TRAVERSE CITY – Cody Richards and Owen Jackson are three years old, but the duo have a common goal.
Win a state championship. At the moment.
Two of the six No. 1 seeds from Traverse City St. Francis at the State Tennis Championships this weekend are hoping to benefit from stellar seasons as the Gladiators try to live up to that No. 1 ranking in Division 4.
“There is definitely some pressure,” said TCSF head coach Dane Fosgard. “But as Billie Jean King says, ‘Printing is a privilege.'”
The two-day state final returns to the traditional format after a year-long switch. The Division 4 final takes place in Ann Arbor, with doubles at Ann Arbor Pioneer and the single flights across the street on the University of Michigan campus.
“We have a very good chance,” said Jackson, a freshman with a 35-4 record in third place in which Richards won a state title in 2019. “Our doubles were great, one through four. … We were close last year, but this year I definitely think we can do it. “
Richards won an individual title two years ago in third place in singles, as did Ben Schmude in first place in doubles. Now they want to add state titles as the Glads’ top doubles with a record of 34: 5.
“We have a really good chance of winning as a team,” said Richards. “That has always been a goal of mine. We have never done it before. “
The only two flights that did not achieve a top placement are Grant Hedley in first place in the singles and the double tandem No. 2 by Jack Britten and Anthony Spranger. Hedley was seeded in 6th place while Britten and Spranger are in second place after losing a close game to top seeded Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian earlier this season.
“We’re looking at our face-to-face duels with Hudsonville Unity, NorthPointe Christian and Grosse Pointe Liggett,” said Fosgard, who received his third Regional Coach of the Year award this season. “When we meet them, there will be great games.”
The other No. 1 seeds of the Gladiators come from Tristan Bonanni (28-8) in 2nd place, Chris Bobrowski (31-7) in 4th place and Charlie Kings / Derek Berta (28-10) in 3rd place doubles.
The changed format last year also meant that only the number 1 in the singles was played for a single champion. Each division selected the top eight players for a tournament, but that meant none of the other seven flights had a champion.
Richards thought he and Schmude could have won the No. 1 double crown. They beat Liggett in the regular season and lost a tough game with Hackett, their two top rivals.
Fosgard said the gladiators would earn 37 points if the seeds held up, although that is far from likely. Allegan and Kalamazoo Hackett shared the 2019 Division 4 title with 21 points each in a very tight field where seven teams scored 16 or more points, including TCSF fourth place with a total of 18.
Liggett won in 2018 with 34 points, two from Ann Arbor Greenhills – and six from St. Francis.
But the Glads don’t get too confident. Richards recalls the team ranked No. 1 last year, falling 5-3 to Hudsonville Unity in the state semifinals.
The final had a different format last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The teams played in dual matches against each other instead of the traditional flighted tournaments.
“It was just different,” said Richards. “The whole tournament was a change for everyone. Not all of them coped well with the pressure. “
The return to the more normal format should make the teams more comfortable. Every TCSF flight also drew a first-round bye, so every second-round match was worth two points instead of one.
The four-hour trip to Ann Arbor for the D-4 finals won’t be new to St. Francis, who played a dozen road events across Michigan this season – many against much larger schools.
“It’s not something we’re not used to,” said Fosgard.
The Gladiators played 39 games, most from any MHSAA team. Fosgard said they tried to maximize their allowable 16 competition dates by playing in as many downstate quads as possible. The Glads also hosted four Home Meets and Regionals.
“That helps a lot,” said Richards, who contributed to one of the Glads’ three semi-finals wins last year. “We make such a schedule every year. It takes experience to know what to do in the hotel so that you don’t get tired and stay in your routine. “
Traverse City Central and Petoskey also qualified for the Division 2 and 3 finals, respectively. Centrals No. 1 doubles team of Drew Humphrey and Ryan O’Connor earned the No. 6 seed with a 20-5 record. Shane Dilloway of the Trojans was named Regional Coach of the Year along with Fosgard. Central plays in Division 2 at Hope College while Petoskey travels to Midland for the Division 3 final.
Eli Schmude is the only other newcomer to the TCSF starting line-up, in fourth place in doubles, where he and play partner Tommy Pütz are top with a 26-10 mark. They know who they will meet in Ben Cook and Jonathan Kertawidjaja from Berrien Springs after Jackson Lumen Christi lost their first round match.
“This really is the year,” said Jackson. “That’s it. We won’t have that many seniors until maybe I am a senior.”
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