Tennis run ends for Penn, Goshen in semistates
It was a season to remember for the Penn boys tennis team regardless of the final outcome Saturday.
The Kingsmen put up a valiant effort before falling 3-2 to No. 1 West Lafayette Harrison in the Culver Academy Semistate.
Coach Eric Bower's No. 28 ranked squad not only finished at 18-3, but also won the program's first regional title since 2018. Penn had to beat rival Saint Joseph 3-2 and Chesterton 5-0 earlier in the week to claim the LaPorte Regional crown.
"This team had a lot of big wins this season and made a lot of good memories," said Bowers in a phone interview Saturday afternoon. "To see all three of our senior captains win their matches today was definitely a good feeling."
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The Kingsmen, who were runner-up to St. Joe for the NIC title, picked up a doubles sweep Saturday.
The duo of seniors Eli Deitchley and Jeffrey Bao beat Emerson Mohr and Daniel Zhang 7-5, 6-4 at No. 1 play. The Penn team of senior David Bao and freshman Quinn Lippert beat Henry Graham and Johnny Guerra 6-2, 7-6 at No. 2.
"Eli and Jeffrey picked up their game in the postseason," noted Bowers. "They had a three-set win Wednesday in the regional final and they fought hard today. To see two of our senior captains win that match was a good thing.
"Our No. 2 team played really well. That made them 5-0 in the postseason playing together. David is another of our captains so I'm happy to see him finish with a win."
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Harrison, which beat No. 2 and defending state champion Carmel in the regional, just had way too much power on the singles courts.
Aaron Gu of Harrison beat sophomore Chris Chen 6-0, 6-0 on the No. 1 singles court. Isaac Flannery beat exchange student Petter Klasson 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2 and Landon Mohr completed the win with a 6-0, 6-0 win over sophomore Evan Knapp at No. 3.
"Harrison was as advertised at singles," Bowers said. "They were really tough at all three spots. We knew that we would have our hands full there. Harrison has a good shot at the state title."
Goshen saw its perfect season end with a loss to North Central in the Homestead Semistate Saturday.
The No. 18 RedHawks fell to No. 8 North Central, 4-1. Isaac Stahly won at No. 3 singles for Goshen.
Goshen finishes its season at 23-1, while North Central advances at 18-4.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn boys' tennis team lost in high school semistate action Saturday
