NEW PALESTINE — The margin was a lot closer, but the end result was more of the same.
For the ninth straight year, the New Palestine Dragons boys tennis team are county champions.
The hosts outlasted Mt. Vernon on Saturday, winning with 27 points to the Marauders’ 21. Greenfield-Central finished third with seven points and Eastern Hancock was fourth with five.
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“Just elated, real happy, real proud of my boys,” New Palestine coach Jean Graham said. “We had tough matches; it was not an easy walk by any stretch of the imagination. Great matches with all the county teams, but the boys came through.”
The Dragons won titles at No. 1 singles, No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles. The Marauders took the wins at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles.
New Palestine was led by Matthew True, who capped off an impressive undefeated run in county tournaments with his 6-0, 6-0 win against Eastern Hancock’s Kodey Huff in the championship match.
True, who earned his 71st career win and won county titles — both individual and team — all four years at New Palestine, had bested Mt. Vernon’s J.D. Cohee 6-1, 6-0 in the first round.
“It feels good. All the hard work I’ve done since elementary school has paid off to this moment,” True said. “It’s a cool feeling to have.”
He was familiar with Cohee, who True said would be on the court next to him on Sundays when they were each taking lessons. He’d never faced Huff before, but he went in confident and ready to play.
True said he locked in, focused on his own game and took things point by point. That led to a quick, two-set win and his fourth county title.
Having someone like True leading the way is a huge boon for the Dragons’ first-year head coach.
“From a coach’s point of view, I keep an eye on his score, but he knows what he’s doing,” Graham said. “I can count on him for that win and I was able to focus on my one doubles that were struggling earlier today.”
The Dragons top doubles team of Dane Reid and Ben Blachly was struggling early against Mt. Vernon’s No. 1 doubles team of Peyton Meadors and Braeden Browning.
Reid and Blachly earned a hard-fought, three-set victory, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2, before winning their title with a 6-3, 6-0 win against Greenfield-Central’s Mason Bussel and Colin Hunt.
New Palestine’s other win came from Carson Gavin. Gavin won 6-0, 6-1 against the Cougars’ Steven Roland in the first round, then found himself in a fight against Mt. Vernon’s Chris Hays in the championship round.
“I can’t say enough about Chris Hays today at two singles,” Mt. Vernon coach Gabe Muterspaugh said. “Carson Gavin has been one of the top players in the area for a couple of years. For Chris to push him three sets puts a little chink in the armor and it gets us going.”
The Dragons’ senior prevailed, 6-0, 4-6, 6-0.
Mt. Vernon had picked up a title at No. 3 singles, where Sam McCarty beat Greenfield-Central’s Seth Kirkpatrick 6-1, 6-0 in the opening round and bested New Palestine’s Trevor Darley 6-2, 6-0 for the title. Their other champion was the No. 2 doubles team of Sam Frye and Jackson Dunlavy, who won their opener 6-4, 6-2 before topping New Palestine’s Ethan Haeberle and Jeremy Wagoner 6-1, 6-3 in the final.
For the Dragons, winning a ninth county title in a row gives them a momentum boost moving forward and a little extra confidence.
It also gives them a target on their backs heading into sectionals.
“It just means a lot,” True said. “We know there’s a lot of great teams out here that brought their different talents. We know these teams are going to improve after this, and they are going to learn our tendencies. They are going to be ready for us.”
For the runners-up, the loss will serve as motivation moving forward. They know that winning a county title doesn’t guarantee sectional success.
The Marauders are looking forward to having another chance to unseat the Dragons.
“We came in and expected to win,” Muterspaugh said. “We had opportunities there. We feel like, with us rolling at two doubles and three singles, it’s going to be a dogfight.
“The Marauders are coming. We’re coming after ‘em.”
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Hancock County Tennis Tournament
Team Scores: New Palestine 27, Mt. Vernon 21, Greenfield-Central 7, Eastern Hancock 5
Championship Match results
1 Singles: Matthew True (NP) def. Kodey Huff (EH) 6-0, 6-0
2 Singles: Carson Gavin (NP) def. Chris Hays (MV) 6-0, 4-6, 6-0
3 Singles: Sam McCarty (MV) def. Trevor Darley (NP) 6-2, 6-0
1 Doubles: Dane Reid/Ben Blachly (NP) def. Mason Bussel/Colin Hunt (GC) 6-3, 6-0
2 Doubles: Jackson Dunlavy/Sam Frye (MV) def. Ethan Haeberle/Jeremy Wagoner (NP) 6-1, 6-3
Third-Place Match Results
1 Singles: J.D. Cohee (MV) def. Sam Galyean (GC) 7-5, 6-3
2 Singles: Ian White (EH) def. Steven Roland (GC) 5-7, 6-3 (10-7)
3 Singles: Seth Kirkpatrick (GC) def. John McDaniel (EH) 6-2, 6-0
1 Doubles: Peyton Meadors/Braeden Browning (MV) def. Keegan Bowman/Brady Ellis (EH) 6-2, 6-0
2 Doubles: Robbie Dye/Kane Bradley (GC) def. Peyton Robertson/Sam Blocher (EH) 6-1, 6-2
JV Team Scores: New Palestine 26, Mt. Vernon 22, Greenfield-Central 7, Eastern Hancock 5
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