Boys tennis state tournament recap: Collegiate wins its 25th Kansas high school title
On a day where many of the Kansas high school state championship matches were decided in convincing fashion, both finals at the Class 3-1A boys tennis state tournament hosted at Riverside Tennis Complex in Wichita stood out.
Not only did both championship matches go to a third and decisive set, but they both required a third-set tiebreaker to determine the champion.
The doubles final produced the first thrilling result, as Collegiate senior Luke Swan and junior Charlie Dunn outlasted the brothers from Kansas City Christian, Owen and James VanderArk, winning an epic, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4).
Not to be outdone, the singles final also produced magic when Rossville senior Alex Sherer fought off cramps to prevail 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) over Collegiate junior Nick Grabon.
“People were watching who have been around our program for a long time and I would agree with them that this was as high of quality tennis in the finals that we’ve had in... I don’t even know how long,” Collegiate coach Dave Hawley said. “Both matches were just such strong tennis. Just incredible.”
The top dynasty in Kansas high school boys tennis registered another team championship into the books, as Collegiate won its 25th title in program history and the fourth in the last five state tournaments. The Spartans scored 46 points, also boosted by a ninth-place finish by senior Grant Ramsey in singles and a fifth-place finish by their No. 2 doubles team of juniors Charlie Nolan and Mark Feng.
But all Hawley — or anyone — wanted to talk about when it was over was the level of play in the championship matches.
Grabon showed particular determination, winning the first set in the finals in a tiebreaker, 10-8. He then fell behind 5-0 in the second set, but broke Sherer’s serve twice and was on serve to tie it up only for Sherer to break him to win the second set, 6-4. Grabon also rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the third set to win four straight games to eventually force another tiebreaker, this one won by Sherer in 7-4 fashion.
“Nick played so, so well and it was a winning performance, just without the win in the end,” Hawley said. “I was so proud of him. He was fantastic, just phenomenal.”
Similar perseverance was shown by Collegiate’s duo of Swan and Dunne in the doubles final. After Collegiate won the first set, 6-4, KC Christian rallied for the second set, 7-5, and Swan and Dunne fell in a 5-3 hole in the third set.
That’s when Hawley saw the senior leadership of Swan emerge. In a must-win game with Swan serving, the senior delivered in the clutch and sparked the team. The Spartans’ duo rallied to force a tiebreaker, which they won 7-4.
“It was just incredible tennis from both sides,” Hawley said. “Luke is just an incredible leader. I seriously could have taken the year off and let him pretty much coach the team. He just knows how to lead and the others follow him. He’s so team-oriented and a mentor to other kids. You could see the other kids come along and grow and that’s because of Luke’s influence.”
Hesston finish third in the team race, thanks to both of its high-scoring doubles teams that both reached the semifinals and ultimately played each other in the third-place match. The duo of senior Cole Deutschendorf and sophomore Micah Dahlsten finished in third, while the senior duo of Ben Bollinger and Andrew Schmidt finished in fourth.
Trinity Academy was just behind in fourth place, also due to the strength of its doubles play. The combination of senior Dillon Bryant and sophomore Drew Bryan earned a sixth-place medal, while Trinity sophomores Sam Ralston and Matt Draper notched an 11th-place finish and junior Cole Matthews finished 11th in singles.
Other area medalists in singles included Smoky Valley senior Jake Lucas (fourth), Hutchinson Trinity sophomore Anthony Clennan (sixth), Sterling senior Rhain Isaac (seventh), Conway Springs senior Colby Osner (eighth) and Classical junior Max Kice (10th). The Classical duo of senior Ethan Choinard and junior Isaac Branam, which finish seventh, were the only other area medalists in doubles.
Maize South’s rally ends with 5A second-place team trophy
Maize South knew it was chasing Salina Central all season long and as expected, the Class 5A team championship race came down to the wire between the two programs at the state tournament hosted at Maize South.
Through the strength of its doubles play, Salina Central was able to edge out Maize South by three points with a team score of 40 points to win its second straight team championship.
