Hillcrest the champs of girls’ tennis for the first time in 17 years

AMMON — After more than a decade of coaching the Madison High School tennis team and “trying to build a program,” Lary Duque resigned three years ago. He believed he was done coaching team tennis, content with giving individual lessons.

But an offer too good to turn down arrived this year: the offer to coach a Hillcrest High School program packed with the things he believes make up a good tennis team. The Hillcrest girls team, in particular, was coming off a second-place finish at state last year and featured a few kids he’d already coached for several years.

Hillcrest had two of the three things he believes make a solid tennis program. The Knights had good kids and good families, and Duque thought that he might be able to bring the good luck.

Be it luck, talent of the fruits of hard work, Hillcrest finished last month’s state tennis tournament with the program’s first state championship since 2009.

“One year at Hillcrest and win a state championship, so you know it’s not coaching,” Duque said with a laugh.

But the fact of the matter is, the Hillcrest girls scored 28 points for a second-place finish at the state tournament last year, while the boys scored four to tie for eighth. This year, their first under Duque, the Hillcrest girls scored 34 points to top perennial powers Century and Bishop Kelly, while the boys scored 22 to finish third.

While expectations were high from the start of the season for the girls, the state tournament did not start the way the Knights would have hoped — when Brinley Miller was eliminated form state with a loss at the district tournament. Despite being without Miller, Hillcrest saw No. 2 singles player Kaia Kessler and the mixed doubles team of Avrie Johnson and Kyden Hanney pick up the slack, earning the banner, blue trophy and East Idaho Sports girls tennis Team of the Year.

Duque believed from the start of the season that his girls’ team had a legitimate shot at the title. He said that he would put his top three singles players — Miller, Kessler and Brinley Nelson — against any other trio in the state.

That belief only built momentum throughout the season, as all three girls remained successful.

Kessler came in second at the Capital Classic Invitational — a statement, playing against the best 4A, 5A and 6A players in the state and top talent from neighboring states.

Then, at the East Idaho High School Tennis Tournament, Hillcrest’s girls’ trio finished 1-2-3. That, Duque said, was when he really thought his team was the one to beat when it came to the 5A state tournament.

When Miller was knocked out at districts, though, Duque knew it was going to take some improvements from 2025. His coaching, he added, was focused on keeping things as simple as possible.

“Just think about the process of making a shot — three shots in a row,” Duque said of the advice he gave his team at state. “When you focus on the process, good things happen.”

Nelson made it to the singles championship, but fell to Sandpoint’s Pepper Rickert. Kessler lost in the semis, but rallied back to beat Middleton’s Brooklyn Hale and finish third. Meanwhile, Johnson-Hanney duo finished third in the mixed doubles, which was massive for the team.

“It was just a matter of a few more wins,” Duque said, addressing the difference between another second-place finish and a state championship.

Not only was Hillcrest without one of its top three girls’ singles players, but they also did not qualify a girls’ doubles team, meaning they had fewer opportunities to score than some of the teams at the tournament.

When the playing was done, Duque said his girls were confident they had done enough to claim the banner. He also began receiving congratulatory text messages from opposing coaches and ADs, but he was waiting to celebrate until after the official announcement.

There were nerves as the final scores were announced in order from lowest to highest. Duque called his team’s excited giddiness “really cute,” as they waited for “Hillcrest Knights” to be announced — which it was, outscoring second place Century 34 to 28.5.

Duque spent 15 years chasing that moment with Madison, and considers it an honor he was able to “step into a really good program of kids” and help those kids reach the mountain top.

With the championship being claimed so close to the end of the school year, the Hillcrest girls tennis team will not be honored until next fall, when there will be a banner and ring ceremony during Hillcrest’s first home volleyball game.