Wichita Collegiate boys adds to Kansas history with rare perfect state title
Collegiate has won so many boys tennis state championships over time that another trophy for the Spartans could almost feel routine.
This one was anything but.
Collegiate authored one of the rarest team performances in Kansas high school tennis history over this past weekend, sweeping the singles and doubles finals to finish with a perfect 60 points and capture its third straight Class 3-1A state championship at Harmon Park Tennis Complex in Prairie Village.
It marked the 29th boys tennis team title in school history for Collegiate, which has now won state in 29 of the 40 years the sport has been contested in Kansas. But this was the first perfect team score at state since 1996 when Collegiate also pulled off the feat. The Spartans are believed to own the only three perfect state tournament scores in recorded Kansas history, also doing it in 1995.
“We just had a great bunch of guys who bonded pretty well over the course of the season,” Collegiate coach Simon Norman said. “It was cool to see everyone come together for the same tournament and step up and play good matches on the same weekend.”
The dominance was far from a surprise. Collegiate entered the tournament with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in both singles and doubles, then proved there was no matching its firepower at the 3-1A level.
Sophomore Amir Khicha finished off a nearly flawless tournament by beating teammate G. Farha 6-0, 6-0 in the singles championship match. Khicha, who finished the season 23-1, dropped only one game in eight sets at state.
The doubles final brought some real drama. Senior Charlie Gentile and junior Maddox Drumright, also 23-1, had to dig out a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win over teammates Vihaan Ganganala and James Nolan to finish the perfect team score.
“There is a bit of pressure when you get up there because the other teams are all gunning for you,” Norman said. “But that’s part of the territory. That’s fine with us. Our guys just had to bring it at the right time.”
What made the championship even more impressive was how rarely Collegiate had its full lineup together during the season. Khicha joined late while playing outside tournaments. Gentile also competes for the Spartans’ golf team. Drumright is the starting catcher for Collegiate’s baseball team and a Wichita State commit, while also contributing to the Spartans’ basketball state championship this winter.
Norman said Drumright did not pick up a tennis racket from last year’s state tournament until his first tournament this spring. Since Drumright was usually at baseball practice after school, Norman sometimes met him early in the morning before school to squeeze in extra reps.
It paid off with Drumright winning his third straight state doubles championship, this time with a new partner.
“He just came out and picked up a tennis racket and said, ‘Let me compete,’” Norman said. “I guess that’s just what special athletes do. They just want a chance to compete.”
Collegiate came close to perfection last season with 58 points. With five of those six contributors back this spring, the Spartans left no doubt this time.
Another Collegiate title was expected.
A perfect one still made history.
Maize South relies on true team effort to bring home another state title
Maize South did not need an individual champion to leave the 5A boys tennis state tournament in Andover with the biggest trophy.
The Mavericks had something even more valuable: depth everywhere.
After qualifying all four entries out of last week’s loaded regional, Maize South cashed in on that upside, scoring 42 points to win the second team state championship in program history. Blue Valley Southwest finished second with 33 points, while Bishop Carroll took third with 32.
Senior Evan Goates, the defending 5A singles champion, took runner-up after a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Bishop Carroll’s Brandon Steven in the final. But his biggest contribution to the team title came in the semifinals when he survived a three-hour marathon against Andover freshman Harsha Maradana, saving a match point in the second set before rallying for a 6-7 (1), 7-6 (2), 6-1 win.
Junior Landon Cook added six key points with a ninth-place finish in singles, giving the Mavericks valuable breathing room.
But Maize South’s doubles teams delivered the separation.
Senior Tucker Lowe and junior Jacob Kurniadi, seeded seventh, upset the No. 2 team from Kansas City Piper to reach the semifinals, then beat a Blue Valley Southwest team 6-3, 6-2 to finish third.
Senior Preston Heard and sophomore Jack Pringle were even more important to the team race. After losing to their teammates in the second round, the 10th-seeded duo won five straight matches on the consolation side, knocking off the No. 2 and No. 4 seeds along the way to finish fifth.
That run effectively sealed it.
“What was really cool about this title is that everyone had their moment in the postseason,” Maize South coach Frank Reyes said. “Last week it was Landon Cook stepping up, this week it was Heard and Pringle who stepped up big time. All of our guys wanted that trophy so bad. They were just having so much fun out there and crushing.”
Hesston boys tennis wins Class 4A team state championship
Hesston captured its third team state championship in program history — and first at the Class 4A level — by scoring 43 points to beat runner-up McPherson by 12 at the Kossover Tennis Complex in Topeka.
The Swathers did not win either bracket, but their depth carried them to the title with finalists in both singles and doubles.
Junior Janmejay Patwardhan finished runner-up in singles, while freshman Henry White placed 11th. In doubles, seniors Braiden Liechty and Tim van Bergeijk finished runner-up, while juniors Jerick Humphreys and Ben Bartlett reached the semifinals and placed fourth.
Other Wichita-area boys tennis state medalists
At the 6A state tournament in Wichita, the Maize doubles team of senior Alex Benage and sophomore Devin Francis reached the quarterfinals before finishing in 11th place to cap a 30-win season.
At the 5A state tournament in Andover, singles state medalists included Andover Central junior Henry Walker (third), Andover freshman Harsha Maradana (fourth), Andover junior Andrew Chan (eighth), Valley Center freshman Gabriel Tamayo (10th) and Valley Center senior Nick Neff (11th). In the doubles field, local state medalists included Valley Center seniors Braxton Nicholson and Gabriel Shaffer (seventh) and Kapaun Mt. Carmel brothers Johnny, a senior, and Andrew, a freshman, Korfhage (11th).
At the 4A state tournament in Topeka, singles state medalists included Winfield senior Josh Moore (fourth), McPherson freshman Rylan Unruh (fifth), McPherson sophomore Cooper Bohme (sixth), El Dorado senior Reece Knight (seventh), Winfield senior Copeland Quiett (eighth), Wellington senior Maverick Peterson (ninth) and Buhler sophomore Cayden Davis (12th). In the doubles field, local state medalists included Buhler senior Reuben Harder and junior Jaxton Gillette (third), McPherson juniors Jonas Emery and Mason Eisenbarth (fifth), Buhler senior Titus Bortzfield and junior Quinn Brown (eighth), Winfield seniors Corden Cuington and Evan Hutto (10th) and El Dorado juniors Theron Mays and Lane Eck (11th).
At the 3-1A state tournament in Prairie Village, singles state medalists included Sterling junior Jace Darnauer (third), Haven senior Devin Boice (eighth) and Sterling freshman Lathem Kizzar (11th). In the doubles field, local state medalists included Wichita Trinity senior Blane Farley and sophomore Owen Holdeman (fourth), Conway Springs seniors Joseph Beck and Eli Benge (fifth), Sterling juniors Ben Bierstedt and Trace DeShon (seventh) and Smoky Valley senior Jack Bieker and junior Pierce Keller (ninth).
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