Both of Maize South’s No. 1 entries both had solid finishes, as senior Jaden Tredway defeated Maize sophomore Sam Ritchie in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0, to capture third place in the singles field and the brother combination of Garrison and Grayson Wright reached the doubles championship match before falling to Salina Central’s Reed McHenry and Max Shaffer in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. The Mavericks also scored points in single with junior Harris Kossover’s ninth-place finish, while the doubles team of senior Landon Eskridge and sophomore Mitch Krumm placed 10th.
Maize finished in third place in the team race, as all three of its entries scored major points: Ritchie (fourth) and senior Bode Carter (eighth) both earned medals in singles, while the doubles team of seniors Calvin Murrell and Pierson Rogers took sixth.
The Bishop Carroll brotherly tandem of John and Barrett Steven were the other high medalists from the area, as they defeated Salina Central’s No. 2 doubles team in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, in the third-place match.
Kapaun Mount Carmel finished fourth in the team race, thanks to the high finishes of junior Trevor Sweat (sixth in singles) and the doubles team of juniors Gavin Bhargava and Johnathan McIlivain (seventh). Newton wasn’t far behind, as three of its entries earned medals in sophomore Otis Musser in singles (12th) and both doubles entries with senior Jonah Schloneger and sophomore Justin Franz (fifth) and seniors Max Musser and Ezekiel Thompson (12th).
In the singles championship, St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore Russell Lokko topped Mill Valley junior Gage Foltz in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, in a rematch of the regional championship that also went to Lokko.
McPherson seniors team up to win 4A doubles championship
No doubles team could come close to pushing a pair of McPherson seniors, as Brennan Gipson and Conner Glazner romped their way to the Class 4A state championship in doubles at the Kossover Tennis Complex in Topeka.
Not only did Gipson and Glazner not lose a set the entire state tournament, they only lost a total of 11 games in four matches, including a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Topeka Hayden’s Michael Sandstrom and Gus Glotzbach in the finals.
McPherson also had high finishes from its other two state entries, as junior Jaden Fox reached the semifinals and finished fourth in the singles field and its No. 2 doubles team of seniors Alex Houston and Wesley Wurm notched an eighth-place finish in the doubles field. It all almost added up to another state title for the Bullpups, but this time they had to finish for a runner-up finish by a three-point margin to Independence, which won its first team title since 2008.
Another highlight from the area was the late-season surge of Buhler senior Colton Lohrentz, who upset a top seed in Zach Spriggs of Parsons in a three-set thriller in the semifinals, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the state championship match.
Lohrentz produced another three-set thriller in the title match against Independence sophomore Kale Groff, winning the first set but ultimately falling to Groff in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 match. Buhler finished in third place in the team race, as its top doubles team of seniors Kayden Krone and Elias Harder finished in fifth place.
Other state medalists in the singles field included Wellington sophomore Jax Cornejo (sixth), El Dorado junior Hayden Greene (seventh) and Winfield junior Drake Lowe (eighth). Circle seniors Noah Allison and Drew Middleton reached the semifinals of the doubles bracket, ultimately finishing in fourth place to headline area medalists, which also included Wellington senior Kade Adams and junior Carson Rademacher (sixth), Wellington junior Justin Norris and sophomore Jack Wright (10th) and Winfield seniors Noah Everett and Chris Norton (11th).
Northwest’s Reyes earns rare 6A singles medal
In a state tournament typically dominated by the Kansas City area, a Wichita player from USD 259 stood out. Northwest senior Frank Reyes earned a rare medal from the Class 6A singles field, placing 12th overall after winning two tiebreakers to claim his opening match to advance to the quarterfinals at the Harmon Park Tennis Complex in Prairie Village.
Shawnee Mission East won its second straight team championship with a score of 47 points, nearly double that of second-place Blue Valley Northwest. The Lancers were led by a championship performance from the senior duo of Blake Eason and Hudson Mosher, which had a dominant run to the doubles title capped off with a 6-2, 6-3 victory in the finals over BV Northwest’s Alex Mojica and Gabe Smith.
Manhattan senior Dan Harkin proved superior in the singles field, winning 6-4, 6-2 in the finals against SM East sophomore Graham Farris.
This story was originally published May 16, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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