Central's Evan Panzer and Cole Wilber win state doubles title
Oct. 9—MINOT — After Evan Panzer and Cole Wilber lost in the North Dakota state doubles tournament last year, they made a pact that they'd come back the next year and try it again.
They kept their word.
Panzer and Wilber teamed up again, entered the doubles tournament and got the result they wanted.
The Grand Forks Central duo followed up last weekend's East Region title by winning the North Dakota boys doubles state championship Saturday afternoon in Minot.
Panzer and Wilber beat Mandan's Karter Hatzenbuhler and Brady Helbling of Mandan 6-4, 6-0 in the final to secure the title.
"It kind of felt like redemption," Wilber said. "I thought we could have won it last year, but we fell short. We came back hungry this year and got it done.
"It's awesome. It's one of the best feelings in sports."
It marked the second state doubles title for Panzer. He also won it in 2020, playing with his older brother, Braden.
"It was awesome," Panzer said. "We've been waiting for a while for that to happen. It was so much fun."
Panzer and Wilber went a combined 8-0 at the East Region and state tournaments. They didn't drop a set in either tournament.
"I thoguht our communication was really on point," Wilber said. "We just kind of figured out ways in our service game to get through tough moments and battle and never give up."
In the final, the first set was tight, but the Knights team blanked Hatzenbuhler and Helbling in the second set.
"It was a tough start for us," Panzer said. "We were kind of nervous, maybe. Once we got that first set, we kind of evened out and just started rolling."
West Fargo Sheyenne's Ethan Raan made history in the singles tournament.
Raan became the first boys player from West Fargo to win a state singles title. He beat Grand Forks Red River's Espen Schneider in the final.
It was a rematch of the East Region singles final, which Schneider won in straight sets.
Schneider reached the final by defeating Minot's Hunter Rice 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals.
Singles
Final
Ethan Raan, Sheyenne, over Espen Schneider, Red River
Third
Saylor Kuenzel, RR, over Hunter Rice, Minot, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
Semifinals
Schneider over Rice 6-1, 6-3; Raan over Kuenzel 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
Final
Evan Panzer-Cole Wilber, GFC, over Karter Hatzenbuhler-Brady Helbling, Mandan, 6-4, 6-0
Third
Asher Green-Luc Bydal, RR, over Aiden Bourke-Chase Bry, South, 6-2, 7-5
Semifinals
Panzer-Wilber over Bourke-Bry 6-1, 6-3; Hatzenbuhler-Helbling over Green-Bydal 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-2
