October 3, 2024 at 2:15 p.m.
Sectional sweep
The Patriots got their best matchup.
While they picked up wins against all three potential sectional opponents, the wides margin of victory came against the Rebels. Combine that fact with the Rebels needing to forfeit a point due to a lack of players for the No. 2 doubles position, and the Patriots were feeling good about their chances of making the sectional championship game.
Less than one hour later, they clinched their spot in the match.
The Jay County High School boys tennis team breezed through Randolph Southern, defeating the Rebels 5-0 in the IHSAA Sectional 53 opener on Wednesday to earn a chance at its third straight sectional title.
The victory earned them a shot to play in Thursday’s sectional championship against the Union City Indians, who beat Winchester 3-2 on the other courts Wednesday.
“I’m very happy,” said JCHS coach Donald Gillespie. “I think maybe that was the best performance of the year for my kids. I’m really happy that they got to that level. … So, a great performance tonight, but that’s only one night.”
Back on Sept. 10, the Patriots traveled to Lynn to beat Randolph Southern 4-1. The sole loss came from Tucker Griffin in the No. 2 singles match as Braden Austin earned a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 10-4 victory.
Griffin never let Austin sniff that level of success jumping out early to beat the RSHS junior 6-0, 6-1.
The Jay County (8-10) senior attributed his success to growth over the tail end of the season and a focus on keeping the ball in. In the final game, that strategy paid off as three of his points came from balls he just kept in bounds that Austin mishandled, including the final point when Griffin delivered a forehand to the back line that the Rebel player hesitated on and sent into the net.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better over the course of these few weeks,” Griffin said. “I feel like he thought he was just going to beat me. … I wasn’t hitting it out of bounds. Last time I played him I hit it deep – it felt like – every time. So, I felt a lot more consistent today.”
While Griffin has shown improvements, Eli Dirksen has been consistently dominant at the No. 1 singles position.
Dirksen pulled off a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Noah Allen to complete the sweep for Jay County just over an hour after warm ups started. The final game of the second set exemplified his dominance as he won it in short order to notch his 14th consecutive victory of the season.
“Once you get on a streak it’s not as easy to lose,” Dirksen said. “I think it’s really nice that the opponents I’ve played before has built my confidence up. As opposed to the harder competition I had at the beginning of the season, I just feel more confident.”
While Dirksen and Griffin completed the sweep, No. 1 doubles duo Kadyn Carpenter and Alex Miller and No. 3 singles player Gabe Pinkerton pulled out the win.
Carpenter and Miller secured the first point for the Patriots, running Jacob Flaugh and Kohwen Pegg off the court with a clean 6-0, 6-0 sweep in 47 minutes. The Patriot pair found success with Carpenter playing behind for court coverage and Miller at the net to try and volley.
The match ended after with Miller hiding behind the net at center court as Carpenter served and then jumping up to volley Flaugh’s return.
Pinkerton never gave Kyran Pegg much of a chance either, taking out the RSHS senior 6-1, 6-1. Normally the No. 3 singles match would have to wait for another position’s contest to finish in the sectional semifinal to finish, but because the Rebels didn’t have a No. 2 doubles team, they got to start in tow with the other three positions. It only took Pinkerton 51 minutes since the start of warmups to earn Jay County a trip to the sectional championship.
The Patriots previously beat Union City 4-1 earlier in the season, with the only loss at the No. 1 doubles position. The Indians have since changed up their lineup, splitting Brennan Hoggatt and Jacob Thornburg to play at the No. 1 and 2 singles.
While the Patriots will have different matchups, Gillespie likes the direction his team is headed and is looking for it to claim its third straight sectional championship.
“We have to play with confidence,” Gillespie said. “If my players play the best they can, that’s all I can ask for as a coach. …
“So if we come out and play like we did tonight and get beat, we’ll congratulate them, but the goal has always been sectional. And believe me, I’m not going to sleep tonight because I’m going to be playing this thing out (in my head).
“But proud of the kids. A great night for Jay County tennis, and I couldn’t be happier for them.”
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