Allegan Earns 1st Title, Hackett 1st Since 2005
October 20, 2019
By Greg Chrapek
Special for Second Half
HOLLAND – After chasing an elusive MHSAA Finals tennis championship for years, what would a few more hours waiting matter for the Allegan boys tennis team?
With all but the No. 3 singles semifinals and final completed Saturday afternoon at the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals at Hope College, Allegan and Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep were tied for first place with 21 total team points apiece. The No. 3 singles semifinals were moved to the evening, with a match between Hackett and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard set to determine if Hackett won the title outright or shared with Allegan.
For some six to seven hours Saturday afternoon, the Tigers had to anxiously wait for their fate to be determined by a pair of players from a team other than their own. The coaches kept the team busy with lunch and a trip to the BAM! Entertainment Center, where the team played laser tag to burn off the nervous energy.
While the coaching staff kept the team occupied, the anxiety was still prevalent.
“It was very high stress,” said Walker Michaels, one of five seniors on the team. “It was a lot of stress waiting all day to find out if we would win a state championship or not.”
Allegan’s nerve level was heightened considerably shortly after the semifinals began. After Hackett jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set, Gabriel Richard senior Rafid Farjo quickly became Allegan’s favorite tennis player not wearing orange and black when he battled back to win the first set. Farjo then made every Allegan tennis player’s dream come true when he won the second set, sending him into the final at No. 3 singles and Allegan to the victory stand where the Tigers shared the team championship trophy with the Hackett team that it previously defeated for the Regional championship.
“This is the first time that Allegan has won a state tennis title, boys or girls,” said Allegan co-coach Seth Arthur. “These guys have worked their tails off. They’ve played with the pressure of being number one in the state all year. To win the first tennis title in school history is an unbelievable feeling.”
For Allegan seniors Tim Lyon, Owen Clearwater, David Roark, Noah Festerling and Michaels, the wait was more than worth it.
“This was everything we worked for and dreamed of,” Lyon said. “All the hard work and every practice paid off.”
“Winning the first-ever state title is very exciting,” Clearwater said. “It’s a blessing to be a part of this and to be a part of Allegan High School.”
Winning required a total-team effort. Freshman Eli Festerling was Allegan’s lone flight champion as he captured the title at No. 4 singles.
“I knew it was going to be really hard,” Festerling said. “I played (finalist Gerry Sherer of Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett) earlier this year, and he has become a lot better. He was a lot more confident, and I was not prepared for that in the first set. I kept the pace up, and that made the difference for me.”
Kalamazoo Hackett earned a share of the Division 4 title without winning a flight championship. Instead, the Irish utilized the same formula that Allegan used as the total-team effort produced the needed points.
Hackett put a total of five flights into the semifinal round, with three flights reaching the finals. Jack Ford advanced at No. 2 singles, while Connor Cavanaugh and Anthony Toweson reached the finals at No. 2 doubles and Jack Gordon and Miklas Johansson reached the finals at No. 3 doubles.
“We have a pretty special team this year,” said Cavanaugh, a senior. “No one expected our team to win a state title. All of our hard work paid off. As a team we collectively put in the hard work, and all of that hard work paid off.”
The Finals title was the first won by Hackett since the Irish tied Grosse Ile for the Division 4 title in 2005.
This year’s Finals were a wide-open competition from the opening volley to the last serve. Liggett finished just one point behind Allegan and Hackett, while Gabriel Richard, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Traverse City St. Francis all finished within five points of first place.
“There were just a lot of good teams spread out in Division 4 this year,” said Hackett coach Aaron Conroy. “We had a heck of a season. The guys worked real hard right from the start. It feels great to do it. The margin for error was very small, and we had everybody on the team step up.”
The parity in Division 4 was evident by the number of schools that won flight championships. Liggett was led by William Cooksey, who defeated Gabriel Richard’s Ian Sood at No. 1 singles for his third straight title at that flight. Gabriel Richard’s Tommy Heegan won the title at No. 2 singles, and St. Francis’ Cody Richards won at No. 3.
In doubles action, the St. Francis duo of senior Brendan Chouinard and sophomore Ben Schmude claimed the title at No. 1 doubles.
For Chouinard, it was the second-straight year he was part of a doubles champion.
