News

Seven singles players and six doubles teams, including last year’s top duo, will square off this weekend for state championship honors as the boys tennis season comes to a conclusion at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis.

Three singles and two doubles matches will be contested on Friday at 2 pm ET with the winners advancing to the semifinal round on Saturday at 10 am ET. The state championship and consolation matches are set for 2 pm ET.

Among the doubles teams are seniors Joe Hammond and Nick Laconi of Zionsville (19-2), the defending state champions. The pair has earned a bye into Saturday’s semifinal round along with Homestead’s Jordan Mauk and Brad White on the account of advancing to last weekend’s state finals in the team competition. With a championship, Hammond and Laconi would become the first doubles team to win in consecutive years since Steve Behrman and David Brents of Pike won titles together in 1969 and 1970.

The Zionsville team awaits the winner of Friday’s Lake Central-Evansville Central match. Brad Spicer and Adam Wroughton, undefeated at 24-0, will represent Lake Central while Keegan Gerth and Adam Neel play for Evansville Central. The Homestead team will meet the Brebeuf Jesuit-Harrison (West Lafayette) winner. Charlie Hurst and Chris Plump, also undefeated in 24 matches, make up the Brebeuf squad with Eric Nielsen and Chad Zarnow hailing from Harrison. Hurst was a part of Brebeuf’s state finalist doubles team two years ago which fell in the Friday quarterfinals.

Each of the singles players is new to this level of the state tournament. Connor Andrews, also of Homestead, earned the only bye into the semifinals and will meet either Joseph Frank of West Lafayette or Dougie Barnard, another Brebeuf Jesuit entry, on Saturday. Ray Leonard of Bloomington North, the lone unbeaten in the solo ranks at 25-0, will play Benjamin Bryan of Delta in the second quarterfinal with Leonard Mathews II of Merrillville and Andy Hansen of Penn facing one another in the third quarterfinal. Barnard (23-1), Bryan (20-1) and Mathews (24-1) each have but one loss on the year.

IHSAA Boys Tennis Singles & Doubles State Finals
Park Tudor School, 7200 N. College Avenue, Indianapolis.
October 23-24, 2009.
Admission: $5.

Singles
Each individual's regular season record is listed first followed by their post-season tournament record.

Quarterfinals, Friday, 2 pm ET
Joseph Frank (12) West Lafayette (18-3, 7-0) vs. Dougie Barnard (11) Brebeuf Jesuit (19-1, 4-0).
Benjamin Bryan (11) Delta (15-1, 5-0) vs. Ray Leonard (11) Bloomington North (21-0, 4-0).
Leonard Mathews II (10) Merrillville (20-1, 4-0) vs. Andy Hansen (12) Penn (14-4, 5-0).

Semifinals, Saturday, 10 am ET
Frank-Barnard winner vs. Connor Andrews (11) Homestead (14-5, 7-0).
Bryan-Leonard winner vs. Mathews-Hansen winner.

State Championship, Saturday, 2 pm ET

Consolation, Saturday, 2 pm ET

Doubles
Each team's regular season record is listed first followed by their post-season tournament record.

Quarterfinals, Friday, 2 pm ET
Charlie Hurst (12) | Chris Plump (12) Brebeuf Jesuit (20-0, 4-0) vs. Eric Nielsen (12) | Chad Zarnow (12) Harrison (West Lafayette) (13-6, 5-0).
Brad Spicer (12) | Adam Wroughton (12) Lake Central (18-0, 6-0) vs. Keegan Gerth (12) | Adam Neel (11) Evansville Central (16-4, 4-0).

Semifinals, Saturday, 10 am ET
Brebeuf Jesuit-Harrison (West Lafayette) winner vs. Jordan Mauk (11) | Brad White (12) Homestead (15-4, 7-0).
Lake Central-Evansville Central winner vs. Joe Hammond (12) | Nick Laconi (12) Zionsville (13-2, 6-0).

State Championship, Saturday, 2 pm ET

Consolation, Saturday, 2 pm ET

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Media Information

Media Host – IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille will be on site throughout the day to assist you in your coverage of the event.

Media Credentials: To apply, please e-mail your request (with name of individual) as soon as possible to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille at jwille@ihsaa.org. E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. Approved requests may be picked up in the tennis clubhouse during the event on Friday and Saturday.