Manhattan boys' tennis wins 6th consecutive Centennial League title

May 5—The latest Manhattan boys' tennis Centennial League trophy is dedicated to Indians' past, to the players who began the streak and to those who missed their chance to continue it.

The 2021 Indians won their sixth straight Centennial League tournament on Monday. That result won't fill the void left by the canceled 2020 season, and none of the six boys who smiled for Monday's championship photo-op were around when Manhattan began its Centennial League title streak in 2015.

But the longer the Indians' winning tradition continues, the stronger the connection between current and former players becomes. In that regard, the number of fingerprints on the 2021 trophy far outweighs the number of players who held it.

"It's a win for us, but it's also representing those who have come before us and started the streak," Ingram said. "We're proud of it, and we're glad we can continue it."

The Indians' sixth straight league title was their first under Ingram, who replaced former coach Brandon Starkey. Ingram knew what to expect from his top singles player, Dan Harkin (24-1), who won his third Centennial League singles title while losing only one of the 41 games he played (Ingram doesn't expect Harkin to be pushed later this week at regionals, either).

But the Indians' breakthrough win came at No. 2 doubles, where Dil Ranaweera and Jackson Ivester upset Washburn Rural's No. 1 doubles team during the first match of the doubles tournament.

Once Ranaweera and Ivester completed their 8-4 win, Ingram "had a pretty good idea" Manhattan would capture another Centennial title. Ranaweera and Ivester finished fourth after losing to teammates Luke Craft and Kelton Poole in the third-place match.

"They were consistent," Ingram said of Ranaweera and Ivester. "They controlled the ball, controlled the tempo of the game. That was a huge match for us."

Jon Grove finished third in the singles tournament, which Ingram said bodes well for Grove's pursuit of a top-five seed in this weekend's regional tournament.

Grove showcased his relentless return talents in wins over Seaman (8-1), Topeka (8-1) and Highland Park (8-0). Topeka West beat Grove 8-4, but he rebounded with a win over Washburn Rural in the third-place match.

"He's in a great situation going into regionals," Ingram said. "He's come on strong here late, and I'm proud of him for that."

Ingram expects Poole and Craft (along with Harkin) to be a 1-seed at regionals, which made their third-place finish on Monday a bit underwhelming. The Indians' top doubles team fell behind 5-2 during their 8-4 loss against Emporia and couldn't recover.

Poole and Craft must come out stronger and, according to Ingram, rely more on placement over power at regionals. The tournament begins at 10 a.m. Friday at the Riverside Tennis Center in Wichita.

"And I think they probably have the ability to be top-three or top-four finishers at state," Ingram said of Kelton and Poole. "But that continued work has to be there."