TOPEKA — Iola sophomore Mosiah Fawson won a bronze medal at Saturday’s state tennis championship.
“I did the best I could, and played to the best of my abilities,” said Fawson, who credited Coach Chris Belknap, his father Nathan Fawson, as well as teammates Brodie Thompson and Trapper Boren for helping him prepare for state.
The event was Fawson’s last as a Mustang. Fawson and his family are moving to Utah.
“I love Iola, and I’m not happy to go, but I have to. I feel great (about third). I feel accomplished and it could not have gone better,” he said.
Fawson, the reigning regional champion, received a bye in the first round. He cruised to victory with a 6-3, 6-1 win over eventual 12th-place finisher sophomore Cayden Davis of Buehler. Fawson wrapped up the first day of play with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over fifth-place freshman Rylan Unruh of McPherson.
Opening the second day of play, Fawson more than had his hands full against Parsons senior Wyatt Shultz. The three-time state runner-up, and eventual state champion, relegated Fawson to the consolation finals with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
“I knew I probably wasn’t going to win against Shultz,” Fawson said. “I was just focused on getting into the top three.”
Although out of the running for a state title, Fawson’s day was far from over. As temperatures reached more than 90 degrees, and an additional 30 degrees on the court, Fawson’s consolation finals match went a grueling 2.5 hours.
“That was a very long, intense match and he drank a lot of water,” Coach Belknap said. “I wondered how he was walking, but he handled himself well. He fought through it.”
After taking the first set 7-5, Fawson fell in the second 6-4. As the temperature peaked, Fawson found his footing in the tie-breaking set with an overhand smash sealing Iola’s highest state finish in more than 15 years. Kent Toland took second place in 2010.
“I just played my best and hit it hard. He hit everything back, so I had to find the angles,” said Fawson, who added it was one of the longest matches he has ever played. “I drank a ton of water, and I ate before I played — a sandwich and a pickle.”
Also representing Iola at the state tournament were the doubles team of seniors Trapper Boren and Brody Thompson, who qualified after taking sixth at the Chanute regional. The duo made their team debut Friday as the 23rd seed.
They opened with a 6-0 loss in straight sets to the 11th-place El Dorado duo Theron Mays and Lane Eck. William Luke and Brock Reynoldson of Hayden defeated Boren and Thompson 8-1.
As a team, the Mustangs finished in 14th place.
“We showed up, played some good tennis and had a good time,” Belknap said.
The Iola tennis team may experience a rebuild next season with three of its five members either graduating or moving out of the district. With No. 2 doubles freshmen Logan Belknap and Maddux Franklin, Coach Belknap will not have to build from scratch and even has a few eighth-graders in mind for next season.
