Varsity Tennis - Seniors - Spring 2013
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2012-2013 -- Tennis News ---
Frankie Colunga conquers nerves on way to state tennis final
Posted: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 12:00 am
By RICHARD CROOMErichard.croome@theeagle.comBrazosSports
AUSTIN -- It was Frankie Colunga's first UIL state tennis tournament and the first order of business was to catch his breath. After a slow start in both the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Class 5A singles bracket, the A&M Consolidated senior came up for air and put away his opponent in straight sets, winning both matches 6-4, 6-2.
"I couldn't breathe because I was so nervous and I just had to calm down," Colunga said. "I was really slow, just really slow in between points so that I could breathe and find a way to settle down."
Colunga's quarterfinal match on Monday against New Braunfels junior Paul Michael Domanski was on one of the grand stand courts at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center on the University of Texas campus.
The venue didn't help with Colunga's stage fright.
"There are a lot of people here," Colunga said. "I've never played in front of a crowd like this. I was really surprised that this many people came out and because of it I was breathing too fast, I had to slow down."
Colunga broke Domanski first, but soon found himself down 4-2 after losing serve twice, both times on unforced errors. Colunga also had to pick himself up after losing a six-deuce game on Domanski's serve.
He got back on serve by winning on a third break point at 4-3 before throwing in an ace to pull even at 4-4.
"I knew I could win," Colunga said of being down early, "so I just told myself to relax, just play my game and that's what I did."
Colunga claimed the first set with a service winner, but it was his drop shot that made the difference in the match. He won nine points on forehand drop shots, eight coming after the six-deuce game in which he lost.
"It was just because I saw he was so far back. He was almost at the Longhorn [emblem midway between the baseline and the back fence] just waiting for my ball to drop and then hitting," Colunga said. "So I said I would just hit to him three or four times and wait until he hit a short one and then hold it like I was going to hit a regular forehand and just drop shot him."
The strategy worked physically and psychologically with Domanski expending energy while attempting to chase down Colunga's well-disguised drop shots. Then after losing the point all Domanski could do was mutter to himself, which gave Colunga the confidence he needed.
Colunga won 9 of 10 games during one stretch, but Domanski, who played a part in the Unicorns claiming the state team title at A&M's Mitchell Tennis Center in the fall, extended the match at 5-2 and then forced a deuce game on Colunga's serve before hitting a forehand long to end the match.
In the semifinal, Colunga squared off against Houston Memorial freshman Dane Esses on one of the outside courts.
Colunga had gained control of his nerves by then, but had to decipher the freshman's game, which included a deceptive forehand.
"He had some weird shots," Colunga said. "It looked like he was going over one way and then he would spin it the other way. It was like a knuckle ball on his passing shots and when he was rallying with me it was really high and hardly any spin so I knew I needed to come in."
Neither player won serve untill Esses took a 3-2 lead when Colunga was long with a forehand volley.
Colunga held to even it at 3-3 and broke at 4-3 with a reaction volley of a forehand Esses, by his expression, obviously believed had beaten the Region II-5A champion.
Colunga won the next game with one of the few drop shots he attempted against Esses and pocketed the first set after a lob that found the corner and forced an error later at the net.
By that time Colunga was gaining confidence with every stroke, hitting out more and more and finding angles to keep Esses on the defensive.
He had 14 winners in the second set, including a top-spin lob that put him up 3-1. Colunga also finished off a game with an ace and closed out Esses with a backhand winner.
"I just started hitting through the ball and did what I needed to do, going for my shots," Colunga said. "[Tuesday] I definitely need to hit out a lot more, just relax and then I'll be fine."
Colunga will face either Round Rock Westwood's Miguel Alda or Belton's Jacob Daugherty in the final, slated for 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Colunga and Alda have a past with each winning twice in all competitions this past year.
Daugherty was up 6-4, 5-5 when for the second time during the competition a lightning warning and then rain chased every one off the court. Colunga had just finished his match after the latter and was already thinking of Tuesday's final.
