NET SCRAPPERS: Bartlesville athletes battle valiantly at Class 6A tennis state tourney

Mike Tupa, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise
·2 min read
Jack Auschwitz rips the ball during practice his sophomore year.
Jack Auschwitz rips the ball during practice his sophomore year.

As in the case of General Douglas McArthur, Bartlesville High boys tennis players Jack Auschwitz, Will Bolding and Owen May are determined they shall return.

To the state ttournament, that is.

The trio of scrappy netters both thrived on a crash course last week in the net wars at the Class 6A boys state tourney.

Auschwitz — playing at No. 1 singles — battled through a tough draw by taking on two seeded players.

He lost in the opening round to a Mustang rival (No. 7 seed), 6-1, 6-1.

Refusing to go away quietly, Auschwitz snapped back in the first round of the consolation round to eliminate a Yukon player, 6-1, 6-1.

But, Auschwitz then collided against the No. 4 seed, a foe from Westmoore. The Westmoore racket jockey downed Auschwitz, 6-1, 6-1, and went on to win the consolation championship.

Bolding and May combined to compete at No. 1 doubles.

They opened up against the No. 3 seed (Bishop Kelley) and lost, 6-0, 6-0. Bishop Kelley went on to finish in third place.

But, Bolding and May were far from done.

In their consolation opener, they dropped a Norman North pair, 6-0, 6-0.

However, a Tulsa Union duo sent Bolding and May out of the tournament, in a gritty grinder, 7-5, 6-2; the Union boys kept fighting to seventh place.

The fact the Bruins advanced to the second day was significant, Bartlesville head coach Bryan Reeves said.

“Jack is a junior that made huge improvements this season,” Reeves said. “Will is a sophomore and his partner, Owen, is a freshman. They will be a great to watch over the next two years if they keep playing like they did during the weekend.”

Bartlesville tennis enjoyed an outstanding campaign overall.

All six Lady Bruins qualified for state, which means nine of the 12 Bartlesville players competed in the Big Dance.

Bartlesville also boasted a state runner-up (No. 1 girls singles player Maddie Shelley).

Of this year’s dozen players, only two were seniors.

“A couple of junior high state champions will be joining the varsity ranks most likely,” Reeves said in contemplating the 2023 season. “I’m looking forward to the next few years of Bruin tennis.”

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Focus on Bartlesville High's performance at Class 6A state tourney