Mt. Vernon’s Tate Cougill reacts after missing a shot against Delta, Monday. Cougill came back to win his match at No. 3 singles, but the Marauders dropped a 3-2 decision to Delta for the Hoosier Heritage Conference title.
Tom Russo | The Daily Reporter
FORTVILLE — The team that played beyond its years to get to the Hoosier Heritage Conference championship match, showed some of its youth Monday.
Seeking the program’s first conference title, Mt. Vernon’s boys tennis team lost 3-2 to Delta at Mt. Vernon High School.
The Eagles won their fifth straight championship and 12th out of the last 13 years. Since 1998, Delta has won all but three HHC crowns. All three were won by New Palestine (2008, 2009, 2017).
“We did some things tonight that we hadn’t done all year. It cost us. It cost us big time,” Mt. Vernon coach Gabe Muterspaugh said. “When you make mistakes, success favors the teams that make less mistakes. We made more mistakes than we had in probably any match all year.”
Mt. Vernon finishes the regular season 14-4 and 5-2 in HHC contests. Delta wins the league with a 6-1 mark.
The Eagles lost Aug. 30 to Greenfield-Central, handing over the conference’s traveling trophy — a racket with all the conference teams names and colors — for the first since the prize was put into play in 2018.
Mt. Vernon took the trophy from Greenfield-Central a week later on Sept. 6, but had to hand it back to Delta Monday.
As has been the case much of the season, Mt. Vernon got out to quick 1-0 lead. Junior No. 1 singles player Adam Koon defeated Delta junior Dalton Royal 6-1, 6-1.
Delta followed by taking both doubles matches. At No. 1, seniors Riley Bratton and Colin McGrady defeated Mt. Vernon freshman Bryndan Wylie and junior Robbie Moore 6-2, 6-4.
At No. 2 doubles, the Eagles team of senior Isaac Anderson and junior Jake Bilby defeated Marauder junior Matthew Jones and sophomore Max Orelup 7-6 (2), 6-3.
The Marauders got a boost from freshman No. 3 singles player Tate Cougill, who defeated Delta sophomore Kody Vest 6-3, 6-4.
The final match to finish, No. 2 singles, Eagles senior Owen Vest defeated MV sophomore Manny Downs 6-3, 6-3.
“We talk about enjoying the pressure and enjoying the moment, but I think some guys got too wrapped around the axle,” Muterspaugh said. “When you play not to lose, you’re going lose. It’s unfortunate.”
Muterspaugh said his team will need to have a short memory and be ready to go for the first round of the sectional tournament, which will open later this week at Mt. Vernon High School. They drew Pendleton Heights, a team it beat earlier in the season, in a first round match, likely to be scheduled for Wednesday.
“There’s no point in dwelling on it. You have to bounce back,” Muterspaugh said of Monday’s loss. “This would have been nice, but (with no seniors) we thought we were a year away anyway. This should fuel the fire. We’re right there.
“It’s extremely disappointing, but it’s not the end game. The end game is getting the sectional. We still have an extremely good opportunity to do that if we play smart.”
