Repeat Champs Cranbrook, Greenhills' Oral Reign in Division 3
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
October 16, 2021
MIDLAND – Since 2011, Ann Arbor Greenhills, Detroit Country Day and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood have dominated the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Boys Tennis Finals.
Saturday was no exception at the Midland Tennis Center.
Heading into the semifinal and final rounds, Cranbrook had a one-point lead over DCD with Greenhills four points behind but with a contender in each of the four singles flights.
But strong in singles and doubles, Cranbrook repeated its 2020 championship, edging both Greenhills and Country Day. Cranbrook won with 32 points, while DCD had 27. Greenhills was third with 25.
The No. 1 singles showdown was a repeat of last year’s with senior Mert Oral of Greenhills facing Cranbrook junior Owen DeMuth. Last year Oral won 6-0, 6-1 as No. 1 singles was the only individual championship contested due to COVID-driven Finals format changes.
On Saturday, Oral was gunning for his third straight title.
“We’ve played a couple of times this year, and things didn’t go my way,’’ said DeMuth heading into the match. “I’m looking to change things.’’
“I’ve played him three times this year and won all three,’’ said Oral. “I don’t know if there’s an advantage there. We know each other, and we’re going out there to do our best.’’
Up 2-1 in the second set, DeMuth started cramping in his left leg – limiting his mobility and evaporating his chance at the upset. He ended up retiring trailing 5-3.
“It’s kind of surreal right now,’’ said Oral. “Heading into this year, I definitely felt the pressure after winning the last two state titles. I couldn’t take a match or a practice off because I knew I was a target. I tried to stay focused and not think about the undefeated season and defending what I had done the last two years. I had seen everyone so many times, and I knew everyone was gunning for me.
“I’ll always remember my teammates. I can’t believe it’s over. More than success on the court, (I’ll cherish) the relationships and memories with my teammates and coaches.’’
Cranbrook’s No. 2 doubles team of Jacob Coburn and Sebs Taubman defeated Country Day’s Aiden Khagany and Clay Hartje, 6-4, 6-7 (4-6), 6-3 in a matchup between past Finals flight champions.
“My partner and I have played these guys before; they’re a really good team,’’ said Coburn. “They’ve won a state championship; we’ve won a state championship. We lost to them this year.
“We won the first set. They came back on us and won the second. We got it together in the third. It was 2-2 and we have a chance to break and (Tabuman) hit one down the line for the break.’’
Coburn credited the championship to great leadership.
“We have four great captains, and this is just a solid group,’’ said Coburn. “We have some young kids coming up who are going to be good. I didn’t join the team until my junior year. It’s a great overall program.’’
In No. 4 singles, sophomore Caden Che of Cranbrook beat top seed Kabir Rajendra of Ann Arbor Greenhills 6-4, 6-5 before Rajendra retired due to injury.
“I’m in awe,’’ said Che. “This was a great tournament. I’m happy to be here, and it’s great to win.’’
At No. 3 singles, Kabir’s brother, Chakor, won 6-3, 6-0 against Patrick Tiwari of Cranbrook.
At No. 1 doubles, Country Day’s Alex Pollak and Petros Kalabat upset top-seeded Tanner Warners and Dream Kwon of Grand Rapids Christian, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2.
At No. 2 singles, Rishi Verma of Greenhills held off Ian Pinnoo of St. Clair 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (6-4).
Country Day’s No. 4 doubles team of Razi Nassif and Aayush Dagar beat Aryan Tiwari and Praneel Pillarisetty of Kingswood, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.
Cranbrook’s Ryan Michaels and Andrew Fink bettered Sam Van Schepen and Ethan DeBlecourt of Grand Rapids Christian, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, at No. 3 doubles.
PHOTOS (Top) Cranbrook Kingswood’s Owen DeMuth returns a volley during Friday’s opening rounds at Midland Tennis Center. (Middle) Detroit Country Day finished runner-up in Division 3. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Shaya Brothers Run Individual Title Count to 7 in Pacing Bloomfield Hills 3-Peat
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
October 19, 2024
BYRON CENTER – There may not be a sibling rivalry, but there's plenty of talent.
