Top tennis players from eastern Idaho head west for Capital Classic

EASTERN IDAHO — Local high school tennis players have just two more big meets before the start of the playoffs leading to the state tournament, which begins on May 15.

Late-season preparations continue this weekend with the Capital Classic, played in the Treasure Valley. Among the 33-team field at the tournament will be seven squads from eastern Idaho — Bonneville, Century, Hillcrest, Idaho Falls, Madison, Skyline and Thunder Ridge. They will be competing against perennial powerhouse programs like Boise, Rocky Mountain, Timberline and Bishop Kelly.

The Capital Classic, according to Century coach Sean Kane, is the biggest meet in Idaho, among the biggest in the Pacific Northwest, and hardest to win.

Play begins 9 a.m. Friday morning at 12 venues across the Boise area.

Players to watch, according to Kane, include a handful of Diamondback standouts: boys Tiden Lynn and Liam McGee, both juniors, and girls Kate Spicer, a junior, and Bel Miller, a senior.

Other boys set up for solid performances, Kane says, include Idaho Falls senior Max Traynor, Madison junior Dallin Andreasen, Thunder Ridge senior Caleb Warner and Hillcrest freshman Tayson Nelson. Among the girls players to watch are Idaho Falls’ reigning girls’ doubles state champion duo of seniors Katie Woodhouse and Addi Westwood, along with Hillcrest junior Brinley Nelson.

“With state-level talent spread across multiple events, the Capital Classic promises high-level matchups throughout the weekend,” Kane says. “Expect these players to make deep runs — and potentially define how the tournament unfolds.”