"It's a relief for sure because I knew I had a really good chance to get to the state finals," Colunga said. "A lot of people were telling me 'oh, you can make it, you can make it, you are going to make it,' and so I was like I know I have to make it now. So, now that I've finally made it I'm so relaxed and will play better. I'm way more confident going into tomorrow."
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A&M Consolidated's Frankie Colunga qualifies for state
Posted: Thursday, April 18, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 7:31 am, Thu Apr 18, 2013. Eagle Staff ReportBrazosSports
WACO -- Frankie Colunga became the first A&M Consolidated boy in 12 years to reach the state tennis tournament when he won the Class 5A Region II title on Wednesday.
Colunga earned a pair of victories on the second day of the tournament at the Waco Regional Tennis Center. In the morning semifinal round, second-seeded Colunga rallied to beat Mario Sandoval of Garland Naaman Forest 4-6, 6-0, 6-4. In the championship match, Colunga defeated No. 1 seed Miguel Alda of Round Rock Westwood 7-6 (7), 6-2.
Colunga earned a place in the 5A UIL State Championships, which will be held in Austin on April 29-30.
The last Consol boy to reach state was Patrick Briaud, who won the 5A title in 2001.
Colunga was eliminated at the regional tournament as a freshman and sophomore, then spent last spring training at the Austin Tennis Academy and did not play for the Tigers.
"It feels really good to know that the hard work is paying off," Colunga said. "It feels good representing Consol and bringing our school to state."
Colunga survived a tough test against Sandoval.
"We had a super close match," Colunga said. "The final set was a couple of points here and there and it could have gone either way. I played really big on the big moments and trusted in myself and believed that I could do it."
In the regional final, the Texas A&M-bound Colunga missed on three set points and then fought off one set point for Alda before winning the tiebreaker 9-7.
"After the first-set tiebreaker I had a lot of confidence," Colunga said. "In the second set I was just playing free and letting my shots go."
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Consol's Colunga advances to regional semifinals
Posted: Wednesday, April 17, 2013 12:42 am
Eagle Staff ReportBrazosSports
WACO — A&M Consolidated’s Frankie Colunga won two matches Tuesday, advancing to the semifinal round of the Class 5A Region II tennis tournament at the Waco Regional Tennis Center.
Colunga will have a chance Wednesday to become the first Consol boys tennis player since Patrick Briaud in 2001 to qualify for the state tournament.
Consol’s Scott Wilding, a senior like Colunga, was eliminated from the regional in the opening round by top seed Miguel Alda of Round Rock Westwood 6-0, 6-3.
Colunga opened with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Luke Mason of Lake Highlands. In the quarterfinal round, Colunga rolled over Tyler Flematti of Kingwood 6-1, 6-1.
On Wednesday, No. 2 seed Colunga with play third-seeded Mario Sandoval of Garland Naaman at 9 a.m. for a spot in the title match.
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Colunga hopes for date at state
Posted: Tuesday, April 16, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 12:33 am, Tue Apr 16, 2013.
LARRY BOWENlarry.bowen@theeagle.comBrazosSports
A&M Consolidated tennis player Frankie Colunga wants to make it to Austin for the state tournament. That's one of the reasons Colunga headed to the Hill Country to work on his game last year.
Colunga spent last spring away from the Consol team while training at the Austin Tennis Academy. He returned to the Tigers for his senior year and has put himself in position to qualify for the Class 5A state championships, which will be hosted by Texas in late April.
On Tuesday, Colunga and teammate Scott Wilding will play in the opening round of the Region II tournament at the Waco Regional Tennis Center. The top two finishers in the 16-player regional will advance to state.
The last Consol boy to make the state tournament was Patrick Briaud, who won the 5A title in 2001.
"It would mean a lot to me," Colunga said. "I fell short my freshman and sophomore years, and I've been working really hard to get to state. It would mean a lot to my school, too."
After reaching the regional tournament as a freshman and sophomore, Colunga opted to work on his game at the academy last year. He has climbed to No. 6 in Texas in the USTA 18-and-under rankings, and he rolled through the District 14-5A tournament last week.
