Final Match Decides UP D2 Champions
May 28, 2015
By Craig Remsburg
Special for Second Half
NEGAUNEE — It came down to the last match of the day.
Iron Mountain needed a win at No. 1 doubles to forge a tie with Westwood for the Upper Peninsula Division 2 boys tennis title.
Coach Greg Stegall’s Mountaineers got what they wanted.
Iron Mountain’s Danny Willman and Jordan Wadge outlasted Munising’s Joel Werner and Nick Cercone in a grueling match, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, to compile 13 team points for a share of the division crown with defending champion Westwood.
“I’m really happy,” Stegall said. “We didn’t come in here as the favorite to win, but everything went well for us and other teams had some upsets.
“My No. 1 doubles had to win that match, my No. 4 doubles (Mark Koeschner and Jake LeFebre) winning was the biggest surprise and my No. 3 singles (Tyson Wadge) winning was huge for him. He had lost to his opponent (Brett Fredrickson of Westwood) twice this season and wasn’t looking forward to meeting him.”
The Mountaineers’ Willman said he and Wadge were “very consistent” in their match, save for the first set.
“(Munising) was returning everything and we knew we had to work harder,” Willman said.
Added Wadge: “Coach (Stegall) told us to take it slower, keep the ball in play and let them make mistakes.”
Like Iron Mountain, Westwood placed four flights in the finals. The Patriots won two of them.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” said Westwood coach Chris Jackson. “I didn’t know how things would pan out going in, but overall, the team did well.
“This was the most balanced division since I’ve been here (six years). Every flight had a definite favorite with no trend(s).
“Depth led us,” he added. “There was only one flight where we took a zero.”
Westwood has now won three of the last four division titles, two outright.
Jake Kerkela of Westwood captured the No. 4 singles crown, 6-1, 6-1, over Munising’s Jared Immel. It was the sophomore Kerkela’s first title in this, his first season, on the varsity.
“My serve was good today,” he said. “I tried to keep the ball alive and not get too crazy.”
Brandon Benda and Hunter Roose — who won last year’s No. 4 doubles championship — gave the Patriots their other triumph, at No. 3 doubles over West Iron County’s Kevin Ballinger and Tyler McCarthy, 6-3, 6-0.
“(West Iron) played the alleys well,” Roose said, “so we adjusted by moving toward the alleys more.”
Added Benda: “We took control in the second set. We placed our shots well, got to the net and spiked the ball.”
Claiming the No. 1 singles championship was Micah Heath of Gwinn. He beat Munising’s Joel Schramm, 6-3, 6-3; Schramm was trying to become the Mustangs’ third straight winner in the flight. Noah Ackerman had won two straight.
“From Day 1 (this season), my goal was to win the U.P.’s” Heath said Thursday. “I’ve been trying since my freshman year and now, I’ve reached my goal. This is icing on the cake.”
Heath said his strategy was to “be consistent and keep my head in the zone.”
“I get frustrated when things don’t go my way,” he said.
That wasn’t the case Thursday, as Heath overcame an early bout of nerves to largely control his match.
“I was a little nervous early, but then I hit a couple of points and some confidence set in,” he said.
“At the beginning of the second set, I won two straight games to go up 2-1, and the momentum started going my way.”
Gwinn coach Dan Turecky said Heath’s “control of the play” was the difference in the match.
“Micah was mentally tough and confident,” the coach said. “That was the difference in the match. I’m so proud of him.”
Said Munising coach Rod Gendron: “Micah’s the best player in the U.P. He played great today.”
Munising’s lone win came at No. 2 doubles, where Mikey Graves and Ian McInnis knocked off Jake Kierzek and Nathen Nelson of Westwood, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
“We were down many times, but we stayed together,” Graves said. “We started playing with each other and not as individuals.
Added McInnis: “We weren’t really focused in the first set, but the last two sets, we were ready."
Munising placed four flights in the finals, but won just the one.
“I’m extremely happy with four flights in the finals,” Gendron commented. “My guys left it all on the court.”
Ishpeming picked up a win at No. 2 singles, where Cody Johnson beat Iron Mountain’s Luke Truscott, 6-2, 6-1.
“I was really nervous coming in,” Johnson said. “I started off slow, but took control the beginning of the second set. My serve has always been good.
“It’s crazy. (Winning a U.P. individual title) is not done very often at Ishpeming. It has been an exciting year.”
Said Ishpeming coach Erl Langness: “Cody has been consistent all year. Whether he wins or loses, he puts forth the same effort.”
Johnson has the distinction of participating in MHSAA Finals play in football, wrestling and tennis this school year.
"I couldn’t ask for anything more,” he said.
PHOTOS: (Top) Iron Mountain's Tyson Wadge returns the ball to Westwood's Brett Fredrickson during the championship match at No. 3 singles at the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 2 Final held at Negaunee High School on Thursday. Wadge prevailed, 6-0, 6-0. (Middle) Gwinn's Micah Heath earned the No. 1 singles flight championship at the U.P. Division 2 Final. (Photos by Elizabeth Bailey.)
Cranes' Team Effort Pays Off in Title Tie-Breaker
October 16, 2020
By Jarred Chrapek
Special for Second Half
HOLLAND – To regain the Lower Peninsula Division 3 boys tennis title, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood knew every point would matter.
