Heading to the final

The Patriots edged the Rebels during the regular season.

It took a three-set doubles match to get it done.

To start the postseason, the Patriots prevailed again.

However, it didn’t take any dramatics to get there.

The Jay County High School boys tennis team won both doubles matches and got a victory from its youngest singles player in downing the Randolph Southern Rebels 3-2 in the IHSAA Sectional 43 semifinal Wednesday.

“I feel good,” said JCHS coach Scott Miller, whose team meets the Union City Indians — they took down defending champion Winchester 5-0 in the other semifinal — for the sectional championship at 5 p.m. Thursday.

“I feel we did what we needed to do,” Miller continued. “We got past Randolph Southern, which was the task in front of us.

“Survive and advance now point in the season, I don’t feel extremely great about the way we played tonight … My concern is if we play as tight tomorrow against Union City as we played tonight against Randolph Southern that we might be handing the trophy to the Indians.”

Winchester’s loss — it had won four of the last five sectional titles —  marks the first time since 2009 the Golden Falcons will not be playing for a title.

Meanwhile Jay County, which downed Union City 4-1 when the teams met back on Aug. 24, is one win away from its first championship since 2014.

During the Sept. 8 matchup between Jay County and Randolph Southern in Lynn, the Patriots’ No. 1 doubles team of Frankie Crump and Gavin Myers needed three sets to defeat Hagen Gambrel and Jake Mifsud.

Gambrel played with Vance Taylor instead Wednesday — Mifsud had to quarantine because a family member tested positive for COVID-19 — and the Patriot tandem cruised past the newly formed duo in the opening set, 6-0.

Despite the quick advantage, Crump and Myers fell behind in the second set 3-2. They split the next two games, but the Patriot duo didn’t surrender another in taking the set 6-4 for the match victory.

At No. 2 doubles, Gavin Esparza and Sam Myers disposed of Garret Cox and Jaxson Latello by a 6-2, 6-2 margin.

Abraham Dirksen, a JCHS freshman, only dropped two games in knocking off Colton Bledsoe 6-1, 6-1. When they met earlier in the year, Dirksen gave up two more games to the Rebel senior.

“It’s a spot we’re going to need tomorrow very badly against Union City,” Miller said of Dirksen. “In terms of our ability to win the match w’re depending on Abraham to be solid at that (No. 3) singles spot.

“Those three spots, right now for us, that’s our key to victory.”

Miller also stressed the importance of the other positions as well. During their regular season match, Union City’s only victory came at the No. 1 singles position.

“We can play with Union City at every single spot,” he said. “I know a lot of the spots can go one way or the other.

“Right now, the way he’s playing, the one I’m most confident in is Abraham going out there and taking care of business, which is incredible for a freshman.”

Jay County’s No. 1 singles player, Crosby Heniser, nearly forced a third set in his match against Jake Good. After dropping the opener 7-5, Heniser, a junior, was just one game away from the contest going the distance.

Right as the sun started to peek from behind the clouds, the breeze picked up and seemed to be a night-and-day difference in Heniser’s match. He was leading 5-2, but surrendered five straight games to Good and dropped the match 7-5, 7-5.

“He just couldn’t get out of his head,” Miller said.

At No. 2 singles, Jay County’s Simon Dirksen lost to Tyler Fink, 6-3, 6-2.

Although the Rebels bowed out of the tournament as a team, Good advances to the singles sectional tournament, which will be played Tuesday in Marion concurrent with the team regional action. The No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles team move on as long as they stay undefeated, regardless of how their respective team finishes.