You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
mokenamessenger.com SPORTS<br />
the Mokena Messenger | May 24, 2018 | 41<br />
Boys tennis<br />
Griffins capture Class 2A sectional title<br />
RANDY WHALEN<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
To boldly go where no man has<br />
gone before.<br />
No, Lincoln-Way East senior<br />
Ryan Mitchell isn’t staring in a<br />
new Star Trek movie. But he has<br />
been a four-year star for the boys<br />
tennis team, and his trek has taken<br />
him to the top of the school record<br />
book.<br />
Last weekend Mitchell established<br />
a new school record for<br />
most wins in a career, on either<br />
the boys or girls teams at East. He<br />
blew through the sectional competition,<br />
capturing 48 of 52 games<br />
in winning his fourth straight sectional<br />
championship. He became<br />
the first Griffin boys player to<br />
do that. He also surpassed 2017<br />
graduate Nikhil Piska (117 wins)<br />
on the boys side and 2010 graduate<br />
Leah Pascarella (118 wins) on<br />
the girls side.<br />
In the process, his singles championship<br />
helped the Griffins to<br />
capture the team title in the Class<br />
2A Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional<br />
on Saturday, May 19, in<br />
Flossmoor. Because of on-and-off<br />
rain in the area, the tournament<br />
was moved indoors to the H-F<br />
Racquet & Fitness Club. It was the<br />
sixth straight sectional championship<br />
and 12th in 13 years for East.<br />
The final day was made up of all<br />
players from East and host H-F, so<br />
all six players advanced from both<br />
teams. East (35 points) had five of<br />
the six possible players advance<br />
to the finals, which automatically<br />
clinched the sectional title. The<br />
Vikings (27) were second, Lincoln-Way<br />
Central (14) third, and<br />
Lincoln-Way West (12) fourth.<br />
Andrew (10), Crete-Monee (2),<br />
Thornton Fractional South (2),<br />
Rich East (0) and Thornwood (0)<br />
rounded out the field.<br />
“H-F is a super strong team and<br />
it basically became like a dual<br />
meet,” East coach Chris Olson<br />
said. “But we won three-of-four<br />
semifinals to make the [sectional<br />
title] result inevitable. It’s an incredible<br />
accomplishment and a<br />
Lincoln-Way East’s Ryan Mitchell established a new school record for wins in tennis, while helping pace the<br />
Griffins the Class 2A Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional Saturday, May 19. 22nd Century Media file photo<br />
collective effort by everyone.”<br />
East and Olson emphasized that<br />
the team has a goal of making the<br />
Top 10 in this season’s state finals.<br />
Those will be held this Thursday,<br />
May 24, through Saturday, May<br />
26, at various locations. But the<br />
main one is Hersey High School<br />
in Arlington Heights.<br />
Mitchell is ready for the challenge,<br />
in his final high school state<br />
finals appearance. He never set<br />
out to establish the school records,<br />
but is naturally proud to be a part<br />
of them and this team.<br />
“I don’t think freshman year<br />
this was the goal,” he said of winning<br />
four straight sectional singles<br />
titles. “This will be nice to look<br />
back at, remember this and say, ‘I<br />
did that.’”<br />
As a freshman, Mitchell was the<br />
No. 2 seed in the sectional and has<br />
been a No.1 seed since. He will<br />
continue his career at Wisconsin-<br />
Whitewater this fall.<br />
“I was actually super nervous<br />
[going into the final day of this<br />
season’s sectional],” he said. “I<br />
knew that if I won it would be big<br />
for me and the team. To be 16-0<br />
[the last 4 years in the sectional]<br />
is special. We’re ready for state.”<br />
In last week’s sectional, Mitchell<br />
defeated junior Perry Hoag<br />
6-1, 6-1 in the final. Hoag defeated<br />
East senior Will Evans 6-1, 6-0<br />
in the semifinals. But Evans rebounded<br />
to finish third with a 6-2,<br />
0-0 (15-15) win over sophomore<br />
Bryan Henry, who had to retire<br />
with an injury.<br />
“Ryan combines hard work and<br />
passion with humbleness,” Olson<br />
said of Mitchell. “His humbleness<br />
speaks to his leadership.”<br />
While Lincoln-Way Central and<br />
Lincoln-Way West didn’t advance<br />
anyone to state, there were still<br />
highlights this season for the two<br />
programs.<br />
Central finished second in the<br />
Red Division of the SouthWest<br />
Suburban Conference. While Declan<br />
Merbeth and Will Cooley<br />
won the doubles title, they had<br />
to rally to defeat Central junior<br />
Matthew Piltaver and freshman<br />
Matthew Soldan 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 in a<br />
quarterfinal match.<br />
Piltaver and Soldan were conference<br />
champions at second doubles<br />
for the Knights.<br />
Both of our [sectional] doubles<br />
teams will be back next year,”<br />
Central coach Jacob Riebe said.<br />
“In fact five of our six sectional<br />
players will be back.”<br />
The Knights first doubles team<br />
was sophomores Michael Bloodgood<br />
and Thomas Edmier. who<br />
lost 6-4, 6-2 to Eng and Thiros in<br />
the quarterfinals. Senior Kyle Verheyen<br />
and junior Patrick Winter<br />
were Central’s singles players.<br />
“It would have been super to<br />
get someone there,” Riebe said of<br />
advancing to state. “But our future<br />
looks bright. Last year we graduated<br />
nine of our Top 11 players,<br />
so we had to fill those spots with<br />
underclassmen, and this season<br />
was a great experience for them.<br />
Hopefully next year we can get<br />
someone over the hump.”
Change language