That laser-focused approach proved to be spot on as the Cranes outlasted reigning champion Ann Arbor Greenhills to capture this season’s championship at Holland Christian.
The two teams split the eight matches in the final 4-4, with the tie-breaker total sets won. Cranbrook Kingswood had one more set to its advantage.
And not just every set, but every game could've carried additional significance. Had the teams tied for number of sets won, the Cranes also would've won the next tie-breaker – most games won within those sets.
“We knew it was going to be close,” said Cranbrook Kingswood coach Steve Herdoiza. “We knew that every point mattered, especially with this format.”
Unlike previous years, where the team champion was determined by how many matches individual players won during bracketed flight play, this year’s format was a pure team, head-to-head dual as the COVID-19 virus changed the way not only the tennis season was run but the way the MHSAA Tournament was set up.
This year’s title came down to a rematch between the two powers in Division 3 the past several years. Cranbrook Kingswood had won four straight Finals titles before Ann Arbor Greenhills snapped the streak last year. The two teams met three times this fall, tying 4-4 each time with Cranbrook winning twice on tie-breakers and Greenhills winning by tie-breaker the other time.
“Both teams knew it was likely to come down to total games won, or maybe sets. Cranbrook was deeper and won the lower flights by decisive margins, while Greenhills was stronger at the top, winning those matches,” Greenhills coach Eric Gajar said. “In the new format, it still came down to a total team effort, and Cranbrook was better (Friday) – they deserved to win. We will learn from it, and be stronger for having come through it. I know it will motivate the players to work hard this offseason, and they will come back ready for another shot."
This time, Cranbrook Kingswood junior Patrick Tiwari helped provide the tie-breaking set as he pushed his No. 2 singles match to three despite falling 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
Tiwari, however, did his part for the team as he won the middle set in what was the final match of the day that ended just as darkness was falling on the courts.
“(The same opponent) defeated me pretty good in two sets earlier this season,” Tiwari said. “It felt good to win that second set and help to clinch the title. Winning that set to clinch the title for us was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. The whole season was definitely weird, and to regain the state title was a great feeling.”
Just minutes before Tiwari’s match concluded, Cranbrook Kingswood senior Geoffrey Qin won his at No. 4 singles to give the Cranes their fourth victory of the dual. For the undefeated Qin, the victory was part of a total-team effort that started even before the season began.
“Winning this state title required so much effort by everyone,” Qin said. “It started back in August when we had COVID cases at our school. Not only did we have to work hard on our tennis and our conditioning, but we had to be diligent with the virus and practice good social distancing.”
The team also had to remain focused on preparing for every match, as lessons learned while coming up short at last year’s Final proved valuable this time around.
“We had some guys cramp up at last year’s state finals including myself,” Qin said. “We had to make sure that we kept hydrated and did proper stretching before matches this year to prevent cramping up. You learn lessons from defeat that you don’t learn by winning. That was an important lesson we learned last year, and I don’t think we would’ve won this year’s state title without learning those lessons.”
Qin and fellow team captains Dhilan Nagaraju and Enzo Martella provided Cranbrook Kingswood with strong leadership the entire season.
“We had four seniors this year and some very good leadership from our captains,” Herdoiza said. “We also had some freshmen step up along with some sophomores and juniors.
“We knew it was going to be a battle with Greenhills. We are two evenly-matched teams, and it came down to one set. Today we just took advantage of the opportunities given to us.”
Cranbrook Kingswood received some strong efforts from its doubles teams. The Cranes won three of the four doubles matches, led by the No. 2 pair Martella and Theo Taubman, who claimed a 7-5, 6-1 win.
“Our team goal was to peak for states,” Martella said. “This was a really difficult season with the COVID and everything, but we just kept getting better every week.”
The total team effort proved to be the key for Cranbrook Kingswood in the end.
“Everyone on the team played very well the entire tournament, especially at the end,” Nagaraju said. “Patrick at two singles exceeded expectations. We just kept on battling this year and overcoming numerous setbacks. We developed into a real team, and that was the difference. We just trusted the process.”
Cranbrook Kingswood claimed wins at No. 3 and No. 4 doubles. Sebs Taubman and Jacob Coburn picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 3 doubles, while Caden Che and Andrew Fink won at No. 4 by a score of 6-0, 6-0.
Greenhills claimed the No. 1 doubles match with Joey Formicola and Thomas Zeng winning 6-1, 6-3.
Greenhills also won three singles matches. Mert Oral claimed a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles. Sophomore Rishi Verma won at No. 3 by a score of 7-6(6), 6-1.
“I was particularly pleased with my top three singles players – all of whom won their matches in the final. Between them, they had only one loss all season long despite a brutal schedule against top competition,” Gajar said. “My one doubles team had a great tournament, including avenging a regular-season loss in the semifinal round, then played lights out in the finals, defeating a solid team.
“There are lots of teams that would have loved to be in our position and playing for a title in their last match. We did well to get there and came up just short. I am proud of how my guys competed and handled themselves. Of course, we were thrilled to have had a season at all; that wasn't always a sure thing. Hard to believe it's over.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Patrick Tiwari of Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood returns a shot during his No. 2 singles match against Ann Arbor Greenhills. (Middle) Greenhills’ Mert Oral returns a volley at No. 1 singles. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)