Negaunee’s James Thomson, left, returns a shot with partner Jace Turri watching during a No. 1 doubles match at the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 1 Finals in boys tennis held at Kingsford High School on Wednesday. (Iron Mountain Daily News photo by Dennis Mansfield)
Coach Kyle Saari’s program has been a powerhouse over the past 14 years, winning eight Division 1 championships and finishing runner-up three times.
Still, the Miners entered the 2023 event having finished second behind Escanaba the last two seasons. But this Negaunee squad was dripping with confidence, having gone through the regular campaign unbeaten and hardly ever losing an individual match along the way.
With that in mind, the Miners’ championship Wednesday at Kingsford High School could’ve been expected. But take nothing away from the dozen Negaunee players who shined nearly as brightly as the blazing sun overhead with seven flight championships and one second-place finish to recapture the trophy in emphatic fashion.
The Miners finished the day with 23 points, well in front of 2022 champion Escanaba, which recorded 11. Kingsford took third with 8, Marquette placed fourth with 6, Westwood came in fifth with 5 and Gladstone did not post a point and was sixth.
The Negaunee High School boys tennis team receives the trophy as champions at the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 1 Finals in boys tennis at Kingsford High School on Wednesday. (Iron Mountain Daily News photo by Dennis Mansfield)
“From Day 1, they wanted to bring a U.P. title back home,” Saari said of his squad. “So for us to take seven out of eight finals, it’s a great feeling. You have to play your best on the final day, and today they were able to do that. They answered the bell.”
Frankly, the Miners have done that all season to a remarkable degree. Negaunee not only beat every opponent they faced along the way, the Miners’ players won a staggering 155 of 160 combined matches.
And to cap it all off, Negaunee lost just two of 32 sets on the final day of the season.
“This year has been kind of unprecedented,” Saari said. “I don’t think you can ever see (a 155-5 record) coming. Our 2012 team was 162-7, and this team beat that as far as winning percentage.
“The unique thing was they were able to answer the challenge every single day. They’re a humble group, they do it the right way and they handle it the right way, too.”
The Negaunee High School boys tennis team, including head coach Kyle Saari at top right, stands with their “MHSAA Champion” placards and team trophy for winning the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 1 Finals in Kingsford on Wednesday. (Iron Mountain Daily News photo by Dennis Mansfield)
The Miners swept the four doubles flights. At No. 1, Jace Turri and James Thomson knocked off Kingsford’s Ben Trevillian and Gabe Lafreniere 6-1, 7-5 in their championship match, while Gavin Jacobson and Gavin Downey defeated Gabe Tossava and Reid Frustaglio of Westwood 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2.
“Jace and James played their best tennis today and capped off a great year,” Saari said. “They served and returned well, and just played all around good tennis.”
At No. 3, Philip Nelson and Zack Brundage posted a 7-5, 6-2 win over Nick Chaillier and Vincent Guindon of Escanaba, while at No. 4, Ethan Harris and Brandon Borlace upended Brett Berglund and Isaac Lebouef of Kingsford 6-3, 6-3.
The only flight that didn’t end with a Negaunee win was No. 1 singles, where Escanaba senior Dawson Williams defeated Miners senior Luke Syrjala in two tough sets, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.
Williams was overwhelmed with emotion after putting his name in the U.P. record book.
“I’m lost for words right now,” Williams said, fighting off tears. “I never thought when I was a freshman walking into tennis, I’d be winning a U.P. title at (No.) 1 singles.”
Williams said the matchup with Syrjala, their fifth duel of the season, came with the added difficulty of playing a lefthander.
“It is always tough to deal with a lefty and he’s a very competitive player,” said Williams, who won four of the five matches with Negaunee’s top singles player this spring.
But in the overall competition, Negaunee’s depth was too much for all the other competitors.
“We feel that from (No.) 1 singles to (No.) 4 singles, on any day, they could have each other’s (flight) numbers, so all four of them were able to push each other during the course of the year to make us better,” Saari said. “And I think that’s true within our doubles lineup, too.”
Negaunee’s singles victories came from No. 2 Gavin Saunders with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Escanaba’s Sam Rivera, No. 3 Mick Kumpula with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Westwood’s Patrick Klumpp, and No. 4 Tyler Lajimodiere with a 6-0, 3-0 win over Esky’s Julian Chasen after the Eskymo had to pull out of the match in the second set.
“Gavin Saunders put in an incredible effort in the final,” Saari said. “He’s the type of kid that you coach on a changeover, tell him exactly what needs to be done, and he does it. He was down 4-0 and rallied.
“Mick gave us a scare in the semi(final) and wasn’t feeling well, but he was extremely determined and put together a phenomenal finish in that match, and grinded out his final.
“It’s very rare for a team to have seven flights go undefeated, in addition to four flights that didn’t drop a set all year. It’s quite a feat, and a huge credit to the character and ability of these kids. We’re appreciative of what all 12 brought to our program this year.”
Jerry DeRoche is a staff writer for the Iron Mountain Daily News who wrote this account of the finals for the Michigan High School Athletic Association website at www.mhsaa.com.