News

Carmel took less than hour to take all five matches and put an exclamation point on a perfect season in winning the IHSAA Boys Tennis State Title for the second straight year.

All three Carmel singles players finished undefeated for the year to serve top-ranked Carmel (22-0) with a 5-0 win over Jasper at North Central High School. It was Carmel's 10th crown in the sport, the last two under coach Spencer Fields. Sixteenth-ranked Jasper ended 20-4 with its third runner-up trophy in its first visit to the title match since 1999.

Greyhound senior Patrick Fletchall, 18-0 for the year and the defending singles state champion entered into next week's individual tournament, defeated Dawson Hopf of Jasper, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 1 singles. Sophomore Presley Thieneman (18-0) also beat Jasper's Eli Franks, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 2. Classmate Nishanth Basavareddy ended his season 20-0 in dual competition with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Bennett Schmitt at No. 3 singles.

In doubles, Timmy Dixon and Drew Michael bounced back after their first defeat of the season in Saturday's semifinal round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Jasper's Noah Luebbehusen and Noah Mendel at No. 1. At No. 2 doubles, Garrett Lloyd and Uday Lomada defeated Wildcats Andrew Hochgesang and Mitch Kluemper 6-1, 6-0.

Carmel had defeated second-ranked North Central of Indianapolis, 4-1, in Friday's quarterfinals followed by a win by the same score over fifth-ranked Park Tudor on Saturday morning. Jasper, coached by Scott Yarbrough, had edged Jeffersonville, 3-2, on Friday, and then beat Culver Academies, 4-1, in the semifinals.

North Central Doubles Player Named Mental Attitude Award Winner
Eddie Prein, a senior at North Central High School, was named the recipient of the Mental Attitude Award following the matches by the IHSAA Executive Committee.

Prein played No. 1 doubles for the Panthers this season and with teammate Brian McAuley, finished his senior year, 24-2, his fourth with the tennis program. He ranks 14th in his senior class of nearly 900 students and has been consistently recognized for his outstanding GPA as part of the school's academic honors program. Prein is a member of the Senior Class Council, the North Central Environment Awareness Club, Varsity Singers Choir and was recently crowned Homecoming King.

He is the son of Edward Prein and Amy Judge-Prein of Indianapolis and remains undecided on his college choice and area of study at this time.

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the award's presenting sponsor, issued a $1,000 scholarship to the North Central High School's general scholarship fund in the name of Eddie Prein.