Dear Editor:

Your readers in the Powell community need to realize the magnitude of your Powell Panthers tennis team capturing their first All-Class State Tennis Championship this past September. This was a huge accomplishment by a smaller school. Wyoming High School Tennis has always had only one classification.

The Powell Panthers tennis team can play with the big boys — meaning three Cheyenne schools, two Casper schools, two Gillette schools, Sheridan, Laramie and Rock Springs. These schools have two and three times the student enrollment Powell has. In addition, nine of these schools have access in their community to indoor courts and pro instructors; Powell has neither. Wyoming high school tennis has only one classification comprised of 10 4A and six 3A schools forming an all-class classification. Powell is the 14th-largest school in Wyoming high school tennis.

The Panthers not only won the Wyoming All-Class State Championship, but won it going away. Powell’s final score of 54 points far outdistanced the state runner-up, Campbell County (Gillette) by 22.5 points, and third place Casper Kelly Walsh by 31 points.

Jesse Brown, No. 1 Singles, placed fourth at state. Dylan Preator won his second straight state championship at No. 2 Singles. Aidan Jacobsen and Justin Vanderbeek placed runner-up in No. 1 doubles. Grant Dillivan and Ethan Bartholomew finished runner-up in No. 2 doubles. Jay Cox and Logan Brown were state champions in No. 3 doubles. All eight Powell players received All-State honors.

Congratulations to these Powell Panther tennis players, head coach Joe Asay, assistant coaches Katie Asay and Brandon Preator — Preator being a long-time assistant coach.

Powell has two No. 1 singles state champions: in 2002, Toby Laird and in 2015, Cody Akin. No. 1 singles state champion is considered the best player in the state of Wyoming. Yes, the Powell Panthers tennis teams over the years can play with the big boys!

Norm Sedig

Cody High School tennis coach

Cody