded Piedra Vista Panthers on Friday, May 9, at 8 a.m.,” said Morrill. “Luckily, we have played Piedra Vista before, so we know what to expect and what we need to do in order to win this time.”

The state tournament play got underway on Wednesday, May 7, and will run through Saturday, May 10.

Cavemen team members competing at state are Lucas Bluth, Gavin Otto, Evan Antiporda, Moses Mendoza, Steven Pham, Alex Burns, and Jose Gomez.

CHS District 4/5A Lineups

Cavemen District 4/5A Tournament entrants: Boys’ Doubles: Lucas Bluth/Evan Antiporda, Moses Mendoza/Alex Burns, and Cristian Munoz/Josh Cooper. Boys’ Singles: Gavin Otto, Steven Pham, and Jose Gomez.

Cavegirls District 4/5A Tournament entrants: Girls’ Doubles: Olivia Glissen/Sara Jones, Ethni Florez/Nakia Thomas, and Sydney Azzinaro/Brooklyn Stone. Girls’ Singles: Claire Navarrete, Charise Young, and Myka Char.