IHSAA boys tennis sectional preview: East Central Indiana schedules, storylines

Gus Martin, Muncie Star Press
·4 min read

Note: Complete information was not readily available for every team.

MUNCIE, Ind. — IHSAA boys tennis sectionals begin Wednesday, marking the second fall sport to begin its postseason.

Local tournaments — hosted by Delta, New Castle and Jay County, with Blackford competing at Marion — will run through Friday and Saturday, during which multiple East Central Indiana teams and individuals are expected to compete for sectional titles.

Here's a breakdown of each sectional schedule involving ECI teams, followed by the top storylines to watch out for heading into the tournament:

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Schedules

Delta sectional

  • Sept. 28, 4:45 p.m. — Muncie Burris (4-12) v. Delta (14-8)

  • Sept. 29, 4:45 p.m. — Muncie Central (5-12) v. Yorktown (16-6)

  • Oct. 1, 11 a.m. — Championship

New Castle sectional

  • Sept. 28, 4:30 p.m. — New Castle (17-5) v. Knightstown

  • Sept. 29, 4:30 p.m. — Shenandoah (6-14) v. Tri

  • Sept. 29, 6 p.m. — Blue River v. Winner of Match 1

  • Sept. 30, 4:30 p.m. — Championship

Jay County sectional

  • Sept. 28, 5 p.m. — Winchester (11-4) v. Randolph Southern

  • Sept. 28, 5 p.m. — Jay County v. Union City

  • Sept. 29, 5 p.m. — Championship

Marion sectional

  • Sept. 28, 5 p.m. — Madison-Grant v. Mississinewa

  • Sept. 28, 5 p.m. — Blackford (2-17) v. Marion

  • Sept. 29, 5 p.m. — Championship

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Delta playing for history, Yorktown gunning for title

Delta has won 29 consecutive boys tennis sectional titles, tied for the third-longest active streak in the state.

But the 2022 Eagles have endured a bumpier regular season than usual, beginning the year 2-6 before turning their play around to win 12 of their last 14 matches. On Monday, the team further solidified its improvement by edging No. 30 Mt. Vernon 3-2 to win its fifth Hoosier Heritage Conference title in a row and record 23rd overall.

One of Delta's biggest individual improvers is No. 2 singles senior Owen Vest, who began the year 1-7 yet finished with an 11-9 record overall. Additionally, seniors Riley Bratton and Colin McCrady joined forces midseason at No. 2 doubles and have found success.

Yorktown, however, poses a legitimate threat to the Eagles' chances at making history. The Tigers may have gone 3-4 in conference play this fall, yet they finished with a better overall record than Delta. They also recently gained some ground in this matchup, narrowly losing to the Eagles 3-2 at their home invitational on Saturday after being swept by them on Sept. 13.

The No. 3 singles and doubles matches, in particular, were close. This should be a fun and competitive sectional tournament.

Burris' Charlie Behrman eyeing state singles run

Burris' Charlie Behrman tracks down a ball during the No. 1 singles sectional championship match against Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020.
Burris' Charlie Behrman tracks down a ball during the No. 1 singles sectional championship match against Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020.

Behrman has been the area's top player for multiple years. He recently won his second straight Pioneer Academic Athletic Conference title and is a two-time Second Team All-State Singles, All-PAAC and All-District 4 selection, as well as one of The Star Press' 2021 fall sports Athletes of the Year.

The Owls senior entered last postseason 19-0 and holds the same record again in 2022. He lost in the regional round after winning his first two postseason matches, and his improvement in his final high school season has him considered a contender at the state level.

Winchester No. 1 doubles hopes to advance

Winchester will be going for its first sectional title since 2019. Even if the team doesn't make it out, however, head coach Derek Baker is confident the Golden Falcons' season can still continue.

The team's No. 1 doubles tandem of Drew Loyd and Charlie Sauser went undefeated in the regular season, 20-0 overall and 15-0 excluding tournament play, and most recently topped Northeastern for the Tri-Eastern Conference title.

The pair has a good chance to make it to next week.

Can New Castle knock off Knightstown?

New Castle has 18 sectional titles in its boys tennis program's history, which included four straight from 2014-17 before Knightstown's reign began.

The Trojans sport a solid team this season and face the favored Panthers in the opening round. They have little room for error, but if they can get past that initial test, they have a good chance at advancing.

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: IHSAA boys tennis: East Central Indiana team schedules, storylines