photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State singles player Lawrence Dao gets low to hit the tennis ball during the Olathe South 6A East regional boys tennis tournament on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the College Boulevard Activity Center, in Olathe.

Olathe — Free State will send three entrants, and Lawrence will send its top singles player to the 6A boys tennis state tournament.

Both boys tennis teams competed in the Olathe South 6A East regional at the College Boulevard Sports Complex on Saturday. The top six singles players and top six doubles teams in the tournament advanced to state.

“Getting three entrants in is about as good as it can get,” Free State coach Aaron Clark said. “It makes (state) a lot more fun of an experience. Hopefully, they’ll be ready for a fun weekend.”

Lawrence’s Jun Brewer entered and left with the No. 3 seed. After a first-round bye, he won 6-1, 6-1 in the second round. His 6-3, 6-0 win in the following round secured him a top-four spot and a trip to state. He lost to the No. 2 seed in the semifinal, but Brewer rebounded with a win in the third-place match 6-0, 6-3 against Free State’s Lawrence Dao.

“He had a really good season, and I was really impressed with how he played today,” Lawrence coach Chris Marshall said. “To finish third in this regional is fantastic. I liked the way he played against Lawrence (Dao). I thought all of his matches were right on.”

Brewer said he felt good in the tournament and played up to his ability. He came close to reaching state as a junior, but he left no doubt in his final season.

“I’m pretty happy with the result, and I hope I can continue some of the results into state,” Brewer said. “It feels great.”

Free State’s Dao started with the fifth seed and finished fourth to go to state. Dao began with a bye before winning his first match 6-3, 6-3. He faced teammate Drew Harrison in the next round and won in three sets. Dao lost in the semifinal to the eventual regional champion in three sets. His tournament ended with a loss to Brewer to finish fourth individually and qualify for state.

After his bye, Harrison started with a 6-0, 6-1 win. After losing to Dao, Harrison bounced back with a 6-0, 6-2 victory to reach the fifth-place match, which he won to make the state tournament.

“They played a tough match (against each other),” Clark said. “Drew rebounded after that loss and played a really solid match, and Lawrence had a really good day.”

Lawrence’s Asher Sikes started with a 6-4, 6-2 win but lost in the next round to the eventual regional runner-up. Sikes lost his next match in the fifth-place bracket.

“Asher played really well — he struggled in that last match, missing some close shots, but it’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes,” Marshall said.

Free State’s doubles team of Connor Coons and Jacob Wang were the lone doubles team to make the state tournament. They started with the eighth seed but finished sixth in the tournament.

The duo started with a 6-3, 7-5 win but lost their second match. Coons and Wang rebounded with a win in three sets over Lawrence’s Xavier Klish and Julian Bricker to reach the fifth-place match. There, they lost and took sixth but secured their spot in the state tournament.

“They played well throughout the day,” Clark said. “We played a tough schedule this year, so record-wise, it isn’t something eye-catching to a lot of people, but they find ways to win matches, and they did that today. Those teams that were neck-and-neck with them, they were able to find points that’s what got them to state.”

The No. 2 Free State doubles team of Galeno Wills and Keifer Bullock started with an 8-0 win but lost in the next round.

For Lawrence, the top team of Jack Bauch and Josh Lavin started with a 6-3, 6-1 win in their first match but lost in the next round to go to the fifth-place bracket. There, they lost the next match to the eventual fifth-place finishers to fall short of a state tournament berth.

“It just wasn’t their day,” Marshall said. “Everybody has a bad day. We just wish it wasn’t today. But that’s how it goes, and they had a good season.”

The other Lawrence duo of Klish and Bricker started with a win in three sets but lost in the following round to fall to the fifth-place bracket. There, they faced the Free State team of Coons and Wang and lost, ending their season.

Five of Free State’s top-six players will return next year, with only Bullock graduating. The experience from competing and succeeding in the league and regional tournaments will be a big lift for the team next year. For Lawrence, they’ll bring back Bricker and Bauch from their varsity lineup.

“They have a good opportunity to win some matches next week, but this is a really good opportunity, not only for this year but next year, too,” Clark said.

The 6A state tournament will start on May 16 and finish the following day in Junction City at the Bluejay Tennis Facility.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence’s Josh Lavin, right, winds up to hit a high ball as partner Jack Bauch watches during the Olathe South 6A East regional boys tennis tournament on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the College Boulevard Activity Center, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State’s Jacob Wang prepares to hit the tennis ball during the Olathe South 6A East regional boys tennis tournament on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the College Boulevard Activity Center, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence singles player Jun Brewer gets in position to hit the tennis ball during the Olathe South 6A East regional boys tennis tournament on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the College Boulevard Activity Center, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State singles player Drew Harrison follows through on a hit during the Olathe South 6A East regional boys tennis tournament on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the College Boulevard Activity Center, in Olathe.