BEMIDJI – The collective eyes of spectators at the Bemidji High School tennis courts flipped back and forth between two courts as Wednesday’s Section 8AA North Tournament match went down to the wire.
With five matches in the books, the second-seeded Lumberjacks needed to complete another doubles sweep to survive third-seeded Sartell’s elimination bid. As JD Hasbargen and Jack McNallan were closing in on a third-set tie-breaking victory at No. 1 doubles, distant roars from the Sabre faithful echoed throughout the BHS campus as Cameron Mau and Dane Kenning knocked off Matt Brown and Jackson Bahr in a three-set thriller at No. 3 doubles.
The dramatic victory gave Sartell a 4-3 win and punched its ticket to the final four of the Section 8AA Team Tournament.
“They beat the No. 1 seed in the North (Alexandria), and when we beat them, they were missing one of their No. 1 doubles players,” BHS head coach Fodness said of the Sabres. “We have really good depth throughout our whole section, especially at the top. We don’t view this as an upset. Their coach and I said before it started today that this one was going to be a barn burner. We both agreed that if we played each other 21 times this year that our teams would be so good because of it.”
Hasbargen and McNallan won their tiebreaker to give the Lumberjacks their third team point. The top BHS duo won their first set 7-6 (3) before dropping the second set 6-1. They trailed 5-3 in the third set before winning three consecutive games en route to their triumph over Grant Clark and Collin Otto.
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“They really made some great adjustments, and the credit is all on them for making those adjustments,” Fodness said of Hasbargen and McNallan. “They came back in the third, and they were up and down in the third set. They did some things really well, and they struggled at times. When the going got really tough, they locked in on what they’re good at. They had some amazing saves and played their best points at the end of the match.”
Two courts down, Bahr and Brown also went the distance in two of their three sets against Mau and Kenning. The BHS side evened the score at 1-1 after a 7-6 (3) win in the second set. The Sabres pulled away in the third, clinching the team victory by a 6-1 margin.
“Jackson Bahr and Matt Brown are the two best student-athletes you could imagine in terms of how they treat their teammates, how they compete and how they treat this game,” Fodness said. “They’re here early, and they stay late. No win or loss is ever in one group. They competed so hard throughout the match. Sartell raised their level of play. You see it in sports at all levels, and Sartell went to another level today.”
Casey Rupp cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles over Zak Farley. Aidan Larson and Brooks Johnson also rolled at No. 2 doubles, beating Aidan and Bailey Woods 6-1, 6-3. Sartell claimed the other three singles matches in straight sets.
In the days leading up to Wednesday’s playoff bout, Fodness was wary of Sartell’s prowess despite earning a 4-3 win over the Sabres in the regular season. Fodness challenged his players to prove themselves in a different way before the Section 8AA Individual Tournament on Tuesday, May 23, in Alexandria.
“This is an opportunity for the guys to prove that they just don’t do things the right way only when they’re winning,” he said. “The last couple of years, winning is most of what they’ve done. They’ve won a lot of matches, especially in the playoffs. This is an opportunity to show what happens when we lose in the playoffs. They can reset, and they can rebound.
“It’s easy to say you do the little things the right way when you win. It’s easy to say you act the right way and prepare the right way. You say, ‘It’s all about the little things and teamwork.’ But when you lose, you have to say the same stuff. We’re really happy with our guys in showing that side of themselves even after a loss.”
Sartell 4, Bemidji 3
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Singles
No. 1: Rupp (BHS) def. Farley 6-0, 6-1
No. 2: Michaud (SAR) def. Fuhrman 6-3, 6-3
No. 3: Hengel (SAR) def. Mathews 6-2, 6-2
No. 4: Paulson (SAR) def. Lappinga 6-4, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1: Hasbargen/McNallan (BHS) def. Clark/Otto 7-6 (3), 1-6, 7-6 (8)
No. 2: Larson/Johnson (BHS) def. B. Woods/A. Woods 6-1, 6-3
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No. 3: Mau/Kenning (SAR) def. Brown/Bahr 7-6 (5) 6-7 (3), 6-1
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