By Scott Vanscoy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Kickapoo Chiefs won their first District title in three years by defeating the Branson Pirates, 5-0, in the Class 2 District 10 finals on Wednesday afternoon. It was an unseasonably warm day for the finals, but the wind played a bigger factor in the outcome.
Kickapoo got off to an early start, winning three doubles matches to put them up 3-0. Playing doubles for Kickapoo were Jenna Swope/Ester Choe, Marissa Scott/Paige McCurry, and Jayden Wersinger/Kylee Halverson. Getting out to a 3-0 lead meant that the Chiefs only needed to win two of the six remaining singles matches.
Senior Kylee Halverson, one of two seniors on the Chiefs’ squad, switched out and played doubles.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
“It is just as important to be the No. 6 player as it is the No. 1 because every match counts towards our wins and our losses,” said Halverson. “Every single person on this team is valued just as much as the others.”
On being one of the only two seniors on the squad, Halverson said “I think my experience really helps the younger girls; it helps a lot in team spirit, too. Sarah and I know how our matches have been and how our years have played out in past seasons. It’s really important for us to pass that on to them and let them know what our traditions are.”
With the championship in sight, Kickapoo won their two singles matches, making quick work of the Pirates. Senior Sarah Choe won the second match, giving the Chiefs the championship.
“I think that we did really well together as a team and showed a lot of team spirit, like we always do,” said Choe. “We all worked hard to get to this moment. It takes a lot of work to be a District champ, not only during the season but also during the off-season. We all put in a lot of work, go to private lessons together, and we come out here after school and practice for about two hours.”
Eric Wilbur, in his 13 years of coaching and his third year as head coach, took home his first District title.
“If you look at how other teams seeded us, we met our expectation of being the No. 1 seed, but we don’t take anything for granted, we have to play each match,” said Wilbur. “Each team that we played, Nixa and Branson, both gave us challenges. All of the girls are responsible for this win. You can go down the line, starting with our No. 1, Jayden; she gives us our cheer support. Our No. 2 shows the grit of being injured and continuing to play, our No. 3, Marissa, is a steady force on our team. Paige, our No. 4, is just as steady and a great doubles team, and then you hit our seniors… up and down our line, our varsity is just that talented. It would be a tall challenge for us to win state, and we’ll certainly keep an open mind, but we’ve got to get past the next match, which is our sectional.”
In Sectionals, the Chiefs will face District 9 champion Springfield Central, who defeated Camdenton 5-0.
Overall score: Kickapoo 5 – Branson 0
Doubles
Jenna Swope/Ester Choe vs Gabby Brown/Aunika Stevenson 8-3
Marissa Scott/Paige McCurry vs Sandra Jaroonwanichkul/Rae Woods 8-3
Jayden Wersinger/Kylee Halverson vs Elaina Knipple/Taylor Price 8-2
Singles
Ester Choe vs Elaina Knipple 6-0, 6-3
Sarah Choe vs Taylor Price 6-1, 6-2