The No. 2 seed in the regional bracket, Colunga will play Luke Mason of Lake Highlands at 9 a.m. Tuesday, with the winner advancing to a quarterfinal match later in the day. The semifinals and final will be played Wednesday.
"I think he has a good chance to make it to state," Consol coach Stephen Mercer said.
Colunga sought to improve his mental game at the Austin Tennis Academy. He has continued to stress that area since returning to College Station to work with Mercer and Miramont club pro Todd Taylor.
"I've been working a lot on my confidence and mental game so that I go on the court feeling good," Colunga said. "I was feeling really confident going into district.
"You play a lot of practice matches and get yourself in pressure situations so that when you go into a regular match you are ready to bear down under pressure."
Mercer appreciates the mental muscle.
"Coming back this year you can definitely tell that there was a big change, not only in his skill and ability, but mentally," Mercer said. "I saw him in several tough matches in the fall and he really stepped up to the plate and handled those much better than he did as a sophomore.
"Playing in national tournaments and the experience he got at the Austin Tennis Academy definitely has helped him mentally. You can tell a big difference."
Colunga, who plans to play at Texas A&M, won the district championship 6-2, 6-0 over Wilding. That forced Wilding, also a senior, to survive a play-back match to secure the league's second regional bid. Wilding beat College Park's Santiago Quevedo 7-6, 6-2.
Through the luck of the draw, Wilding was paired against Region II top seed Miguel Alda of Round Rock Westwood in Wednesday's opening round. Tournament organizers seeded four players and put two others into designated spots in the bracket, then chose the other matchups at random.
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Colunga wins 14-5A tennis title
Posted: Friday, April 12, 2013 12:31 am
Eagle Staff ReportBrazosSports
CONROE – A&M Consolidated’s Frankie Colunga defeated teammate Scott Wilding 6-2, 6-0 in the boys singles finals of the District 14-5A tennis tournament.
Wilding claimed second place with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over College Park’s Santiago Quevedo in the playback.
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Consol duo reaches finals of BCS Tennis Tournament
A&M Consolidated tennis players Amy Gore and Katherine Miller might swim with sharks soon, so it was good practice when the Lady Tigers were thrown in with a couple of piranhas.
The Consol duo ran into opponents with teeth in Denton Guyer's Alexandria Rodriguez and Megan Poe, who dominated Miller and Gore 6-2, 6-0 in the girls doubles championship match at the BCS Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
Next week, Gore and Miller will seek their second trip to regionals when they play in the District 14-5A tournament. There they could encounter Alex Huie and Catherine Wyth of The Woodlands, who reached the state final last year.
Although the Lady Tigers struggled in the BCS final, at least they got a taste of strong competition. The Denton Guyer tandem is undefeated through the fall and spring seasons, with three tournament championships during the spring.
"They're a very good team," Gore said. "I know everyone says this, but Katherine and I did not play our best. We played really well yesterday but not today.
"We're about to go to district, so this is an excellent preparation for that. It's good to practice your hard shots and be tested."
Miller and Gore easily won their first three matches in the tournament. They beat Alex Young and Katie Kraft of San Antonio Churchill 6-3, 6-1 on Saturday morning to make their first tournament final of the spring.
"The first few matches we were playing really solid," Miller said. "We came into this match really confident, but we just didn't play well."
The senior Rodriguez and freshman Poe hit with more pace than the Lady Tiger seniors. Gore held both over her service games during the opening set, but Consol missed a couple of chances by failing to convert game points in the fifth and sixth games.
In the second set the Lady Tigers pushed Poe to a break point but couldn't convert. Consol extended the final game with Rodriguez serving, getting to deuce several times, but that was the best the home team could manage.
"We're usually much more consistent than that," Gore said. "We're very strong at the net, and I don't think we did enough of that today. I don't think we were as aggressive as normal."
Gore and Miller were the only local entries to play for a BCS title. Consol boys singles players Frankie Colunga and Scott Wilding, the other local players to advance to the championship semifinal round, postponed their title match until Monday to ease the scheduling crunch. Colunga won his semifinal Saturday morning. Wilding got a walk-over in the other semi because defending state champion Tito Moreiras of Churchill withdrew from the tournament to attend his prom.
