Courts For Cancer raises $2,200 for those fighting cancer

The 5th Annual Courts for Cancer Event hosted by the Dexter Bearcat Boys Tennis team, originally scheduled for March 24th, took place Saturday. The Bearcats hosted varsity teams from Jackson HS, Poplar Bluff HS, and Sikeston HS. The tournament was a flighted individual tournament.

In the Singles Flight #1 Peyton Boles (D) defeated Matthew Penn (PB) by a score of 8-2. Trent Schorey (J) defeated Tyler McHaffie (S) in a barn burner by a score of 9-7.

Peyton Boles (D) took on Trent Schorey (J) in the championship match. This was another battle that saw Trent Schorey get out to a 5-1 lead only to have Peyton Boles battle back and win the match 9-7. In the 3rd Place match, we saw Jeremy Essner (J) defeat Matthew Penn (PB) 8-6.

In the Singles Flight #2 Cooper Worley (Dexter) defeated Jeramy Essner (Jackson) by a score of 8-4. Tyler McHaffie (Sikeston) defeated Manuel Riveros (Poplar Bluff) in a barn burner by a score of 8-1.

Cooper Worley (Dexter) took on Levi Douglass (Sikeston) in the championship match. Cooper defeated Levi by a score of 8-6. In the 3rd Place match, we saw Jeremy Essner (Jackson) defeat Manuel Riveros (Poplar Bluff) 8-4.

In the Doubles side of the tournament, we also saw two flights of teams vie for the championship.

In the Doubles Flight #1 Lawson Blocker and Drew Chamberlain from Dexter defeated the team of Tyson Ford and Austin Rushing from Jackson 8-5. On the other side of the draw, the team of Angelo Sorrentino and Carson Todd of Poplar Bluff defeated the team of Adon Christian and Charles Robinson of Sikeston by a score of 8-4.

In the championship match, we saw Angelo Sorrentino and Carson Todd of Poplar Bluff take down Lawson Blocker and Drew Chamberlain from Dexter by a score of 8-5. In the 3rd Place match, Tyson Ford and Austin Rushing of Jackson beat Adon Christian and Charles Robinson of Sikeston 8-5.

The Flight #2 bracket began with Logan Jones and Rhyder Williams of Dexter defeating Michael Walton and Leo Huang of Sikeston by a score of 8-6. Then we saw Alejandro Rivetti and Tavian Towns of Poplar Bluff defeat Conner Strickland and Jack Thomas of Jackson 8-3.

In the Championship match, the team of Alejandro Rivetti and Tavian Towns (PB) proved too big of a challenge for the team of Logan Jones and Rhyder Williams. They won the 1st place medals by a score of 8-0. In the third match, Michael Walton and Leo Huang of Sikeston defeated Conner Strickland and Jack Thomas of Jackson 8-4.

All of the teams helped the Bearcats raise over $2,200.00 for the Courts for Cancer event. $700.00 of the funds will be donated to Friends of Kids with Cancer (affiliated with Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, $700.00 will be donated to 18ForeLife (a Stoddard County cancer charity), and $700.00 will be donated to a student or educator from one of the participating schools who is currently dealing with a cancer diagnosis. This individual has yet to be identified.

The charity was created by Eric Boles (Boys Tennis Coach) and Kristi Boles (Girls Tennis Coach) after their oldest son, Ryder, was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of his sophomore year of high school. In the five years of the event, their teams have raised and donated over $10,000.00 to local cancer charities and students/educators dealing with a cancer diagnosis.