The Ohio High School Athletic Association's boys tennis state tournament will take place Friday and Saturday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.
Play will begin at 9 a.m. on both days. Five qualifiers — three singles, two doubles — from northwest Ohio are set to compete.
Here is a breakdown of local participants in this year's state tournament.
DIVISION I SINGLES
Mason Deal, Perrysburg
■ Year: Senior
■ Record: 20-0
■ Sectional finish: First
■ District finish: First
■ Notable: Deal has been the top singles player in the Northern Lakes League all for years and was recently named this year's NLL player of the year. He is returning to state for a second time after qualifying as a freshman. OhioTennisZone.com ranks him the No. 9 player in Ohio.
■ Coach says: “Mason has had an incredible 2022 season. He is one of three senior varsity captains this year who led with their play, attitude, and leadership all season long. Mason is one of those players, who even when he may be down, or not playing his best, I don't have to worry about. He has an innate ability to re-focus and elevate his level of play when he needs to. It's been a treat to watch him play all season.” — Patrick Giammarco.
DIVISION I DOUBLES
Tyler Wood and Jack Oswald, St. John's
■ Years: Oswald sophomore; Wood junior
■ Record: 6-0 doubles; Wood 13-10 singles; Oswald 8-7 singles
■ Sectional finish: First
■ District finish: First
■ Notable: St. John's will be sending a qualifier to the state tournament for the 16th consecutive season. Wood and Oswald defeated two of their teammates, Nathan Allen and Raphael Yazji, in an all-St. John's district final. The Titans as a team took second in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference this spring.
■ Coach says: “They've had a good year. Our schedule was very tough. We played the No. 1-ranked team in the state. We beat the No. 4- ranked team in Division II. So I think them being used to playing those guys, I think it's helped them along the way a lot.” — Jim Davis
DIVISION II SINGLES
Jay Fortner, Bryan
■ Year: Senior
■ Record: 37-0
■ Sectional finish: First
■ District finish: First
■ Notable: Fortner is returning to the state tournament for the third time. He won his opening-round match to advance to the quarterfinals in both 2019 and 2021. Fortner has a school-record 93 wins in his career. OhioTennisZone.com ranks him the No. 15 player in the state. He will continue his tennis career at Capital University.
■ Coach says: “Jay is an extraordinary player who beats you with his mind as much as his racquet. However, his best trait is that he is a ‘team-first’ player and has always put the interest of the team ahead of himself.” — Mitchell Owens
Jack Burke, Ottawa Hills
■ Year: Senior
■ Record: 13-11
■ Sectional finish: Second
■ District finish: Second
■ Notable: Burke will be making his first state appearance.
■ Coach says: “Jack's success this year is the result of years of hard work. His approach to practice and drills throughout the year has been impressive and that's exactly what you want from the leader of your team. He earned his way to states!” — Dan Amato
DIVISION II DOUBLES
Braden Tucker and Gavin Yu, Maumee
■ Year: Seniors
■ Record: 6-2
■ Sectional finish: First
■ District finish: Third
■ Notable: Tucker and Yu were also singles players for Maumee this season, with Tucker taking fourth in the NLL at No. 1 and Yu placing second at No. 2. They won a sectional title for the second straight season. Last year, Tucker and Yu finished one match away from advancing to the state tournament.
■ Coach says: “Getting to states didn't happen overnight. Hard work and willingness to accept a new sport that was foreign to them four years ago and getting to states and representing Maumee High School in the state tournament, who have been absent from states for the past 25 years, is a perfect ending to great high school tennis career for both of them.” — Teddy Morse
First Published May 26, 2022, 4:30 p.m.
