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.)
Senior-Led Hackett Loaded for 2020 Run
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
September 9, 2020
KALAMAZOO — Game days, Nicholas DeForest can be found sitting alone on the bleachers, autographed cast on his wrist, while his teammates compete on the tennis courts.
Slated for the No. 1 singles spot, the senior from Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep still has a couple weeks until he will join the lineup.
“It’s really frustrating, but it’s still awesome to watch the team perform and excel,” said DeForest, whose dad Marc DeForest is the team’s assistant coach.
Rather than plopping someone else in the top spot, Hackett head coach Aaron Conroy defaults the point.
So far, that has not hurt the reigning Lower Peninsula Division 4 co-champ.
After defeating Kalamazoo Christian, 7-1, last Wednesday, the Irish are 3-0-1.
The tie came against perennial power Traverse City St. Francis.
In this season’s first Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association rankings, two weeks ago, Hackett was the top-ranked team in Division 4. Hackett remains No. 1 this week, with St. Francis No. 2.
That bodes well for the senior-laden Irish, who lost just three players from last year’s team that shared the title with Allegan.
Eight of this fall’s 12 starters are seniors.
“The unique thing about this is that for most of the guys, their primary sport is not tennis,” Conroy said.
“It’s really just 10 or 12 guys who decided to come play high school tennis a few years ago. They stuck at it and worked hard.”
One of the seniors, Sam Magnell, is back after opting to play football with his brother Gus, then a senior, last year.
Sam’s biggest regret: Missing out on last year’s Finals championship.
Doubles specialists
Magnell, playing No. 2 doubles with senior Anthony Toweson, said communication is a huge part of a good doubles team.
“If you can execute well at the net and communicate well with your partner, you will do really well on a doubles court,” added Magnell, who also played lacrosse and basketball.
Two seniors who do that well are Ben Bridenstine and Rhodes Conroy at No. 1 doubles.
Bridenstine lost in the LPD4 semifinals at No. 3 singles last year.
Aaron Conroy explained the move to doubles: “We lost two quality seniors last year in Blake DeForest, half of our 1 doubles team, and Connor Cavanaugh, half of our No. 2 doubles team.
“We had to shift somebody. Ben and Rhodes played doubles two years ago and had some success at 3 doubles early on.”
Both standing 6-foot-2, the lanky seniors take a strong net game into each match.
“We love coming to the net,” said Rhodes Conroy, who also plays lacrosse and basketball. “It’s tough to hit the ball over us, and it’s tough to hit the ball through us.
“Tennis is much more quick feet and a lot more working your legs out (than the other two sports). Tennis really helps me with quick hands for lacrosse and for basketball.”
Bridenstine would love nothing more than to get back to the state tournament. He already has two championship medals; he also was part of Hackett’s 2019 LPD4 championship golf team.
The senior said it is nice to have a partner on the court this year and the pair are having fun, especially with a 4-0 record so far.
“Singles is more running around, more groundstrokes, and switching to doubles is more action-packed at the net, which I like: volleying the ball, hitting overheads,” Bridenstine said.
As defending LPD4 champs, “We know everybody will be out gunning for us, trying to beat us,” Bridenstine added. “But I don’t think we feel a lot of pressure because we’re returning nine of the same guys, so we know what to do.”
Ford a ‘fireball’
Although the Irish had no individual champions at last year’s Finals, they made championship matches in three flights, including at No. 2 singles with current senior Jack Ford.
“Jack Ford’s a fireball,” the coach said. “That’s the best word I can use. He’s a fiery guy who plays with a lot of energy, and he’s very athletic on the court
“He’s actually a better athlete than he is a tennis player. He outworks guys.”
Ford said he was surprised the team did so well last season, and he learned from the experience.
“It taught me that anything is possible because we had no idea we were going to even make it to the (state) tournament last year,” he said. “We weren’t in the top 10 discussion, but come the state tournament our team just switched gears and all of us played some of our best tennis.”
Although he played USTA tournaments when he was younger, Ford opted for football his freshman year at Otsego High School before transferring to Hackett.
“Tennis is my favorite, hands down,” he said. “After the break playing football and coming back to tennis, I started enjoying it a lot more.”
Rounding out the singles flights this season are a pair of sophomores, Tommy Kling at No. 3 and Niklas Johansson at No. 4.
“Tommy is our one guy that tennis is his primary sport,” Conroy said. “He works hard at it.
“He made it to the state semi last year as a freshman, which is a very nice result. He moved up to 3 this year and will see some stiff competition.”
Johansson jumped from No. 4 doubles to singles this year.
“The way he plays the game, he’s more conducive to be a singles player,” Conroy said of the move.
“He’s a solid guy. Another sophomore who has a lot of tennis left in him.”
Junior Jack Gordon and sophomore Marcus Alcaraz play at No. 3 doubles.
“Marcus is one of our newcomers,” Conroy said. “Jack was at No. 4 doubles for us both years and has a lot of doubles experience under his belt.”
Seniors Toby Alcaraz and David Chafty are slotted at No. 4 doubles.
“It’s Toby’s first year full-time in varsity lineup,” Conroy said. “He’s a talented 4 doubles player. David was half of 3 doubles last year with his brother Matthew, who is not playing this year.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep’s Rhodes Conroy (left) returns a shot as partner Ben Bridenstine backs him up. (Middle) From left: Jack Ford, Sam Magnell and coach Aaron Conroy. (Below) Hackett No. 1 singles player Nicholas DeForest, his injured wrist in a cast, watches his teammate defeat Kalamazoo Christian on Sept. 2. (Photos by Pam Shebest.)