PRAIRIE VILLAGE -- Senior Stephen Buntain went 1-3 at the Class 4A State Tennis Tournament here over the weekend but that shouldn't take away from a 27-13 season and a four-year varsity career in which he won 94 matches.

"Stephen has had a remarkable high-school tennis career," Fort Scott's head coach, Lynn Barr, said. "He has been an important factor on our varsity team since his freshman year and has represented Fort Scott High School extremely well throughout his career through his competitiveness and outstanding sportsmanship."

Barr pointed out that Buntain never finished lower than third in any of the four Southeast Kansas League Tournaments he competed in. He also was a two-time State qualifier, finishing second last year with partner Bryce Hart.

"He is a class act and the kind of player that is a pleasure to work with and build a team with," Barr said.

Buntain played three matches Friday. He lost in the first round to Santiago Padilla of Kansas City-Piper, an exchange student from Ecuador, 6-1, 6-2. Padilla, who had only played eight singles matches this season, managed to advance to the championship match.

In the first consolation match, Buntain defeated Josh Sapp of Wellington, 6-0, 6-1. Then Andrew Konetzni of DeSoto took a 9-0 win.

But because the State Tournament plays down to nine places, Buntain wasn't out of the running for a medal. He returned Saturday but lost to Hesston's Taylor Nebel, 9-6.

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NOTES -- Independence won its third consecutive State championship even though it didn't have individual winners. As a team, the Bulldogs won easily, scoring 36 points. Hesston and Topeka-Hayden each scored 22 points with Hesston winning second place on a tie-breaker. Chanute was the only other SEK team to score points, finishing 10th with five points.

Dan Porter of Independence finished in third place in singles after beating Matt Edwards of DeSoto, 6-3, 6-2.

Chase Dippel of Lindsborg-Smoky Valley (24-3) won the individual crown with a 6-2, 6-1 sweep of Padilla in the finals.

San Schroeder and Adam Greenhaw of Independence took third in doubles with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Cody Martinek and Taylor Back of Topeka Hayden.

Brett Liechty and Alex Roth of Hesston (33-5) defeated Tucker Notes and Neal Rasmussen of Andover Central, 6-4, 6-2, for the doubles championship.