State champions! Loggers deliver one-two punch at state tennis meet
<p class="p1">Back row: Coach Terry Oedewaldt, Jessika Jones, Mehki Sykes, Ryan Nagle, Erik Lauer, Colin Maloney, Jhamaal Sykes, Cody Wood, Braydan Thom, Rayson Arnold, Laurynn Lauer, Coach Kyle Hannah. Front row: Isabelle Martineau, Virgil Sadewasser, Jason Brant, Giovanni Cano, Kaylene Hudson, Cloie Boardner, Dani Hawthorne, Jenna Barrick, Sarah McBride.</p>
The Libby Loggers boys and girls tennis teams rolled into town Saturday evening to a homecoming parade. Led by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Libby Police Department, the Libby Volunteer Fire Department and members of the Libby Volunteer Ambulance crews, the Loggers rolled down Mineral Avenue and celebrated a dominating performance at the state tennis meet. Libby’s boys secured the state title and the girls brought home the second place trophy.
“I want to thank the community for all of their support,” said Libby coach Kyle Hannah. “We had a great parade with the Sheriff’s Office, police and fire departments and people from the ambulance crew. It’s amazing how they all came together to support the kids. You don’t often see teenage kids with tears in their eyes, but this was a moment they’ll never forget.”
Libby’s boys claimed the state championship with four players earning All-State honors. Jason Brant, the only senior on the boys team, placed fourth individually. Jhamaal Sykes earned sixth place recognition and the doubles team of Erik Lauer and Brayden Thom placed second, which earned them a spot on Libby’s Wall of Fame. On the girls’ side of the nets, senior Kaylene Hudson battled to the championship match to place second, also earning both All-State and Libby Wall of Fame honors.
While the individual accomplishments were great, Coach Hannah said the most important aspect of the meet was how the team came together to secure the victory.
“They all bought into the team concept,” he said. “We didn’t want the focus to be on the individual accomplishments, we went down there to succeed as a team. We all agreed that if someone won as an individual we all won as a team. I couldn’t be prouder of these kids.”
Hannah said he is proud of what the team has accomplished this season and the work his assistant coach, Terry Oedewaldt, has put in to make not only this year’s team, but the whole program, a success.
“The program wouldn’t be where it is without Coach Oedewaldt and his dedication to the kids,” he said. “This is the first year in a long time that both the boys and girls had winning records in their duals. Other schools, including AA schools, are recognizing the quality of our players and our program. For instance, Glacier hosts a seven-team tournament and they’ve invited us to come in as the eighth team.”