FORTVILLE — The last time Greenfield-Central won a boys tennis sectional head coach Michael Turpin was a senior in high school.
On Friday night at Mt. Vernon High School, the Cougars, getting a pair of three-set victories at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles, won 3-2 to claim their first championship since 2007 by beating the host school in the Mt. Vernon Sectional.
Turpin, head coach of his alma mater for the last nine years, has had a combined — between the boys and girls programs — nine teams reach a sectional championship match. This was the first time his Cougars have come out on top.
“I’ve been close too many times,” an ecstatic, and hoarse, Turpin said. “We were in this spot last year and Mt. Vernon came back and closed it out. That’s been on our minds for a year. To see it come back to the exact same spot and the exact same situation, we were down again at No. 2 doubles and to grind that out to close out the victory was huge.
“Especially, when it came down to a sophomore at No. 3 singles in a tiebreak and a freshman at No. 2 doubles (serving for the match). That’s a big pressure point and they definitely rose up for the moment.”
Three matches were quick two-setters.
Greenfield-Central’s No. 1 doubles team of Luke Sitzman and C.J. Michalek won 6-0, 6-0 over Mt. Vernon’s Robbie Moore and Matthew Jones. At No. 2 singles, Mt. Vernon’s Manny Downs tied the match 1-1 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over G-C’s Caden Robertston.
Third off the court was Mt. Vernon No. 1 singles player Adam Koon. He won 6-1, 6-1 over Chris Long.
While business was quick on three of the courts, that wasn’t the case in the final two matches.
At No. 3 singles, Greenfield-Central’s Alex Michalek defeated Tate Cougill 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4).
In the third set, both struggled to hold serve. Each player had five breaks.
Alex Michalek was first to win his serve. He followed by breaking Cougill to go up 5-2. Cougill broke right back, then won his serve and added a break of his own to tie it 5-5. Both players broke again to force the tie-breaker.
“I knew I needed to win,” Alex Michalek said. “I knew I needed to stay strong when I was down. (Winning the sectional) feels amazing!”
After the Cougars win at No. 3, it was up to the highly-competitive match at No. 2 doubles.
A year ago, the teams were in the same situation, tied 2-2 with No. 2 doubles on the court.
Greenfield-Central led 5-4 in the final set before Mt. Vernon rallied back to win the set and the match.
The G-C team of Nathan Roberts, a freshman, and Mateo Molanphy won the first set 7-5. MV’s Bryndan Wylie and Max Orelup won the second 7-5. It was 7-5 in the final set with the freshman Roberts winning serve to clinch the program’s first sectional championship in 16 years.
“It was nerve-racking. The first set we came out with tons of energy. In the second set, I thought we had good energy, but it significantly dropped towards the end,” Roberts said. “The third set we really just had to find a way to win.
“I feel like I really did my part. It was almost like I needed to do this for everyone else, not just for me, but for the whole team.”
“I have to mention Mt. Vernon,” Turpin added. “That is, I think, the best sectional final I have ever been a part of. They came to play. That was tough. That was fun and that was great Hancock County tennis. For me personally, it’s fun to be on the other side of it. All props to our guys.”
“Kudos to Turpin and their whole program,” Mt. Vernon coach Graham McMullen said. “It was a fun match to be a part of.”
