STURGIS — Sturgis defeated Otsego 6-2 in boys tennis, in what coach George Earl called “a very well-played match.” He stated that “the singles were very strong as usual, and gave up very few games.” Earl went on to say that “A special shout out goes to Brody Currier at number three singles. After winning an easy first set, he overcame a slight loss in confidence and playing below his normal level, but he came back to win the second in a tie break.”
At first singles, Simon Phillips won 6-2, 6-0, followed by Carter Oswald at #2, winning 6-0, 6-0. Currier won his match, 6-1, 7-6 (3) in the third singles slot, while #4 Cooper Barkby took his match 6-0, 6-2.
At #1 doubles, Andrew Scheske and Easton Barkby fell to their opponents, 1-6, 3-6. The number two duo of Alex Cypher and Seth Larimer was victorious, winning 6-3, 6-1, while at #3 doubles, Dominic Brown and Andrew Cypher took two of three, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Wrapping up the action was Brayden Bibb and Kellen Meyer, playing at #4 doubles. They were defeated by their opponents, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6. Earl pointed out that the number two doubles team of Cypher and Larimer, who with very little coaching, were able to solve their own problems and play one of their best matches of the season. He also pointed out that at third doubles, Brown and Cypher were able to pull off a third set win, where they “simply made less errors than their opponents.”
The Trojans are now 6-4-2 on the season, while sporting a record of 4-0-2 in the Wolverine Conference.
St. Joseph, Jackson and Portland all visited Sturgis for a quad tennis match, and the host Trojans, playing three duals, went 2-1 on the day. Sturgis lost to St. Joseph, 3-5, but picked up wins against Jackson (6-2) and Portland(5-3).
Against St. Joe, Simon Phillips lost at #1 doubles, 6-3, 7-5, while winning their matches at number two, three and four singles was Carter Oswald, Brody Currier and Cooper Barkby, respectively. In doubles action, all four flights for Sturgis went down to defeat.
In the Jackson match, Phillips lost at #1 singles, 6-0, 6-2, while Oswald won 6-1, 6-0 at #2, Currier was victorious at #3 6-2, 6-1, followed by Barkby, who won at #4, 6-0, 6-4.
Easton Barkby and Andrew Scheske won at #1 doubles by default, while Alex Cypher and Seth Larimer went down to defeat, 4-6, 6-3, 8-10 at #2 doubles. The #3 doubles team of Dominic Brown and Andrew Cypher won their match 6-2, 6-1, while the #4 doubles pairing of Brayden Bibb and Kellen Meyer won 6-0, 6-0.
In the Portland match, all four flights in singles action went to the Trojans. Phillips won his match at #1, 6-1, 6-0, Oswald took the win at #2 6-1, 6-0, followed at #3 by Currier winning 6-1, 6-3. Cooper Barkby at #4 also won, 6-1, 6-1.
In doubles, Easton Barkby and Scheske lost at #1, 1-6, 3-6, while at two and three, Alex Cypher/Larimer (2-6, 4-6) and Brown/Andrew Cypher (5-7, 6-1, 7-10), respectively, lost their matches as well. Sturgis did finish with a win at #4 doubles, with Bibb and Meyer winning, 6-1, 6-1.
Last week, Sturgis took care of Plainwell in boys tennis, winning 7-1. In singles play at #1, Simon Phillips won 6-1, 6-1, while #2 singles went to Carter Oswald, 6-1, 6-0. Brody Currier at #3, defeated his opponent 6-0, 6-1, followed by #4 singles Cooper Barkby winning 6-0, 6-0.
In doubles action, the #1 duo of Easton Barkby and Andrew Scheske were stopped 6-2, 6-2, however the next three flights came up with victories. At number two doubles, Alex Cypher and Seth Larimer won, 6-0, 6-1. #3 doubles had Dominic Brown and partner Andrew Cypher winning 6-2, 6-1, while at #4 doubles, Kellen Meyers and Logan White, who was called up from the JV team as a substitute due to sickness, won their match 6-0, 6-1.
TR tennis edged out by Edwardsburg, shut out by Paw Paw
THREE RIVERS — Three Rivers’ boys’ tennis team hosted Edwardsburg for a Wolverine Conference tilt Wednesday, Sept. 17, but lost a close 5-3 decision to the Eddies.
Winning matches for the Wildcats were Ebin Perkins at No. 3 singles, who defeated Ethan Layman of Edwardsburg 6-4, 6-1; the duo of Collin McIntyre/Frederico De Godoy Barreto at No. 2 doubles over Kade Hoven/Zander Beaty 6-3, 6-3; and the pair of Brady Stratton/Henry Bobell at No. 3 doubles over Reef Cuthbert/Zach Layman 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
On Tuesday, the Wildcats were shut out by Paw Paw, 8-0. The only match to go to three sets was the No. 1 singles match between Three Rivers’ Alex Nowak and the Red Wolves’ Terrance Fisher, with Nowak losing 6-4, 4-6, 3-6. Paw Paw won at No. 4 singles by a default.
