FORTVILLE — When two successful competitive county rivals converge on the tennis courts, the smallest gap of skill in the heat of the moment is what makes the difference, Mt. Vernon head coach Gabe Muterspaugh said.
And in Friday’s sectional championship, that small gap is what determined the champion and the runner up.
The New Palestine Dragons won the sectional title against Mt. Vernon on Friday night, their seventh title in a row, with a 4-1 win. The Dragons, riding the momentum of a 14-3 record in the regular season, will face Fishers at a regional Tuesday at North Central.
"You hate to see a team have their worst match of the year in such an important moment, but New Pal really came out and won the big points," Muterspaugh said. "New Pal was just a little bit better. We knew it was going to be tough, and it was a fun battle.
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"But we came up short, so hats off to them."
The Dragons were elated to take home what they considered a true team win, New Palestine head coach Jean Graham said. Praising the performances of seniors Carson Gavin and Matthew True, who secured clutch wins in their singles matches, Graham stressed that her doubles teams really stepped up to the plate to make the difference.
Ben Blachly and Dane Reid made a tough comeback, winning the second and third sets after losing the first to the Marauders’ Peyton Meadors and Brayden Browning. The Dragons’ Jeremy Wagoner and Ethan Haeberle won in straight sets — their first victory against Mt. Vernon this season — in their match with Jackson Dunlavy and Sam Frye at No. 2 doubles.
"The boys really came through tonight," Graham said. "They really played hard and it’s fortunate for us to end up on top.
Mt. Vernon’s win was at No. 3 singles, where Sam McCarty topped New Palestine’s Trevor Darley in straight sets.
New Palestine’s True, a senior, started out the sectional championship by defeating the Marauders’ J.D. Cohee 6-0, 6-0. True maintained his undefeated status in the county at 24-0, never losing to a Hancock County opponent in his high school career.
"I was just locked in, not thinking much," True said, recalling the moments in the final set. "I always try to just focus on hitting the ball and not think too much."
"Just playing with this team has been incredible," True added. "I want to thank my family and coaches for believing in me. The support they’ve given me is just incredible."
The Dragons are prepared to face a worthy opponent come Tuesday, Graham said. They plan to bring their best game against Fishers next week, but they’re pleased to celebrate their seventh-straight county victory in the meantime.
"(Fishers) is sixth in the state and tough as nails," Graham said. "But we’re going to go up there and play the best we can play."
"But right now, we’re enjoying the moment," she said with a smile.
