Red Oak boys make it to final four
NORWALK — For the first time since 2007, the Red Oak boys tennis team is on its way to the final four of the 1A team tennis tournament.
Red Oak advanced to the final four when they defeated Creston in the substate final Saturday afternoon in Norwalk 5-3.
The Tigers split their singles matches with Creston. Pete Walker, Jordan Nelson and Tanner Johnson scored the three wins in singles for the Tigers. Walker defeated Colby Taylor 6-1 and 6-0. Nelson defeated Bryce McIlravy 6-4, 5-7 and 6-4. Johnson won his match in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-1, against Jacob Caviness.
Geoff Sellers, Austin Streicher and Hayden Berry lost their singles matches to Creston. Sellers lost to Garrett Taylor 6-2 and 6-4. Streicher lost in three sets to Adam Bochart. The score was 7-6(1), 4-6 and 7-5. Berry lost to Ryan Cook 6-2 and 6-2.
The Tigers won two of their three doubles matches to clinch the trip to the state semifinals. Walker and Berry defeated Colby Taylor and McIlravy 2-6, 6-3 and 6-4.
Sellers and Streicher were the fifth win for Red Oak when they defeated Caviness and Cook 6-3, 1-6 and 6-2. Nelson and Johnson were on the court playing doubles and split the first two sets.
In the substate semifinals, Red Oak defeated Ballard 5-2. Four of Red Oak’s five wins came in singles. Nelson and Johnson clinched the win in doubles for the Tigers when they defeated Ryan Vincent and Cody Fausch 6-4 and 6-4.
Both Walker and Berry, as well as Sellers and Streicher, had second set leads in their doubles matches.
In singles, Walker defeated Vincent 6-0 and 6-0. Nelson won 6-1 and 6-3 against Kordell Lettow, while Sellers went three sets in his win against Taylor Bridgewater, winning 6-2, 6-7(4) and 6-4.
Streicher also went three sets as he defeated Fausch 6-3, 4-6 and 7-5. Johnson went three sets, but lost to Joe Kruger 6-2, 4-6 and 6-4. Berry lost to Brett Hull 6-3 and 6-3.
Since 1990, the Red Oak boys team have made it to the state team tennis semifinals 11 times. In 2007, Red Oak took fourth. In 2003, the Red Oak team won their lone state title, defeating Spencer 6-2. Red Oak’s team that season featured Grant Piller, Sam Gillespie, J.C. Blomstedt, Andrew Woods, Michael Webb and Jace Glasgo.
Red Oak has two second place finishes at the state team tournament, the first being in 1991 and the other in 1996.
The other semifinalists this year will be St. Edmond, Dubuque-Wahlert and Maharishi, Fairfield.
The state team tournament will take place a few days after the individual tournament.
The action starts May 28 at the Waveland Tennis Courts in Des Moines.
This weekend, Walker and Nelson will be in Waterloo for the individual tennis tournament. The action begins Friday at 9 a.m. at the Byrnes Tennis Center.