LAFAYETTE ― West Lafayette senior Jasper Xiang’s parade and fightback with his friend, Harrison freshman Zan Young, took place Thursday in the IHSAA men’s tennis sectional final .
Xiang and Young have played as opponents and hitting partners since Young moved to West Lafayette two years ago after his father, Geoff, became Purdue’s men’s tennis coach.
A large crowd gathered around Young and Xiang, with all eyes on the two players who would determine this year’s sectional winner.
“Zan is a very good player and we have been training all year round since he moved here,” Xiang said. “He’s a really nice guy and he pushed me really hard today.”
Xiang focused on clean, consistent forehands and Young tried to use his quickness to shorten the court and force errors.
That day, however, Xiang was unwavering. He kept his forehands and rallies simple, never straying too far from center court. He toppled Young, 6-2, 6-2, as West Lafayette advanced with a 3-2 team victory.
“I think it comes from playing a lot of matches and tournaments,” Xiang said. “I had quite a few tantrums and I lost because my head was out of control. So I knew if I didn’t keep my cool I would self-destruct and lose the match. “
West Lafayette won its second straight section championship, making it the 31st for the Red Devils since 1988.
West Lafayette doubles teams Gavin Ruan and Yoonsung Kee won 6-1, 6-3, and Jonathan Hong and Anthony Son won 6-4, 6-1.
More: Harrison becomes IHSAA women’s tennis section champion again
Harrison won the other two singles matches, thanks to Emerson Mohr and Henry Graham.
Ruan and Kee have chemistry on and off the court that has spanned a decade. The two became close friends at Jump Start preschool and began playing tennis when they were eight years old.
“Since seventh grade, we’ve had a lot of classes together, so we’ve been able to form really strong bonds with each other,” Ruan said. “And that translates very well to the tennis court because our playing styles complement each other very well. Yoonsung is able to hit a lot of very powerful shots, especially on the serve, and he has a very good volley. And I’m more strong from the baseline, so I’m able to place him very well, especially when we play doubles.
West Lafayette’s victory avenged a loss when the programs faced off on August 22. That day, Xiang and Young played a three-hour match which was won by Young after Xiang struggled with cramps.
This time, the outcome was different on a calm and windy Thursday afternoon as Xiang faced Young, who battled a lingering foot injury throughout the fall.
“Even though the score didn’t seem like a very close game, every score was a draw,” Xiang said. “And I really had to fight and push myself to win that match.”
Central Catholic wins first-ever men’s tennis sectional
Some tinkering had to be done for Central Catholic in the final two weeks before sectionals after an injury forced doubles player Colton Minnick to sit out the remainder of the season.
And somehow, with two faces in different places, the Knights came together at the right time.
Junior Alex Schummer and senior Trevor Powers played doubles partners, winning 6-0, 6-2, as the Knights won their first-ever men’s tennis sectional, 3-2 over McCutcheon.
Evan McLaughlin (6-1, 6-0) and Jonah Gerkey (6-1, 6-3) each won singles matches.
“It’s surprising, we’ve never actually won a sectional title and every year we put our goals down on a piece of paper,” Powers said. “This year it happened, I love these guys that really relate to this year.”
Powers and Schummer discussed the legacy of adding to the school’s athletic success, with state titles in baseball, football, girls volleyball, boys and girls basketball and girls soccer.
“Being able to continue this sectional title tradition means a lot to me,” Schummer said. “Continuing this legacy of winning and contributing to the school.”
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at [email protected]on Twitter at EthanA Hansonand Instagram on ethan_a_hanson.
This article was originally published in the Lafayette Journal & Courier: IHSAA men’s tennis: West Lafayette and Central Catholic win section titles