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Consol puts four players in BCS tennis semifinals
Posted: Saturday, March 23, 2013 12:47 am | Updated: 1:17 am, Sat Mar 23, 2013.
A&M Consolidated’s Frankie Colunga and Scott Wilding in boys singles and the girls doubles team of Amy Gore and Katherine Miller went unbeaten Friday to move into the championship bracket semifinals of the BCS Tennis Tournament.
Colunga did not drop a game in straight-sets wins over Andrew Garza of Grapevine and Justin Wan of Keller Fossil Ridge. He will face Hunter Scammahorn of Tyler Lee in Saturday’s semifinal round at Sam Rayburn Middle School in Bryan.
Wilding won three matches, beating Bryson King of Leander Rouse and Daniel Chaulfin of San Antonio Churchill by 6-0, 6-0 scores. In the quarterfinal round Wilding defeated Austin Grossklaus of Mansfield 6-3, 7-5. Wilding will play defending Class 5A state champion Tito Moreiras of Churchill in the other semifinal.
Gore and Miller blanked a team from Montgomery in their first match and then posted a 6-2, 6-1 win over a duo from Denton Guyer. The Lady Tigers will play a team from Churchill in the semifinal round at the Consol tennis courts.
Action in girls singles (Rudder), boys doubles (College Station) and mixed doubles (Bryan) also will resume at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
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Posted: Saturday, March 23, 2013 12:47 am |
Updated: 1:17 am, Sat Mar 23, 2013.
Consol puts four players in BCS tennis semifinals
A&M Consolidated’s Frankie Colunga and Scott Wilding in boys singles and the girls doubles team of Amy Gore and Katherine Miller went unbeaten Friday to move into the championship bracket semifinals of the BCS Tennis Tournament.
Colunga did not drop a game in straight-sets wins over Andrew Garza of Grapevine and Justin Wan of Keller Fossil Ridge. He will face Hunter Scammahorn of Tyler Lee in Saturday’s semifinal round at Sam Rayburn Middle School in Bryan.
Wilding won three matches, beating Bryson King of Leander Rouse and Daniel Chaulfin of San Antonio Churchill by 6-0, 6-0 scores. In the quarterfinal round Wilding defeated Austin Grossklaus of Mansfield 6-3, 7-5. Wilding will play defending Class 5A state champion Tito Moreiras of Churchill in the other semifinal.
Gore and Miller blanked a team from Montgomery in their first match and then posted a 6-2, 6-1 win over a duo from Denton Guyer. The Lady Tigers will play a team from Churchill in the semifinal round at the Consol tennis courts.
Action in girls singles (Rudder), boys doubles (College Station) and mixed doubles (Bryan) also will resume at 8:30 a.m. Saturday
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Seven Tigers named all-district: The A&M Consolidated Tigers had four first-teamers and three second-teamers on the District 14-5A all-district tennis teams.
Frankie Colunga and Scott Wilding represented the boys on the first team at line Nos. 1 and 2. The duo also teamed up for first-team honors at No. 1 boys doubles.
Jordyn Scruggs and Mari Gherardi made the first team at line 3 in girls doubles.
On the second team, Chad Nguyen made it on line No. 4 for the boys. Vivien Xi and Gherardi made the girls singles second team, on lines 5 and 6, respectively.
For Bryan, Leo Cisneros and Christine Ehresman combined to make the second team for mixed doubles.
Making the honorable mention team for Consol were: Diego Cruz-Vespa (boys singles, No. 3), Jacob Jean (boys singles, No. 5), Jeremy Parulian (boys singles, No. 6), Cruz-Vespa and Nguyen (boys doubles, No. 2), Jean and Parulian (boys doubles, No. 3), Julian Dunmore and Xi (mixed doubles, No. 1), Rebekah Scholz (girls singles, No. 2), Sheridan Scholtz (girls singles, No. 3), Jordyn Scruggs (girls singles, No. 4), Katherine Miller and Scholtz (girls doubles, No. 1), and Scholz and Rachel Tindall (girls doubles, No. 2).
