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MIDDLEBURY - It was supposed to be closer.
After playing to a 3-2 decision in the regular season, the matchup between Goshen and Warsaw in the boys' tennis regional Tuesday had the potential to go down to the wire.
The Redskins were singles heavy, but Warsaw had taken the two doubles matches in the previous matches. If the Tigers could steal a singles win in one of the three positions, they could pull off the upset. That was the thought going in.
But this time, the more experienced Redskins were the more aggressive team and blanked Warsaw 5-0 in cold, drizzly conditions at Northridge High School.
"Coming in we would have had to take one of the singles matches," Warsaw coach Andy Lewis said. "The doubles were close, but we weren't really sure."
Goshen's top three singles players, Tim Miller, Tom Slabach and Adam Scharf, came into the match with a combined record of 53-1 on the season. And although the doubles teams seemed to be more vulnerable, they too stepped up to the task.
Warsaw's Ryan Van Puffelen looked to be set to pull off the upset the Tigers needed at the No. 2 singles position against Slabach (19-0). After falling to Slabach 6-0, 6-1 earlier in the NLC championships, Van Puffelen led 5-4 in both sets before succumbing 7-5, 7-5.
Miller was too much for Warsaw's Craig Harman at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-1, and Scharf went through Pete Hake at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-0.
"I don't think Slabach has gone that far with anybody this year, he and Miller are about the same," Lewis said. "They are two top notch, quality tennis players."
Goshen really turned things around in the doubles area, where Warsaw had the upper hand before Tuesday. The Redskins' No. 1 team of Luke Jordan and Phil Bowser beat Warsaw's Owen Compton and Matt Howard, 6-4, 6-4, while the No. 2 battle went to Goshen's Chad Zepeda and Josh Kurtz, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, over Warsaw's Dan Tupps and Dan Benyousky.
Despite the loss, Lewis will take the progress his Tigers made over the course of the season, especially considering they entered the campaign with only one player with varsity experience.
"The pressure (of a regional) is just unbelievable to put on a bunch of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and a couple of seniors," Lewis said. "Last year, it came down to two points. I think I took that a whole lot harder than I did this year because we were so close, and we really had the team last year. But this year, Goshen was supposed to beat us and the pressure was on them, and they came out firing."
Goshen and Warsaw have hooked up in some classic battles over Lewis' three seasons at the helm of the Tigers, but it seems to be a friendly rivalry with Lewis having a close relationship with Goshen coaches Paul Algate and Doug Gossman.
Last year, members of the Goshen team followed Warsaw's doubles team of Jim Moryl and Brian Grossnickle down to the state doubles finals after the Redskins fell in the semistate to CMA.
"We have a good rivalry going, but we still have some congenital players," Lewis said.
But Lewis will still like to get another crack at Goshen next year.
"With freshmen and sophomores playing in a regional, you have to be smiling for next year," he said. "However, I know Goshen will have their players ready next year."
Goshen now plays Elkhart Central today in the finals of the regional.
Valley's Love Falls
Tippecanoe Valley's junior Eric Love, playing in the singles competition for the tournament, fell to Concord's Nick Pulver, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round.
Love finishes the season with an overall mark of 10-7.
GOSHEN 5, WARSAW 0
Singles
No. 1 - Tim Miller (G) def. Craig Harman, 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 - Tom Slabach (G) def. Ryan Van Puffelen, 7-5, 7-5
No. 3 - Adam Scharf (G) def. Pete Hake, 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 - Luke Jordan and Phil Bowser (G) def. Owen Compton and Matt Howard, 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 - Chad Zepeda and Josh Kurtz (G) def. Dan Tupps and Dan Benyousky, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
