"It’s something that was always in the back of our minds but nothing we really discussed," Whitefish coach Patrick Dryden said. "I think we were flying under the radar and kind of snuck up on the entire field this week."

An all-Whitefish girls' doubles final contributed plenty of points to the Bulldogs' dominating win. Katie Fyall and Anna Peterson teamed up to down teammates Heather Luedke and Hannah Madsen, 6-2, 6-3, in the finals, giving Whitefish 30 points to second-place Billings Central's 19.

"The kids really battled against each other every day in practice and just got better and better," Dryden said.

Their semifinal matches ended within minutes of each other. Fyall and Peterson took a 6-2, 7-5 win over Marenah Crockett and Ceeara Staiger of Glendive, while Luedke and Madsen defeated Jennifer Womack and Nicole Thompson of Dillon, 6-4, 6-4.

"We really didn't show the nerves that some of the other teams had," Dryden said. "We were very comfortable. I think once you get the ball rolling it gets contagious. (Fyall) and (Peterson) won their semifinal and then (Luedke) and (Madsen) won the other semifinal 10 minutes later. Katie and Anna pulled out a huge win when they took down the Glendive team (Marenah Crockett and Ceeara Staiger). They were undefeated and runner-up last year. We jumped on top of them 3-0 and never let up.

"I think we kind of caught them by surprise. We used the Aussie (I) formation and I think it caused them some difficulties. In the second set we were behind 4-1 and battled back. We just swatted a lot of balls out of the air and next thing you knew we had the pressure on them."

Dryden just stood back and watched as the two teams battled in the final.

"You don’t really coach, you just kind of savor the moment," he said. "There were a lot of smiles all the way around."

***

Harrison and Barclay Fagg of Billings Central knew if their paths crossed at any point before the final tennis matches of their high school careers the fusion would result in two emotional puddles.

“We literally have not been able to speak to each other today because we’d cry if we do,” Barclay said moments after her methodical 6-0, 6-0 dispatching of Hardin’s Madisan Chavez at the Bobcat Tennis Center gave her a second consecutive Class A girls' singles title. “It’ll be interesting to see how it goes afterward.”

The Fagg family contingent of more than 20 found out less than an hour later, after Harrison fended off former state champion Jeff Miller of Havre 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) for his first singles title and third overall.

As Harrison hugged his rival and coaches on one side, Barclay wiped her eyes as she crossed the court and met her brother for a poignant final embrace. Nearby, their mom, Karen, dabbed tears and their father, Russell, watched with a lump in his throat as their children hugged and posed for photos.

Harrison’s victory carried added significance by seeming to lock up Billings Central’s fourth consecutive boys' state title. As it turned out, a rousing three-set doubles victory by Simon Marshall and Joey Nichols over Glendive’s Josh Hoffer and Jory Opp a short time earlier proved pivotal to the Rams’ four-point edge over the Red Devils.

Alex Raymond of Hamilton fell in the semifinals and wound up fourth.

Results

State A Tennis Tournament

Bozeman/Livingston

Friday

BOYS

Team Scores: Billings Central 32, Glendive 26, Havre 18, Corvallis 11, Dillon 9, Hardin 8, Hamilton 8, Stevensville 5, Polson 4, Livingston 3, Whitefish 3, Lewistown 2, Belgrade 2, Butte Central 1.

Singles

Championship - Harrison Fagg, Billings Central, def. Jeff Miller, Havre, 6-1, 7-6 (5).

3rd Place - Caleb Powell, Corvallis, def. Alex Raymond, Hamilton, 6-2, 6-1.

5th Place - Colton Belcourt, Stevensville, def. Bradley Rakich, Dillon, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Semifinals - Harrison Fagg, Billings Central, def. Alex Raymond 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; Caleb Powell, Corvallis, def. Jeff Miller 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles

Championship - Simon Marshall/Joey Nichols, Billings Central, def. Josh Hoffer/Jory Opp, Glendive, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3.

Third Place - Jarod Asche/Bret Vester, Glendive, def. Darnell Left Hand/Michael Neeser 6-4, 6-4.

Fifth Place - Jerod Boles/Jake Sedahl, Havre, def. Quaid Harlan/Jaron Morgan 6-4, 6-3.

Semifinals - Simon Marshall/Joey Nichols, Billings Centrall, def. Darnell Left Hand/Michael Neeser 6-2, 6-2; Josh Hoffer/Jory Opp, Glendive, def. Jarod Asche/Bret Vester 7-6 (2), 5-7, 7-5.

GIRLS

Team Scores: Whitefish 30, Billings Central 19, Dillon 16, Hardin 15, Glendive 14, Polson 14, Livingston 13, Columbia Falls 8, Belgrade 2, Corvallis 1.

Singles

Championship - Barclay Fagg, Billings Central def. Madison Chavez, Hardin, 6-0, 6-0.

Third Place - Emilee Coleman, Livingston def. Emily Getts 6-3, 6-4.

Fifth Place - Marlee Congdon, Polson def. Alyssa Kessel 6-4, 6-1.

Semifinals - Barclay Fagg, Billings Central def. Emilee Coleman 7-5, 6-1; Madison Chavez, Hardin def. Marlee Congdon 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles

Championship - Kaite Fyall/Anna Peterson, Whitefish def. Hannah Madsen/Heather Luedke 6-3, 6-3.

Third Place - Marenah Crockett/Ceeara Staiger, Glendive def. Adrianna Southam/Tessa Sawyer 6-2, 7-5.

Fifth Place - Cassie Carlyle/Shawna Lenz, Polson def. Jennifer Womack/Nicole Thompson 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

Semifinals - Kaite Fyall/Anna Peterson, Whitefish def. Marenah Crockett/Ceeara Staiger 6-2, 7-5; Hannah Madsen/Heather Luedke, Whitefish def. Jennifer Womack/Nicole Thompson 6-4, 6-4.