ELLETTSVILLE – Bedford North Lawrence dropped two matches in the Edgewood Invitational during boys high school tennis action on Saturday.
The Stars suffered a 3-2 loss to Owen Valley in the opening round, then fell 4-1 to Greencastle in the consolation match. Edgewood won the title in its own event with a 3-2 semifinal victory over Greencastle and a 4-1 triumph over Owen Valley in the final.
In the opening round, the Patriots swept the singles en route to the win. Rhet Heckman posted a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Jackson Corey at No.1, Sean Goss stopped Braxton Fugate 6-1, 6-3 at No.2, and Kolby Brown bounced Reece Goodgame 6-1, 6-1 at No.3.
The Stars swept the doubles. Orion Hill and Neal Patel popped Kyvan Manning and Adam Samick 6-4, 6-2 at No.1, while Micah Carter and Wyatt Corbin clipped Alex Livingston and Nolan VanArsdale 7-5, 6-3 at No.2.
“Their singles were just too strong for us,” BNL coach Ian Dillman said. “Micah and Wyatt, as a doubles team, are getting to the point of being unstoppable. They hit shots they never hit before today, I was loving it.”
In the consolation round, BNL’s only win came at No.1 doubles as Hill and Patel handled Mitch Staggers and Cayden Scott 6-2, 6-1.
“Today was a great day for tennis, the Stars shined even though we took some tough losses,” Dillman said. “I’m really proud of them. The way they have grown, from only starting with them a few months ago to this day, is insane. I’m screaming it from the rooftops, that these guys are getting there.
“These close matches hurt, they sting and it’s hard to pull out the stinger at times. We are still working on our mental toughness. It’s grown, but we haven’t really played back-to-back matches that much this year, so we didn’t get the chance to shake our nerves for the second match.
“Our singles showed some improvement. Jackson was really stepping in on his shots and hitting a more solid backhand instead of slapping it. He’s also started hitting more slices and it’s really throwing off his opponent’s rhythm. I think he shocked himself with some of his plays. His singles knowledge is growing, and No.1 singles is a tough spot, I know that for a fact.”
BNL (2-11) will visit Paoli on Monday.
Edgewood Invitational
First round
Owen Valley 3, BNL 2
Singles
1 Rhet Heckman, OV d. Jackson Corey 6-1, 6-1
2 Sean Goss, OV d. Braxton Fugate 6-1, 6-3
3 Kolby Brown, OV d. Reece Goodgame 6-1, 6-1
Doubles
1 Orion Hill and Neal Patel, BNL d. Kyvan Manning and Adam Samick 6-4, 6-2
2 Micah Carter and Wyatt Corbin, BNL d. Alex Livingston and Nolan VanArsdale 7-5, 6-3
Consolation round
Greencastle 4, BNL 1
Singles
1 Jay Glotzbach, G d. Jackson Corey 6-2, 6-0
2 Gavin Tyson, G d. Braxton Fugate 6-3, 6-4
3 Griffin Beasley, G d. Reece Goodgame 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1 Orion Hill and Neal Patel, BNL d. Mitch Staggers and Cayden Scott 6-2, 6-1
2 Kyle Brentlinger and Keita Noro, G d. Micah Carter and Wyatt Corbin 6-2, 5-7, 6-3
