The Minnewaska Area boys tennis team ended the season at the Section 8A Tourney at Crookston last week.  The Lakers were seeded fourth in the Section 8A Team Tourney, but were upset by fifth-seeded Fergus Falls in the opener, 4-3, to finish the season with an 11-8 overall record.

In the individual tourney, Drew Bleick and Carter LeClair made it to the semifinals before losing two-straight to finish fourth in the doubles’ tourney.

The only senior lost to graduation from this year’s team is Noah Palmer, who finished the season with an 18-4 overall record playing mostly at third singles.

Section 8A Team Tourney

The Lakers, coached by Tara Reichmann, fell to Fergus Falls in the Section 8A opener, 4-3.  Less than one week earlier, Minnewaska Area beat the Otters in the regular-season finale, 5-2.  Fergus Falls fell to top-seeded Thief River Falls in the semifinals, and TRF beat NLS for the section title, 6-1.

Connor Quelle gave the Lakers one point in singles as he won 6-3, 6-3 at first singles, but Fergus Falls was able to win a couple of key matches at second and third singles that included tiebreakers.

In doubles, Minnewaska earned two points by Drew Bleick and Carter LeClair at first doubles (6-3, 6-2) and by Marshall Kopp and Landon Schiffler at third doubles (4-6, 6-4, 6-2).

Section 8A Individuals

The Lakers competed in the Section 8A Individual Tournament last Tuesday.  Playing singles for the Lakers were Riley Thorfinnson and Landon Schiffler, while competing in the doubles’ tourney were the teams of Drew Bleick-Carter LeClair and Connor Quelle-Tenzin Dahl.

Thorfinnson, seeded 12th, fell to No. 5-Jack Birkeland, of Perham, in the opener 6-4, 6-2, while Schiffler, seeded 15th, also fell in the round-of-16 to No. 2-Jett Cornelius of Thief River Falls, 6-0, 6-0.

In doubles, third-seeded Quelle and Dahl beat 14th-seeded Tate Steenerson and Jeb Haaven-Farstad, of East Grand Forks, in the opening round 6-1, 6-0 before losing to the sixth-seeded team from Perham, Brekken Wokasch and Mason Happel, 6-4, 6-4.

Drew Bleick and Carter LeClair, who were seeded fifth, beat 12th-seeded Michael Anderson and Hudson Hackel, of Perham, in the opening round, and also beat fourth-seeded Jack Barney and Ethan Spors, of NLS, 6-4, 6-3, to earn a berth in the semifinals.

In the semis, Bleick and LeClair dropped into the third-place match with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to the top-seeded pair from Thief River Falls, and Bleick and LeClair also lost the third-place match to Wokasch and Happel, 6-3, 6-2.

Fergus Falls 4, Waska 3

SINGLES results:  

(1)  Connor Quelle, Min def Grant Ackerson 6-3, 6-3  (2) Reno Schierer, FF def Tenzin Dahl 6-1, 7-6  (3) Ethan Leopold, FF def Noah Palmer 6-4, 7-6  (4) Jackson Lysne, FF def Carson Beyer 6-0, 6-0

DOUBLES results:  

(1)  Drew Bleick-Carter LeClair, Min def Joey Johnson-Nick Flugstad 6-3, 6-2  (2) Christian Reed-Aiden Shern, FF def Riley Thorfinnson-Tyler Kohn 2-6, 7-5, 6-3  (3) Marshall Kopp-Landon Schiffler, Min def Peyton Marquette-Jose Rodriguez 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

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Section 8A Individuals

SINGLES results:  

•  #12-Riley Thorfinnson lost to #5-Jack Birkeland, Per 6-4, 6-2 (elim)

•  #15-Landon Schiffler lost to #2-Jett Cornelius, TRF 6-0, 6-0 (elim)

Championship:  Maddock, Osakis def Cornelius, TRF 6-0, 6-0

Third place:  Schmiesing, NLS def Thomforde, Cr 7-6, 3-6, 6-2

True-second:  Schmiesing, NLS def Cornelius, TRF 6-3, 6-2

DOUBLES results:  

•  #5-Drew Bleick-Carter LeClair def #12-Michael-Anderson-Hudson Hackel, Perham 6-3, 5-7, 6-0 . . . def #4-Barney-Spors, NLS 6-4, 6-3

•  #3-Connor Quelle-Tenzin Dahl def #14-Tate Steenerson-Jeb Haaven-Farstad, EGF 6-1, 6-0 . . . lost to #6-Brekken Wokasch-Mason Happel, Perham 6-4, 6-4 (eliminated)

Championship:  Janisch-Janisch, TRF def Cornlelius-Gonsorowski, TRF 6-3, 6-4

Third place:  Wokasch-Happel, Per def Bleick-LeClair, Min 6-3, 6-2

True-second:  Wokasch-Happel, Per def Cornelius-Gonsorowski, TRF 6-4, 6-2