For six consecutive years the Warsaw boys tennis team has won the sectional, only to turn around and fall to Goshen in the regional.

That won't happen this year.

Warsaw won its sectional Saturday with two convincing wins, 4-1 over Wawasee in the semifinal and 5-0 over Tippecanoe Valley in the championship, but the Goshen Redskins fell to Fairfield 3-2.

Is Warsaw coach Andy Lewis, who has coached the Tigers to their last six sectional titles, fully aware of the fact that Goshen won't be there?

You better believe it.

"I think Goshen out of the tournament is kind of like playing the Chicago Bulls without Michael Jordan," said Lewis. "It's up for grabs for whoever wants it."

The Tigers, who bring an 11-3 record to today's 5 p.m. Concord Sectional, will play Elkhart Central (12-5) in the semifinal round. In the other semifinal, Fairield (18-2) will square off with DeKalb (17-3). The winners will play for the championship at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

"We beat Fairfield (3-2), and we beat Elkhart Central (3-2)," said Lewis, "but they'll be ready to play us."

The Tigers have the experience to win the regional, with six seniors and one junior in the varsity lineup. But at practice on Monday Lewis, like Mark McGwire downplaying the home run race, wouldn't come out and say his team was the clear cut favorite.

"All I ask as a coach is for them to go out and give the best they've got and work hard as they possibly can while they're on the court," said Lewis. "If they do that, we have a very good opportunity of winning."

In his six years at the helm of the Tigers, Lewis has seen Goshen win time and time again. Lewis said he's seen some talented Warsaw tennis players fall to the Redskins.

"I think one of the hardest ones we took was a couple of years ago," said Lewis, "Craig Harman (No. 1 singles) lost in a tiebreaker. Pete Anders goes 18-1 two years ago, and his only loss was to Goshen in the regional final."

Goshen is gone; Lewis is happy. The one thing Lewis doesn't seem to be happy about are the injuries that have hampered the Tigers this year. On many occasions he has had to shuffle the lineup because of Matt Krizmanich's knee, or because of Brad Simmon's back or for whatever other injury has plagued the Tigers recently.

"We've got a kid with a slight tear in his knee, another out with back problems, and one with an ankle sprain," said Lewis. "Warsaw's pretty beat up."

Krizmanich has come back and played with his knee injury. Rather than in a singles position, he's playing at the No. 1 doubles slot with Eric Grossnickle, where they won they won the sectional Saturday with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of a duo from Tippecanoe Valley. But Lewis said he'd still like to have Simmons back.

"As a team we're about 80 percent (healthy)," said Lewis. "But it would be nice to have Brad Simmons in the picture at No. 2 singles. I'd be tickled pink. However, we're a strong enough team. If our team decides to play, we'll be tough to beat." [[In-content Ad]]