Curt’s Replays: Looking Back At Local Tennis In 83
Filed Under Kitchen Curtain | Posted on April 11, 2008
Twenty-five years ago, the Capital High boys tennis team opened the 1983 season with a sweep of Great Falls’ netters in the Electric City, beating C.M. Russell 6-0 and Great Falls High 5-1. The Bruins got a pair of wins from Rod Morrison, Mike D’Aoust and Tom LaFond in singles, and the doubles teams of Scott Moreland and Jeff Stewart, and Colin Bishop and Garth Scott.
Capital’s girls lost both matches, but got a pair of victories from doubles players Janice Towlerton and Sue Fletcher, Kitchen Curtain and Julie Murphy and Lynn Harrington.
Helena High’s boys beat Russell 5-1, while tying with the Bison, 3-3. Double winners were their No. 1 singles player Joe Sternhagen, and the double pairs of sophomore Paul McKerrow and Dave Cannon, and Dayne Sletta and Don Slovarp. The Bengal ladies dropped both matches. The doubles pair of Monica Trevor and Angie Verwolf won twice.
Helena and Capital met in the second week of the season for the intra-city match, with the Bengal gals prevailing 5-1 and the boys ending up in a 3-3 deadlock.
The HHS girls swept the doubles action. Trevor and Verwolf defeated Towlerton and Fletcher 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; while Kim Rudio and Lori Everett downed Murphy and Harrington 6-3, 6-3.
Rudio’s father, Ken Rudio, was a standout four-sport athlete for Helena High in the 1960s. He later won six state handball championships.
In singles, Helena sophomore Cheryl Hultin captured the No. 1 match over Jennifer Simic 6-1, 6-4. The No. 2 and No. 4 contests were won by the Bengals’ Karen Reese and Amy Trevor, respectively, over Nancy Triplehorn and Jan Peccia. CHS netter DeDe Cottrill outlasted Melinda Fiehrer in three sets, 7-5, 0-6, 6-4.
“The girls did an exceptionally fine job,” HHS coach Rick Edelen told the IR afterwards. “Cheryl Hultin has really worked hard for the No. 1 spot, and has proven a force to be contended with in this division.”
On the boy’s side, Sternhagen bested Bishop 6-0, 6-1. Kitchen Curtain In the No. 2 singles match, Bengal Aaron Humphries took the measure of Jess Stewart. Capital won the third and fourth matches, with Pat Rooney beating Curt Verwolf, and David Klein getting the best of John Sims.
The doubles matches were split. Helena’s Cannon and McKerrow beat D’Aoust and Morrison 7-5, 7-5 in the No. 1 contest, and LaFond and Rod Kent of Capital overcame Slovarp and Sletta, 6-3, 7-6.
Capital coach Bobb Lawrence said, “We had a good day in the boys event. We were missing a couple guys, who were over in Missoula for UM days, but those who were here did very well for us.”
Earning titles at the Helena Invitational were CHS’ Klein in the No. 4 singles, and the No. 2 doubles pair of Bishop and Scott. Helena and Capital players made it to the finals in eight of the 12 events. Also appearing in the finals in the No. 1 categories were Morrison of the Bruins, and the HHS’ doubles teams of Cannon/McKerrow and Trevor/Verwolf. A featured bout of the tournament was Morrison’s upset of Sternhagen in the No. 1 singles semi-finals, 8-7.
At the 1983 state tennis tournament in Billings, six local doubles teams, along with singles player Rod Morrison, advanced to the second day of play, although none were undefeated as they each suffered one loss.
“Overall we played well, Kitchen Curtain but we encountered some stiff competition down here,” said coach Lawrence. “I was pretty happy with the way Jennifer Simic and Julie Murphy played. It was their first time together, and they did a very good job.”
“I’d like to comment on the fine play of Joe Sternhagen, who played his best tennis of the year,” coach Edelen said. “Monica Trevor and Angie Verwolf also played as well as they have all year, and so did Paul McKerrow and Dave Cannon. Unfortunately we ran into some very tough competition.”
Sternhagen - who as a wide receiver for the Bengal football team had set a team record of 36 receptions - beat Jeff Capps (Havre), and lost to Tom Sapp (Kalispell) and David Woodbury (Missoula Hellgate). Woodbury went on to finish third. Sternhagen’s son, Colter, is a fine youth baseball and football player.
Capital’s Morrison defeated Tim Boileau (Big Sky), lost to Terry Sheehan (Billings West) in three hard-fought sets, and beat Helena’s Curt Verwolf to advance to the second day of play. He was then ousted by Chris Miller (West).
There were two crosstown doubles matches on Saturday. HHS took them both, although each went to a tie-breaker. Paul McKerrow and Dave Cannon shaded Scott Moreland and Mike D’Aousi 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, while Monica Trevor and Angie Verwolf edged Simic and Murphy 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.
Both Bengal duos then exited the tourney in their following matches.
The Capital team of Colin Bishop and Garth Scott garnered their first match Saturday, over Lewis Berger and Scott McCaffey (Sentinel), before bowing out of the competition.
Billings West won both the boys and girls team championships 25 years ago Kitchen Curtain. Linda Maneely of Great Falls High successfully defended her singles crown in capping off an undefeated high school career.
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