Game, Set, Gurnee

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

December 16, 2011

The highlight of Jonathan Gurnee's tennis season, without question, was helping Midland Dow to a third-straight MHSAA Division 2 championship.
       
But setting the state record for career singles wins was a close second.

Playing the No. 2 singles slot in Dow’s lineup, Gurnee tied another state record with 41 victories on the way to winning the Division 2 championship at his flight. He finished his final high school season with 141 wins, topping the previous leaders by 15.
       
Gurnee found out at the end of his junior season how many wins he needed to break the record. By midway through this fall, his teammates were asking regularly how many more it would take.
       
“It was nice because I could tell the team cared. But it’s just another record to go down for Dow High,” Gurnee said. “The whole thing was really the team, I think. I just enjoyed the team record. I did win individually. But really, over everything, (the team Finals win) was the greatest accomplishment.”

Gurnee played No. 4 singles his first two seasons of high school before moving to No. 3 as a junior and No. 2 this fall. He also won an MHSAA championship at No. 4 as a sophomore, while finishing runner-up in his flights the other two seasons. He was 32-6 as a freshman, followed by 36-2, 32-2 and then 41-1 this season for a career record of 141-11.
       
Gurnee credited Dow coach Terry Schwartzkopf for not only scheduling a full load over the last four years, but also a strong group of opponents. Dow regularly plays many of the state’s elite.
       
And Gurnee’s improvements on the court came parallel to steps he was taking within the structure of the team. He went from talking mostly to classmate Santi Guerra the first season to being named co-captain with Guerra this fall.
       
“I started as a freshman, and I was pretty quiet on the team. My brother (JP) was on the team as a junior, and he led the path for me,” Jonathan Gurnee said. “As the years progressed, I became more open to everybody, more into the positive camaraderie, and my junior and senior years I started leading the team in conditioning.
       
“It was an evolution, but probably a maturing thing too. I got some great leadership opportunities."
       
That showed through at the start of this season when Gurnee challenged for the No. 1 singles spot.
       
An elite and deep team like Dow generally has a few players who could occupy No. 1 singles for many teams. Gurnee challenged for Dow’s top position and lost a tight match to junior John Templeman. Because the score was so close, Gurnee could’ve asked for a rematch. He did not, feeling Templeman at No. 1 was the best situation for all involved.
       
And Gurnee still made the Michigan Interscholastic Tennis Coaches Association all-state team, one of three Dow singles players picked for the top 10 spots in Division 2.

"Jonathan is the All-American kid who fought for the success of his team. Along the way, he broke a few records," Dow coach Terry Schwartzkopf said. "Of course, we will miss his ability next year. But what I am going to miss most is his presence. He led by action and deed. He was the consummate captain. He epitomized Dow High tennis."

Gurnee also finished his career with 32 tournament championships, tops on that list, and 35 shutouts, second on the MHSAA list.
       
He is one of 11 Dow players whose accomplishments this season have been added to the MHSAA record book. Click to check out the full listings and directions for submitting others.

Bloomfield Hills Makes Top Rank Stand with Repeat LPD1 Championship

By Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com

October 21, 2023

MIDLAND – Predictability is consistent at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Boys Tennis Finals, and this weekend was no different.

Reigning champion Bloomfield Hills came in as the top-ranked team, followed by Troy and Northville. And heading into Saturday’s semifinal brackets, the Black Hawks were on top with 27 points followed by Troy with 24 and Northville with 22.

With Bloomfield Hills contenders in each flight, it would be difficult for Troy or Northville to unseat the 2022 title winner, and neither was able to as the Black Hawks reigned again.

Brothers Pierce and Connor Shaya captured the No. 2 and 3 singles titles, respectively, as the Black Hawks racked up 36 points. Troy and Northville tied for second with 27 points each after top seed Sachiv Kumar of Northville defeated Rochester’s Clayton Anderson 6-2, 6-4 in the No. 1 singles final to claim his third championship at that flight.

Last year the Black Hawks won three doubles and two singles titles on their way to the championship. They were better this weekend winning six of eight flights and sweeping doubles.

Pierce Shaya, who was part of the No. 1 doubles champion last year, moved to No. 2 singles and entered the championship undefeated, said the target of being a defending champion was evident from the start of the season.

Pierce won his third Finals title with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Chad Anderson of Rochester.

“There was a lot of pressure,’’ he said. “I knew were going into it solid, but it’s what we do on the court. We wanted to run it back again. Last year was a great year, but we wanted to make this year even better. It was more of not being cocky, but being confident. Coach makes that big message if we stay confident out there and we don’t get cocky, we can take on any team. I’ve been trying to keep my brother and the underclassmen, even the upperclassmen, staying focused and not get cocky.

“I had played (Anderson) before in Regionals and knew what to expect.’’

Brother Connor Shaya, a sophomore and last year’s champion at No. 4 singles, was the top seed at No. 3 and reached the final against Josh Kim of Northville and dominated 6-4, 6-0.

Brothers Connor and Pierce Shaya celebrate their singles championships. “We just try to stay humble,’’ said Connor. “I know we haven’t lost yet, but obviously Troy and Northville are very good teams. Novi, we have to look out for them. We just try to know (who) we’re dealing with and not get arrogant or cocky.’’

Northville sophomore Amogh Mavatoor won at No. 4 singles 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 over top seed Haresh Anand of Troy.

Seniors Aaron Rose and Merrick Chernett made their top seed stand at No. 1 doubles, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, in the final over Ann Arbor Huron senior Hassan Hejazi and junior Warren Gunnar.

Seniors Ryan Rose and Michael Dillon were seeded first at No. 2 doubles and won that flight last year. They faced Troy’s Josh Samuelson and Eric Kim in this season’s final and prevailed 6-0, 6-2.

“We lost one match all year to Novi, which we just played in the semifinals. Ryan and I have been together for three years,’’ said Dillion. “We know each other’s game. We’re confident in our abilities. We trust each other. I know my game; I know my partner’s game. That is what we can control.’’

Senior Kierth Lingam and Dominic Pascarella won No. 3 doubles with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Anthony Wu and Varun Shetty of Troy.

“This is great for the seniors,’’ said Lingam. “We have seven on the team, and six start.

“The COVID year was a loss and the next year we lost in the first round. We came back to beat the team the next year and win the title. We called ourselves the Fab Five. We root and cheer for each other. We went undefeated and everyone is rooting against you, but it’s all about staying with your team, trusting your strokes and believing in yourself.’’

The Black Hawks also claimed the No. 4 doubles title with Ethan Endelman and Asher Langwell besting Troy’s Jack Pawlowski and Jesse Hao, 7-6, 6-4.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Bloomfield HIlls' Jonah Chernett returns a volley during a No. 1 singles match Saturday at Midland Tennis Center. (Middle) Brothers Connor and Pierce Shaya celebrate their singles championships. (Top photo by High School Sports Scene.)