Bloomfield Hills senior Pierce Shaya can definitively say there is no goal of one-upping his younger brother, Connor, when it comes to their impressive tennis careers. In fact, Pierce said having his brother on the team only makes him better.
"Motivation," he said. "There's definitely not a rivalry."
The two closed out stellar seasons in helping the Blackhawks win Saturday's MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals championship in Byron Center. Pierce won his fourth individual flight title, while Connor added his third as Bloomfield Hills finished with 35 points to 27 for runner-up Troy. Northville was third with 20 points, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice next with 13, and Ann Arbor Skyline and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek had 12 points each.
Pierce, headed to Michigan next season, defeated Chad Anderson of Rochester 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Connor upped his career record to 81-0 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Quentin Rangi of Rochester Hills Stoney Creek at No. 2 singles.
Pierce had previously won No. 3 singles as a freshman, No. 1 doubles as a sophomore and No. 2 singles as a junior. Connor won No. 4 and No. 3 singles the last two years, respectively. The two represent arguably the best one-two punch in the state, Bloomfield Hills coach Greg Burks said.
"As a coach, you're looking to have that type of talent at the top," said Burks, whose team title was its third straight. "Not every coach has that, and we're lucky as a team to have it."
The Shaya brothers took different paths this season. Pierce said he didn't play his best tennis until the last couple weeks, while Connor said Saturday’s was the toughest of his three titles. Pierce said he couldn't find any rhythm until playing in a recent USTA event in Midland.
"It's been my worst year," he said. "I wasn't able to find any rhythm, but a lot of it turned in that tournament. I came back from there, it was a changeup for me, and I kind of had to find my way. I won a couple matches, and I think it helped me get in the mood for this weekend."
Connor, who was seeded No. 2 despite his previous postseason success, said increased pressure after winning two previous titles was something he knew he had to overcome.
"Every year is different, and this is a lot off my shoulders," he said. "There was a lot of competition here. A lot of older players who hit the ball hard. The odds were against me; people thought I would lose."
Bloomfield Hills also earned titles in three other flights. Zev Spiegel defeated Ann Arbor Huron's Aarav Dalal 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 singles, while two Black Hawks doubles teams won. The No. 1 pair of Asher Langwell and Dominic Pascarella defeated Nick Song and Josh Kim of Northville 6-4, 7-6 (2), and Meyer Saperstein and Sajan Doshi downed Northville's Nathan Shields and Anderson Herdoiza 6-5, 6-2 at No. 3 doubles.
Bloomfield Hills' Brady Winston also made a final before losing to Troy's Dheera Yelleti 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.
Troy's Jackson Kraus and Raghav Karur defeated Suraj Makunar and Shreyan Muddappa of Troy Athens at No. 4 doubles 6-0, 6-3. Northville's No. 2 doubles team of Nikhil Karmani and Brian Zang defeated Troy's Varun Shetty and Anthony Wu 7-6 (8), 2-6, 7-5..
Burks, finishing up his 20th year as coach, said another team title was anything but a certainly three months ago when the season opened. Bloomfield Hills had to plug numerous holes from last year's championship lineup.
"I told the kids what they did was nothing short of spectacular," he said. "I don't if they realize how hard this was and what we did. Every match we grew as a team. It was a learning process, and we weathered the storm.
"We have depth, a lot of depth. We have a lot of neighboring clubs who've done a great job. We wouldn't have done this without their amazing jobs."
Spiegel, a sophomore, said the coaches did an outstanding job nurturing a young team.
"It was a great season," he said. "The coaches told us we weren't always going to win, but that we were here for a reason. Coach said we could win it all if we didn't do silly things."
PHOTOS (Top) Bloomfield Hills poses with its latest team championship trophy, won this weekend at Byron Center West Sports Complex. (Middle) Rochester Hills Stoney Creek’s Quentin Rangi volleys during a Friday match at No. 2 singles. (Below) Northville’s Alex Boules gets into a ground stroke at No. 4 singles Friday. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)