Cardinal boys tennis ends season at districts

BOONE — Thomas Hodnett finished third in singles and Blake Baumgartner and Trent Hamand won a match at doubles but Newton’s boys tennis team ended its season at a Class 1A district tournament on Wednesday.

The Cardinals were fourth as a team behind host Boone, Ballard and North Polk. The top three teams advanced to Saturday’s substate round.

The top two finishers in singles and doubles moved on to state.

Hodnett had the best finish among Newton players. He was 3-1 on the day with all four matches ending in straight sets.

Hodnett was seeded fourth and finished third. He eliminated a pair of seniors from North Polk and Iowa Falls-Alden before losing in the semifinals to top-seeded Ben Craven of Boone.

John Valtman also competed in singles but lost in the opening round in straight sets.

Baumgartner and Hamand opened their day with a 6-0, 6-0 win but were eliminated in the quarterfinals in straight sets.

William Muckler and Landon Heisdorffer were the Cardinals’ other doubles team and they lost in the opening round in straight sets.