How West Ottawa, Holland Christian, Zeeland West, Hamilton all reached state tennis finals
HOLLAND - For the second year in a row, a huge contingent of local tennis teams and players are headed to the state tournament.
West Ottawa and Holland Christian won regional titles on Wednesday to earn automatic bids to the state tournament. Zeeland West finished second to the Maroons to claim a spot, while Hamilton needed a last-match win to earn enough points to make it as an at-large team.
Meanwhile, Zeeland East's Brady Schanski made state as an individual by reaching the finals at No. 1 singles.
Four teams and an individual from a fifth, one year after five teams and an individual, making for another stellar year for tennis in the area.
Holland Christian, the OK Blue champion, won the Divsion 3 regional at Holland with 16 points. Zeeland West had 12 and Hamilton had 10 to qualify. Holland finished fifth with six and Zeeland East had five.
"I saw a lot of fight. We had some huge wins from kids that were not seeded. Evan Disselkoen knocked off the No. 1 seed at No. 3. Dylan Becksvoort bounced back and had a huge performance. We knew the doubles were going to be solid, but having that singles fight bodes well for us at the state tournament," Holland Christian coach Steve Gorno said. "It is a great thing to see for West Michigan tennis for all of our teams to perform so well. The local rivalries are even more exciting because everyone can beat everyone else. It is a lot of fun."
Becksvoort led the Maroons with a flight title at No. 2 singles, just a couple of days after getting eliminated in the first round of the OK Blue Conference tournament.
The turnaround was capped by a 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-4 win over Middleville in the finals.
In doubles, Holland Christian's Simon Langejans and Henry Langejans won at No. 1 doubles with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Zeeland West's Luke Kaynor and Quinn Willette.
At No. 2 doubles, Holland Christian's Tryg Tannis and Tyler Hemmeke won with a 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 win over Holland's Emmett Book and Oscar Miller.
At No. 3 doubles, Holland Christian's Michael Gorno and Graham Tanis earned a 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Zeeland West's Mikey Fuller and Dom Szczerowski.
Zeeland West, the OK Green champion, got its flight title at No. 4 doubles as Jacob Eckert and Bryce VanWort earned a 6-3, 6-4 win over Holland Christian's Gavin Swiftney and Ethan Hemmeke.
More: Holland Christian boys tennis holds off Hamilton for OK Blue title
"We came into this regional believing we had a shot to compete and make it to state," Zeeland West coach Lance McKinney said. "To finish second at a regional like this is a testament to our guys and how much time they put in. They believed in our goals and showed it. This is huge for our program."
Hamilton's Marco Catalano won at No. 1 singles with a 6-2, 2-1 win over Schanski, who was coming off of an epic three-set semifinal win over Holland's Aiden Sin.
Hamilton's Dylan Loew won the No. 4 singles title with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Middleville.
"It is great. These guys worked their tails off this season. We were undefeated during the regular season and came up a little short in conference, but when the pressure was on, they responded. It is great going to state for the second year in a row in a regional that is pretty loaded," Hamilton coach Steve Lubbers said. "It means a lot. It is a tribute to the coaches in the area developing and promoting the sport."
Zeeland East's Charlie Reese reached the finals at No. 3 singles before losing 6-1, 6-3 to Middleville.
West Ottawa, the OK Red champion, hosted a Division 1 regional and claimed the title to reach the state tournament with 17 points.
More: West Ottawa tennis claims third straight OK Red Conference title
Elliot Dozeman won the flight title at No. 1 singles, not giving up a single game, winning all matches 6-0, 6-0, while his brother Sebastian Dozeman won at No. 3 singles.
Hugh Ervine and Luke Koschmann won the flight title at No. 4 doubles.
Trevyn Bethke was a runner-up at No. 2. Drew Rothstein was runner-up at No. 4 singles.
At No. 1 doubles, Cody Schurman and Landon Meyer were the flight runner-up.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa, Holland Christian, Zeeland West, Hamilton reach state tennis
