Concord won titles at two positions on its way to a first-place finish in the Northern Lakes Conference high school boys tennis tournament Saturday at Wawasee in Syracuse.
Junior Andre Moore was a 6-1, 7-5 winner over Northridge junior Dylan Pieri at No. 3 singles while senior Jordan Hershberger and junior Michael Ciesielski were 6-2, 6-1 winners over Richard Feng and Ethan Guy of Warsaw at No. 2 doubles.
“Moore, Hershberger and Ciesielski all played good,” first-year Concord coach Todd Denton said. “All the guys on the team did well. We played very patiently, which is something we have been working on. Trying to outlast our opponent is what we want. We don’t want to be going for the big shot all the time.”
Combined with the regular season results Concord is the overall champion with 16 team points, followed by Plymouth 14, Northridge 12, Warsaw 10, NorthWood 8, Goshen 6, Wawasee 4 and Elkhart Memorial 2.
Goshen’s No. 1 doubles team of senior team co-captains Mac Hussey and Ryan Wengerd were 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 winners over Tim Gordon and Caleb Hadden of Plymouth in the finale.
The Plymouth duo was a 6-4, 7-6 winner during the regular season.
“I’m so happy for Mac and Ryan,” Goshen coach Scott Miller said. “They have worked so hard the last four years. They went out today and put everything on the line. It’s nice to see them get some recognition.
“Plymouth took control of the match during the season and finished things off. We were a little worried about that after they won the first set today when we had been ahead.
“The Plymouth team is a solid one. I think it helped us that we had a quicker match this morning (6-4, 6-0 over Concord (senior Trevor Dumont and junior Matt Schoeffler) while Plymouth had a three-setter (6-7, 6-1, 7-5 over senior Blake Luken and junior James Brandenberger) Northridge.”
Also for Goshen, junior Andy Van Klavern placed sixth at No. 1 singles, sophomore Stefan Baumgartner seventh at No. 2 singles, freshman Seth Koble fifth at No. 3 singles, sophomore Johnny Tan and freshman Collin Erickson fifth at No. 2 doubles.
“Overall, I was pleased,” Miller said. “Our No. 2 doubles came back and won in the third set. Van Klavern played a good match against (Northridge senior) Jeff George. We played within ourselves and all of the guys put it on the line.”
Also for Concord, junior Andre Ziebold was fourth at No. 1 singles, junior Jared Queener third at No. 2 singles, Dumont and Schoeffler third at No. 1 doubles.
“Other than the birth of my children winning the NLC is probably the greatest feeling of my life,” said Denton who was named ‘Coach of the Year’ by his peers. “The players are the ones who have been doing all the hard work. I just put them out on the courts.”
Northridge sophomore Nick Myers was a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Andy Langdon of Plymouth in the championship match at No. 2 singles.
“Myers is a great player who can do it all,” Northridge coach Doug Gossman said. “He can stay back or come to the net. He has the awesome potential to be an even better player.”
All first-place finishers are automatic selections to the all-NLC squad.
At-large selections, as voted by the coaches, are Ziebold of Concord, senior Preston Swain of NorthWood and Calvin Hoeffler of Plymouth. Honorable mention went to George of Northridge, Dumont and Schoeffler of Concord.
Sports
Related Photos
-
Justin Cripe
Minutemen capture team NLC tennis crown
- Sports
-
-
AUTO RACING: Final lap mayhem
Dario Franchitti stamped his name in the record books, the latest three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.
-
SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT: Leaders of the pack
Leadership doesn’t always have to come from seniors.
-
SEMISTATE GIRLS TENNIS: Raiders fall to Canterbury, 4-1
A great high school girls tennis season for the unranked Northridge Raiders came to an end with a 4-1 loss to the No. 14 Fort Wayne Canterbury Cavaliers Saturday in the semistate at Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran.
-
PREP SOFTBALL SECTIONALS: Raiders get it done
When you get base hits in softball is at times just as important as how many safeties you accumulate.
-
PREP BASEBALL SECTIONALS: Minutemen romp
Concord moves on while the season is over for both Northridge and Goshen.
-
BOYS PREP TRACK AND FIELD: Area athletes headed to state meet
A total of eight individual athletes and a relay from The Goshen News coverage area qualified for the state meet Thursday night at the Kokomo regional.
-
PREP SOFTBALL: Lakers power way to championship
Lakeland’s Lauren McKibben has been through more than her share of adversity during her high school athletic career: She suffered two torn ACLs and missed the past two softball seasons.
-
PREP SOFTBALL SECTIONALS: On to the finals
Northridge and Elkhart Central are not that far apart from each other, but when the two local high schools clash in the Class 4A softball sectional championship Friday night at Elkhart Memorial it will be the first meeting between the two during the last two seasons.
-
PREP BASEBALL SECTIONALS: Chargers rally, nip Warriors on walk-off single in 7th
There aren’t many ways to improve on a complete-game pitching victory in a sectional quarterfinal game.
-
GIRLS PREP TENNIS: Raiders rally, edge Hornets for title
Momentum hung in the balance Wednesday and Northridge certainly seized it.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
