IHSAA Boys Tennis
1996-97 State Finals in Review
Park Tudor lived up to its top-ranked billing with
a 4-1 victory over Terre Haute South for the state championship
in the 30th annual IHSAA Boys Team Tennis State Finals on October
19, 1996 at North Central High School in Indianapolis.
The top-ranked Panthers finished the season 23-1
and defeated seven consecutive ranked teams on its way to the
school's second state crown. Park Tudor also won the boys tennis
championship in 1990. No. 12-ranked Terre Haute South finished
15-5 this season and was making its third appearance in the state
finals.
Junior Eric Gershman put Park Tudor over the top
with his 6-2, 6-2 decision over Joe Cantillo at No. 2 singles
which gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead at that point. The Panthers'
No. 1 doubles team of Jamie Knall and John Pearson remained unbeaten
for the year by winning twice in straight sets, including a 6-2,
6-3 win over Terre Haute South's Argie Gonzales and T.C. Clary
in the final.
Park Tudor earned its way into the championship match
with a 4-1 win over fifth-ranked Homestead in one of the two semifinal
matches. Terre Haute South gutted out its third straight 3-2 victory
over unranked South Bend St. Joseph's in the other semifinal to
advance. Homestead, which finished 19-4 and was making its fifth
straight appearance in the state finals, downed South Bend St.
Joseph's (19-3) by a 4-1 count in the consolation match.
Raju Raval of Homestead High School was named the
1996 recipient of the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award in Boys Tennis.
Raval, who played No. 2 doubles for the Spartans, ranks first
academically in his senior class of 401 students. Farm Bureau
Insurance, corporate partner of the IHSAA, will present a $1,000
scholarship in Raval's name to Homestead High School.
Players representing Fort Wayne North Side and Park
Tudor captured the first IHSAA Boys Tennis Singles and Doubles
state championships in the history of those schools on October
26, 1996 at the Racquets Four Tennis Centre in Indianapolis.
Oliver Cantrell, a senior from Fort Wayne North Side,
put the finishing touches on a perfect season by battling sophomore
Kevin Burnett of Center Grove through a first-set tiebreaker before
posting a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 victory to win the IHSAA Boys Tennis
Singles championship.
Cantrell, who defeated John Crockett of Indianapolis
Chatard 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and Cody Conley of Floyd
Central in the semifinals, finished 9-0 in tournament play and
26-0 this season. Burnett was 9-1 in tournament competition and
17-4 overall.
In the doubles competition, senior Jamie Knall and
freshman John Pearson completed a 24-0 campaign with a 6-2, 6-1
triumph over senior Mandar DeSai and junior Kit Buechley of West
Lafayette. Knall and Pearson, who lost only one set all season,
also helped Park Tudor to the IHSAA Boys Team Tennis state championship
on October 19.
30TH ANNUAL TEAM STATE FINALS
October 19, 1996
North Central H.S., Indianapolis
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Park Tudor 4, Terre Haute South 1
Singles
1. Isaac Case (THS) def. Scott Sadove (PT) 6-0, 6-2
2. Eric Gershman (PT) def. Joe Cantillo (THS) 6-2, 6-2
3. Kevin Gill (PT) def. Prashant Patel (THS) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
1. Jamie Knall/John Pearson (PT) def. Argie Gonzales/T.C. Clary (THS) 6-2, 6-3
2. Wade Knall/Casey McGaughey (PT) def. Jonathan Goldbort/Conor Grimley (THS) 6-4, 6-1
CONSOLATION MATCH
Homestead 4, South Bend St. Joseph's 1
Singles
1. Richard Phillipp (H) def. James Rogers (SBSJ) 6-4, 6-0
2. Chris Varga (SBSJ) def. Daniel Rocke (H) 6-3, 6-4
3. Chris Klingelheber (H) def. Matt Lynch (SBSJ) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. Brian Miller/Anthony Arata (H) def. Ryan Kaliney/Brian Rzepnicki (SBSJ) 6-2, 6-3
2. Raju Raval/Robert Wuthrich
(H) def. Paul Williams/Mike Shaul (SBSJ) 6-0, 6-0
SEMIFINALS
Park Tudor 4, Homestead 1
Singles
1. Richard Phillipp (H) def. Scott Sadove (PT) 6-0, 6-0
2. Eric Gershman (PT) def. Daniel Rocke (H) 6-3, 6-3
3. Kevin Gill (PT) def. Chris Klingelheber (H) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles
1. Jamie Knall/John Pearson (PT) def. Brian Miller/Anthony Arata (H) 6-1, 6-1
2. Wade Knall/Casey McGaughey
(PT) def. Raju Raval/Robert Wuthrich (H) 7-5, 6-1
Terre Haute South 3, S.B. St. Joseph's 2
Singles
1. James Rogers (SBSJ) def. Isaac Case (THS) 6-2, 6-4
2. Chris Varga (SBSJ) def. Joe Cantillo (THS) 6-4, 6-3
3. Prashant Patel (THS) def. Matthew Lynch (SBSJ) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
Doubles
1. Argie Gonzales/T.C. Clary (THS) def. Ryan Kaliney/Brian Rzepnicki (SBSJ) 6-2, 6-3
2. Jonathan Goldbort/Conor
Grimley (THS) def. Paul Williams/Mike Shaul (SBSJ) 6-2, 6-1
17TH ANNUAL SINGLES STATE FINALS
October 25-26, 1996
Racquets Four Tennis
Centre, Indianapolis
SEMIFINALS RESULTS
Oliver Cantrell, senior, Fort Wayne North Side def. Richard Phillipp, junior, Homestead 6-1, 6-0.
Kevin Burnett, sophomore,
Center Grove (16-3) def. Cody Conley, sophomore, Floyd
Central 6-3, 6-4.
CONSOLATION MATCH
Cody Conley, sophomore,
Floyd Central def. Richard Phillipp, junior, Homestead,
6-3, 6-3.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Oliver Cantrell, senior,
Fort Wayne North Side def. Kevin Burnett, sophomore, Center
Grove, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.
SEVENTH ANNUAL DOUBLES STATE FINALS
October 25-26, 1996
Racquets Four Tennis
Centre, Indianapolis
SEMIFINALS RESULTS
Jamie Knall, senior\John Pearson, freshman, Park Tudor def. Matthew Walton, senior/Matthew Renn, senior, Silver Creek 6-3, 6-4.
Mandar DeSai, senior/Kit
Buechley, junior, West Lafayette def. Kyu Park, senior/Sandy
Rosen, junior, Munster 6-4, 7-5.
CONSOLATION MATCH
Matthew Walton, senior/Matthew
Renn, senior, Silver Creek def. Kyu Park, senior/Sandy
Rosen, junior, Munster 6-2, 6-4.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Jamie Knall, senior\John
Pearson, freshman, Park Tudor def. Mandar DeSai, senior/Kit
Buechley, junior, West Lafayette 6-2, 6-1.