BURLINGTON – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 16th annual state men’s dual team tennis championships will come to the Burlington Tennis Center on Saturday, with some familiar powers in tennis once again competing for state championships.
All four classification championships are scheduled for Saturday, with the 3-A and 4-A classifications starting at 9 a.m. and then the 1-A and 2-A to begin at 1 p.m.. All the teams qualifying for the finals advanced with victories in the semifinal round on Thursday.
The 4-A championship match is a battle of unbeatens, featuring 4-A newcomer East Chapel Hill against Charlotte Providence. East Chapel Hill won six state titles at the 3-A level but moved up to 4-A in the new alignment.
Both schools did very well in the 4-A individual tournament last week. Mike Greenberg of East Chapel Hill won the state 4-A singles championship last weekend after winning it in 3-A a year ago. Chris Sheehan of Providence advanced to the state semifinals and the Providence doubles team of Thomas Rickenbaker and Brendan O’Connor also made it to the state semis.
Raleigh Broughton, which had won the last four state championships, lost in the second round to Chapel Hill, which was later ousted by cross-town rival East Chapel Hill.
The 3-A championship will send Burlington Williams (19-4) against Hickory (16-1). Hickory, in the 3-A dual team final for the fourth consecutive year, is led by 3-A state singles champion Andrew Crone, who beat George Kernodle of Williams in the state championship match.
Tripp Johnson and Tyler Magerkurth of Hickory lost in the state doubles semifinals.
Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (18-1) and Brevard (15-3) will battle it out for the 2-A title. Cardinal Gibbons qualified four entries, two singles and two doubles, to the state tournament, with Will Rollinson of Gibbons winning the singles title and the Gibbons doubles team of Clark Howell and Evan Goff earning that crown. There could be a rematch of last week’s 2-A doubles championship since Howell and Goff had to defeat Zach Henson and Steve Harenburg of Brevard in the finals.
The 1-A final pits Topsail against defending champion Mount Airy. William John leads Mount Airy, as the senior standout made the state 1-A singles finals in each of his four high school seasons, winning titles in ’04 and ’05 and finishing second in ’03 and this year.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
16th ANNUAL DUAL TEAM TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Burlington Tennis Center, Burlington
Saturday, May 27,2006
Class 1-A: Hampstead Topsail vs. Mount Airy (16-5). 1 pm
Class 2-A: Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (18-1) vs. Brevard (15-3), 1 pm
Class 3-A: Burlington Williams (19-4) vs. Hickory (16-1), 9 am
Class 4-A: East Chapel Hill (23-0) vs. Charlotte Providence (14-0), 9 am
NCHSAA FastFacts
Date: May 27, 2006
Site: Burlington Tennis Center, Burlington
First Held: 1991
Qualifiers: Eastern and Western champions meet for state title; 32 schools qualified for playoffs in each classification except 1-A (16)
Defending champions: 1-A: Mount Airy; 2-A: Charlotte Catholic; 3-A: East Chapel Hill; 4-A: Raleigh Broughton
Of Interest: East Chapel Hill has won six dual team men’s titles in the last eight years in 3-A and now is playing for the 4-A title since it moved up in the current realignment. East’s all-time record in dual team play is an incredible 44-3, with all three losses in state championship matches.
Presenting Sponsors: Wendy’s and the Carolinas Ford Dealers