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Consol downs Oak Ridge 18-1
Posted: Sunday, September 30, 2012 8:19 pm | Updated: 5:56 pm, Mon Oct 1, 2012.
www.brazossports.com
The A&M Consolidated tennis team bumped its overall record to 6-7 and its district mark to 3-2 with an 18-1 victory over Oak Ridge on Friday.
The Tigers swept the boys singles, dropping only one set. Frankie Colunga, Diego Cruz-Vespa, Chad Nguyen and Jeremy Parulian all
won 6-0, 6-0. Scott Wilding won 6-1,6-2 and Jacob Jean rallied for a 5-7, 6-2, (10-6) victory.
On the girls side, Rebekah Scholz and Sheridan Scholz each won third-set tiebreakers, while Jordyn Scruggs, Vivien Xi and Mari Gherardi won in straight sets.
The Tigers swept the doubles matches. Colunga and Wilding won 6-1, 6-3. Cruz-Vespa and Nguyen won 6-1, 6-0, and Jean and Parulian triumphed, 6-1, 6-1.
Katherine Miller and Rebekah Scholz were forced to a third set tiebreaker, which they took 10-4,
Sheridan Scholz and Rachel Tindall won 6-4, 6-1, and Scruggs and Gherardi won 6-4, 6-3.
Julian Dunmore and Xi eased to victory in mixed doubles, 6-2, 6-0.
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Consol tennis team rolls past Vikings
Posted: Saturday, September 22, 2012 1:33 a.m.
Eagle Staff Report - www.brazossports.com
A&M Consolidated’s tennis team beat crosstown rival Bryan 16-3 in District 14-5A play Friday at Consol.
The Tigers swept boys’ singles and doubles while the girls’ singles and doubles teams won two of three matches.
Bryan claimed the only mixed doubles match.
Frankie Colunga, Chad Nguyen, Jacob Jean and Jeremy Parulian each won their match without losing a game, while the duos of Colunga and Scott Wilding and Diego Cruz-Vespa and Nguyen did the same in doubles.
For the girls, Rebekah Scholz won the closest match of the evening, defeating Bryan’s Lauren Gomez
6-4, 4-6, 10-7 at line No. 2. Katherine Miller of Consol got past Abby Spiegelman 6-4, 2-6, 10-7
at No. 1.
Victoria Edwards provided the Vikings’ only win in girls’ singles, topping Sheridan Scholtz 5-7, 6-3, 10-4.
The Tigers are now 5-6 on the year, 2-1 in District 14-5A.
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Consol tennis team blanks Lufkin in district opener
Posted: Wednesday, September 5, 2012 12:21 a.m.
Eagle Staff Report
A&M Consolidated opened District 14-5A play in team tennis with a 19-0 victory over Lufkin on Tuesday at the Consol courts.
Several Tigers took their matches without dropping a game, including Frankie Colunga, Chad Nguyen, Matt Legg and Katherine Miller in singles. The doubles teams of Colunga and Nguyen, Jeremy Parulian and Jacob Jean, along with Jordyn Scruggs and Mari Gherardi, also did not drop a game.
The Tigers also defeated Humble Atascocita 12-7 in a nondistrict match last Friday.
The Tigers will host the A&M Consolidated tournament on Sept. 14 and 15.
Here are the results from the match against Lufkin:
Boys Singles
1. Frankie Colunga, AMC, def. Addison Hester 6-0, 6-0; 2. Scott Wilding, AMC,
def. Graham Bates 6-1, 6-0; 3. Chad Nugyen, AMC, def. Austin Hoepfner 6-0, 6-0;
4. Diego Cruz-Vespa, AMC, def. Cody Carter 6-2, 6-2; 5. Jacob Jean, AMC, def.
Will Kirby 6-1, 6-0; 6. Jeremy Parulian, AMC, def. Long Nguyen 6-1, 6-0; 7.
Matt Legg, AMC, def. Patrick Stokes 8-0; 8. Justin Torres, AMC, def.
