photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence doubles player Jack Bauch reaches out to hit the ball in the seventh-place match of the Sunflower League boys tennis tournament on Monday, May 5, 2025, in Olathe.

Olathe — The final round of the Sunflower League boys tennis tournament concluded on Monday after a rain delay postponed the final round on Friday.

Lawrence and Free State did well in the tournament, with the Lions finishing third and the Firebirds coming in fourth. The success, particularly in the final rounds, will help those players in their regional seeding on Saturday.

Lawrence’s Jun Brewer had the highest overall finish for the singles players, as he won third place in an 8-2 match over Mill Valley’s Dalton Parde on Monday. Parde was the No. 2 seed in the tournament, while Brewer was No. 5.

“He had a really good tournament,” Lawrence coach Chris Marshall said. “He didn’t play well today, but he played a really good opponent. I thought Saturday he was zoned in.”

The Firebirds had their two singles players finish fifth and seventh in the tournament. Drew Harrison faced Shawnee Mission East’s Aidan Lashley and won 8-5 to take fifth. Lawrence Dao beat Gardner Edgerton’s Isaiah Lang 8-7 in the seventh-place match.

Both Free State singles players did better than their seeding, with Harrison taking fifth after entering as the sixth seed and Dao placing seventh after starting with the ninth seed.

“This is a tough league — it’s probably one of the toughest leagues in the area,” Free State coach Aaron Clark said. “I was satisfied with everybody. Everybody overperformed as far as their seed was, and that’s what we’re hoping for next weekend.”

Asher Sikes from Lawrence took ninth in the tournament with an 8-3 win over Zaid Ashkar from Olathe Northwest. Marshall said he was pleased with Sikes’ tournament performance and that he’s in a good spot for the regional.

For doubles teams, Lawrence’s team of Jack Bauch and Josh Lavin finished seventh with an 8-2 win over Free State’s team of Connor Cook and Jacob Wang. The Lawrence duo entered as the fifth seed, while the Free State team entered as the 11th.

“When our top doubles team is focused and serving, they’re a good team,” Marshall said of Bauch and Lavin. “They’re not always on the same wavelength each time, but today they came out and beat a pretty good Free State team.”

Lawrence’s Xavier Klish and Julian Bricker beat Free State’s Kiefer Bullock and Galeno Wills in the 15th-place match.

In total, the Lions scored 53 points. All Lawrence teams and players won their final round match, giving them a good position and momentum going into the regional.

“We’ve got a couple of things to work on, but it should be a pretty fun week,” Marshall said. “I’m pretty excited about where we’re at. Hopefully, we can keep things going and get some boys to state.”

Free State scored one point less than Lawrence and placed fourth. Their two singles players led the team and will be a helpful launching point for the regional.

Clark added that the Sunflower League tournament allowed the players to face some of the real pressure they’ll face in regional and state tournaments. That was important for the team to face and overcome the pressure, even if the result didn’t end in a win.

“I felt like, for the most part, when everyone stepped onto the court, they were ready to compete,” Clark said.

Both teams will have some time to review some mistakes from the Sunflower League tournament before the regional tournament begins. Free State and Lawrence will return to Olathe’s College Boulevard Activity Center, with matches starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State singles player Lawrence Dao hits a backhand swing in the seventh-place match of the Sunflower League boys tennis tournament on Monday, May 5, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence doubles player Josh Lavin follows through on a swing in the seventh-place match of the Sunflower League boys tennis tournament on Monday, May 5, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State’s Jacob Wang serves during the seventh-place match of the Sunflower League boys tennis tournament on Monday, May 5, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State singles player Drew Harrison swings for the tennis ball in the fifth-place match of the Sunflower League boys tennis tournament on Monday, May 5, 2025, in Olathe.