THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Grand Junction High School Athletics

Riley King ripped a wicked forehand winner that clipped the baseline. His partner at No. 1 doubles bounced over for a quick high-five as the two Grand Junction High School players smiled. There's no doubt that King and Aubert are having fun. Winning ups the enjoyment factor but the two have grown into a formidable tennis team as the season went on. During Thursday's Class 5A regional tennis tournament at the Elliott Tennis Center, Aubert, a senior, and King, a junior, made quick work of their semifinals match, winning 6-1, 6-2 over Arvada West. Aubert and King have arrived at this year's state-qualifying point from different perspectives. Aubert was a three-year No. 3 singles player for the Tigers, who qualified for state the past two seasons. King went to state as a doubles player his freshman year, then saw his dream of a return trip to state dashed last year when his No. 1 doubles team lost to Fruita Monument in a playback match "This year is fresh and new. I have a different partner, it's all new, we're going to leave the past in the past," King said. "Luke and I have been friends for years and we get along so well, we know each others' strengths and weaknesses and we can just ping off of that." Aubert said the pair's friendship made for a seamless transition from singles to doubles for him. "We have really good chemistry together and we've been practicing together for years," Aubert said. "There was less pressure. Being friends, we can pick each other up." Aubert said the move from singles to doubles was a good thing. "It's been a nice change," he said. "I was looking to mix it up a little my senior year, and it's been great playing with one of my best friends. "It wasn't that much of a struggle but it was harder transitioning getting to the net more rather than just staying back and hitting ground strokes all day. And I had to improve my volleys a little bit." King said the duo has gotten better the more they've played together. "It was a little bit of a different dynamic from Luke playing singles and now doubles, but he's has been incredible," King said. Aubert and King came in as the region's No. 1 seed and will play the No. 2 seed today. Monarch's Noah and Alex Messman defeated Fruita Monument's Wayne Aggen and August Pomrenke in the other semifinal match, 6-4, 6-3. It was a good Day 1 for Grand Junction with all three singles players and two doubles teams advancing to the finals. Leading the way for the singles players was Cameron Weckerly, who was a straight-set winner over Brandon Keller of Fruita Monument. The match was tight with Weckerly rallying from 2-0 and 3-0 deficits in the sets. Keller took a 5-4 lead but Weckerly tied it at 5-5 only to see Keller take a 6-5 lead. After tying it at 6-6, Weckerly cruised in the tiebreaker to advance, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3). Using powerful ground strokes, hard serves and crisp volleys at the net, Weckerly was at the top of his game. "I think I'm at the top of where I've ever been," he said. "My net game has improved but it's still not where I want it to be." This was his third win over Keller on the season with all three matches being close. Weckerly said he's learned through his tennis and golf excellence that sports have come easy for him, and that leads to taking it easy at times. That's why he enjoys his matches with Keller. "When I play someone like Brandon, he tries so hard that I know I have to match that level to beat him," Weckerly said. Working on his all-around game has made Weckerly better this season. "I mix it up a lot more now, it used to be mostly ground strokes and stayed back the whole time," he said. The Grand Junction senior just returned from the 5A golf tournament, but it wasn't a great memory for him. "It was definitely a fun trip but it was really frustrating," he said. His 81 at regionals to qualify for state golf was his best round ever but he said his worst two rounds of the year were at state. Weckerly faces Monarch junior Michael Conde, a player that Weckerly has faced many times in junior tennis when he lived on the Front Range Grand Junction's Cal Hegstrom at No. 2 singles and Max Nikkari at No. 3 advanced to the finals with straight-set victories. Nikkari faces Fruita Monument's Brandon Miller, a 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 semifinal winner. Grand Junction No. 2 doubles team of Joseph Hirschbuhl and Levi Prall are also in today's semifinals after a straight-set win. They play Fruita Monument's Preston Vance and Jon May after their 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Grand Junction High School Athletics

TIGERS' DYNAMIC DUO

DALE SHRULL

The Daily Sentinel | 10/5/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Chancey Bush