Rohan Rammath 8-4.
Girls Singles
1. Rebekah Scholz, AMC, def. Casey Chapman 6-3, 6-1; 2. Katherine Miller, AMC. Def. Ivette Barrera 6-0, 6-0; 3. Amy Gore, AMC, def. Anchal Thomas 6-0, 6-3;
4. Sheridan Scholtz, AMC, def. Victoria Viet 6-0, 6-1; 5. Jordyn Scruggs, AMC,
def. Nohema Mendoza 6-1, 6-0; 6. Vivien Xi, AMC, def. Kati Ellis 6-2, 6-0;
7. Mari Gherardi 8-2.
Boys Doubles
1. Colunga/Nguyen, AMC, def. Hester/Hoepfner 6-0, 6-0; 2. Wilding/Cruz-Vespa, AMC, def. Bates/Carter 6-1, 6-0; 3. Parulian/Jean, AMC, def. Bates/Mahan 6-0, 6-0.
Girls Doubles
1. Gore/Miller, AMC, def. Chapman/Barrera 6-1, 6-1; 2. Scholz/Rachel Tindall, AMC, def. Thomas/Mendoza 6-3, 6-0; 3. Scruggs/Mari Gherardi, AMC, def.
Sloan/Ellis 6-0, 6-0.
Mixed Doubles
Legg/Scholz, AMC, def. Viet/Kirby 6-2, 6-2.
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College Station’s Frankie Colunga advances in Capsher Grand Slam
By SEAN LESTER
sean.lester@theeagle.com
Posted: Monday, June 11, 2012
Saturday at the Capsher Texas Grand Slam, College Station’s Frankie Colunga pulled off an upset over ninth-seed Carlos Di Laura to advance to the round of 64.
“I know him from other tournaments, so he’s well respected across Texas,” Colunga said of Di Laura. “It felt good to go out and get the win but I have to keep moving forward in the tournament so that’s what I had in mind coming in today.”
Sunday, Colunga upset opponent Logan Smith at Texas A&M’s George P. Mitchell Tennis Center, but in the other sense of the word, as Smith was noticeably frustrated much of the match which Colunga won handily 6-2, 6-1.
“I figured out that I needed to keep the ball in play and relax a little bit,” Colunga said. “I had to breathe and keep it easy in order to frustrate him. He got frustrated, so it worked well.”
Colunga, who will be a senior at A&M Consolidated in the fall, started the match with a little frustration of his own. He said he was “tight and nervous a little bit.”
Colunga took a deep breath and proceeded to throw Smith off his game, quickly winning the first set 6-1.
“He wanted the quick rallyies, wanting to end the point fast,” Colunga said. “I was just running with him and making him hit more balls than he wanted to.”
As Colunga hit balls around the court he wore down Smith ending the match quickly with a 6-2 second set. The match lasted just one hour, and Colunga was quickly preparing for his next matchup.
“I’m on the round of 32 right now,” Colunga said. “I have to keep working hard in the match and I’ll try staying hydrated this afternoon. I’m looking forward to battling tomorrow.”
As the Boys 18 division dwindles from the original 256 singles players, Colunga advances to take on another ranked opponent in 17th-seeded Parker McGuiness of McKinney. McGuiness has yet to be tested in two straight-set victories after a first-round bye.
“I’ll play Parker McGinnis, who I’ve played before in close matches, so I’m looking forward to that,” Colunga said.
Colunga has advanced to the round of 16 once in this tournament at a younger age division. With another upset Monday, he could do it again.
Colunga and McGuiness will face off at 12:30 p.m. Monday at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
Varsity Tennis Roster for 2012-2013
Francisco Colunga Rebekah Scholz
Scott Wilding Katherine MiIller
Diego Cruz-Vespa Amy Gore
Jacob Jean Sheridan Scholtz
Jeremy Parulian Jordyn Scruggs
Justin Torres Vivien Xi
Matt Legg Mari Gherardi
Connor Dunmore Rachel Tindall
Julian Dunmore Haley Reim
Evan Gan Bethany Anderson
Chad Nguyen Mary Nelson