The Warsaw boys tennis team is back in the sectional title match.

The Tigers made light work of Wawasee, winning 5-0 Thursday at their own sectional.

“All the boys were confident and eager to win, and they stepped out and played hard,” said Warsaw coach Stacy Lind.

Warsaw will face Columbia City after the Eagles won 5-0 over Whitko.

Warsaw’s No. 1 singles player, Caleb Williams, redeemed himself from his three-set loss to Wawasee’s Zach Leedy at the Northern Lakes Conference Tourna-ment.

Williams won 6-2, 6-3.

“It’s the boys going out there and playing their game, and Caleb went out on that court tonight and played his game,” Lind said. “It was a great match.”

At No. 2 singles, Warsaw’s Reuben Williams pulled off a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Wawasee’s Graham Perek.

Brian Elliott played at No. 3 singles for the Tigers, beating Wawasee’s Colin Rhoades 6-2, 6-2.

Warsaw’s marquee No. 1 doubles team of Nolan Knight and Spencer Britton pulled out yet another win.

They defeated Wawasee’s Grant Brooks and Jacob Krugman 6-1, 6-1, while the Tigers’ No. 2 duo of Jarret Orr and Michael Ray topped Wawasee’s Clayton Firestone and Zeke Keim 6-1, 6-0.

Wawasee coach Shane Staley viewed the match as a learning experience for his young team.

“(The experience) is gonna be huge for them,” Staley said. “It also kind of sets a bar for them, so we know we gotta have kids training in the offseason.”

Whitko was without No. 1 singles player Devon Akers, who was absent from the match for undisclosed reasons.

The Wildcats forfeited the No. 1 singles match, while No. 2 singles player Aiden Hoffman lost 6-1, 6-2 to Eli Jones.

At No. 3 singles, Whitko’s Bryce Tucker lost 6-1, 6-0.

Whitko’s No. 1 doubles team of Micah Cokl and Nathan Smith was defeated 6-3, 6-0, while the Wildcats’ No. 2 duo of Jackson Hollenbaugh and Jonathan Strayer fell 6-2, 6-2.

Like Staley, Whitko coach Derek Hinen saw his team’s match as something from which to grow.

“We’re an improving program,” Hinen said. “Our guys got a lot better, but we’re still not quite to that level where we’ll compete for sectional yet. A lot of our young guys have a lot going for them and have bright futures if they keep working at it.”

The Tigers and the Eagles will take the court Saturday at 9 a.m. at Warsaw Community High School.

Although Warsaw has had perennial sectional success, Lind isn’t letting her players overlook Columbia City.

“(They can’t) take things for granted,” she said. “You have to go out and fight for every point.”

Eagles coach Chris McGehee isn’t letting his players overlook themselves, either.

“We respect the fact that Warsaw’s been really good, but we believe now that we’re at a point where we can at least compete, and you play them for a reason,” McGehee said. “Just because they’ve had great history doesn’t mean we can’t come out and play well.”

WARSAW 5, WAWASEE 0

Singles: No. 1 – Caleb Williams (War) def. Zach Leedy (Waw) 6-2, 6-3; No. 2 – Reuben Williams (War) def. Graham Perek (Waw) 6-3, 6-4; No. 3 – Brian Elliott (War) def. Colin Rhoades (Waw) 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles: No. 1 – Nolan Knight & Spencer Britton (War) def. Grant Brooks & Jacob Krugman (Waw) 6-1, 6-1; No. 2 – Jarret Orr & Michael Ray (War) def. Clayton Firestone & Zeke Keim (Waw) 6-1, 6-0.



COLUMBIA CITY 5, WHITKO 0

Singles: No. 1 – Kendall Smith (CC) won by default; No. 2 – Eli Jones (CC) def. Aiden Hoffman (W) 6-1, 6-2; No. 3 – Jordan Lee (CC) def. Bryce Tucker 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles: No. 1 – Logan Campbell & Jackson Longenbaugh (CC) def. Micah Cokl & Bryce Tucker (W) 6-3, 6-0; No. 2 – Jacob Ianucilli & David Kyler (CC) def. Jackson Hollenbaugh & Jonathan Strayer 6-2, 6-2.