Batavia's league title run ends at 2
Pat Clark had a nice view for the Glenbard South coronation.
The Raiders' senior made quick work of the first-singles championship match at the Western Sun Conference boys tennis tournament, dropping a lone game to capture his fourth consecutive league title.
Clark watched patiently from the sidelines as his Glenbard South teammates promptly ended three years of bridesmaid performances.
With victories in all three singles draws and two of the five doubles matches, Glenbard South won its first boys tennis conference title since 2002 Saturday morning in Geneva.
The Raiders totaled 28 points at the two-day tournament, ending the two-year run of Batavia, which was second with 24 points.
The host Vikings were third with 16, followed by Yorkville, Rochelle and DeKalb; Kaneland and Sycamore do not have male tennis programs.
"It feels good (to win four straight individual titles) because it looks like we're going to win the conference as a team," said Clark, headed to Division III Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter, Minn., in the fall. "We finished second the last three years. It's just been a real fun season, and the whole team gets along so well."
Clark had a first-round bye, and the three-time state qualifier concluded his unblemished league tournament career with a composite 24-1 plurality in games won.
The Raiders' Vince McPherson also stormed into the championship match at No. 2 singles with a semifinal whitewashing, extending the Glenbard South run to two with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 triumph over the Bulldogs' Alex Haizman.
Glenbard South senior Matt Ingraffia also sailed into the finals, dropping a pair of games in the semifinals, and winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-2 for the last of the Raiders' three singles titles.
Batavia seniors Colin Bohr and Jimmy White ended the Glenbard South title run at three when the partners captured No. 1 doubles with identical 7-5 verdicts over Yorkville up-and-comers Kyle Pamson and Tyler Merkel.
"They took us to three sets during the conference season," Bohr said. "They're young but good. Definitely our rallies were strong today and staying in the point (was critical). I think we played better (Friday) than today."
Bohr and White are 19-3 on the season.
"(Bohr) is really good at picking me up when I'm down," White said. "That's good that we can do that for each other."
But the Raiders' second- and fourth-doubles units, Naveed Shah and Chris Yang, and Kevin Kuntz and Phil Warman, respectively, sealed the conference team title with victories.
"Now that we won that (first-set tiebreaker) we had to keep the momentum up and finish it off," Shah said.
Batavia partners Adam Yingst and Tom Joyce snared the final championship with a three-set victory over Geneva counterparts Robby Parker and Richie Michaels at third doubles.
"We had high hopes for dethroning Batavia and Glenbard South," Geneva coach Doug Ross said. "We didn't beat our (higher) seeds. That affected our ability to finish first or second."