“We came out with a lot of intensity,” Chouinard said. “We jumped out to a 5-0 lead and won that first set. We got down in the second set, but we picked it up and won it.”
Playing with a new partner in Schmude took a little getting used to, but once the duo became familiar with each other they took off this season.
“I knew that once we got used to playing together that no one would beat us,” Schmude said. “We do a good job of picking each other up when we get down.”
Like Allegan and Hackett, the Gladiators had to wait the long period Saturday afternoon to play in the other No. 3 semifinal.
“It was a long day,” said St. Francis coach Dane Fosgard prior to the conclusion. “We were up at 7 a.m. for breakfast, and the final match will be done around midnight. We’re used to it. We travel a lot. We came down here for a tournament at Hope College at the start of the season and played all day and slept on the courts at night. We will spend the night here. It’s fun for the team.”
A pair of Grand Rapids-area teams claimed the three other doubles championships. NorthPointe won both the Nos. 2 and No. 3 doubles titles. Elan Bosma and Derek Diepenhorst teamed up to win at No. 2, with Chase Berends and Sam Bradley winning at No. 3.
At No. 4 doubles, the Grand Rapids Catholic Central team of Cameron Beachler and Ben English came away with the title.
PHOTOS: (Top) Allegan celebrates its first MHSAA Finals tennis championship Saturday. (Middle) Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep’s Jack Ford is pleased after claiming a point during a No. 2 singles match. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Preview: All Eyes Turn to Midland as Tennis Debuts Revamped Championship Round (Updated 10/23)
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 16, 2025
While several contenders at this season’s Lower Peninsula Boys Tennis Finals will be familiar, the season-concluding tournaments across four divisions will have a significantly different look.
Beginning this weekend, all four championships will be decided at Midland Tennis Center over the next nine days. Division 1 begins Friday and concludes Saturday, followed by Division 4 next Monday and Tuesday, Division 2 on Oct. 22 and 23 and concluding with Division 3 on Oct. 24 and 25.
As such, our preview will be updated in advance of those Finals, concluding with Division 3 added prior to its championship weekend.
Division 3 (Oct. 24-25)
Top-ranked: 1. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 2. Detroit Country Day, 3. Holland Christian.
Cranbrook, Country Day and Ann Arbor Greenhills (ranked No. 4 this season) have combined to win every Division 3 championship since 2008, with Country Day and Greenhills sharing the title last season and Cranbrook finishing third. But Holland Christian provides an intriguing angle this time; the Maroons moved into Division 3 this year after winning last season’s Division 4 title.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood: The Cranes are seeded to score big, with four top seeds, three second-seeded flights and a third seed. Holding down top lines are senior Kenneth Hu at No. 3 singles, junior Josh Day at No. 4, senior Kethan Lala and freshman Henry DeMuth at No. 1 doubles and sophomore Dylan Popat and junior Andy Yu at No. 4. After finishing runners-up at Nos. 3 and 4 singles, respectively, last season, senior Jace Bernard and sophomore Eli Rosen are second-seeded at Nos. 1 and 2. Hu was the No. 2 singles champion last year, and junior Ryan VanDyke and senior Cole Kirschenbaum were the No. 2 doubles runners-up last season and are seeded second at No. 1.
Detroit Country Day: All eight flights are seeded fourth or better, but the power is expected to come at singles where two flights are top-seeded and two are seeded second. Sophomore Ricky Jeong is the top seed at No. 1 after winning No. 3 last year as a freshman, and freshman Samuel Kole-James is the top seed at No. 2 singles. Sophomore Adam Mahmoud is the second seed at No. 3 after winning the No. 4 title last fall, and junior Victor Marin is the second seed at No. 4. Senior Charlie Khaghany was part of the runner-up at No. 1 doubles last season and is teaming with junior Preston Blum as the fourth-seeded pair this time.
Holland Christian: The Maroons are seeded at six flights and especially powered by doubles where they are seeded first at No. 1 and second-seeded at the other three flights. Juniors Michael Gorno and Graham Tanis hold that top seed at the top flight, and won No. 3 doubles in Division 4 last season. Senior Jack DeYoung was part of the No. 4 champion in Division 4 and is teaming with sophomore Brody Bergsma on the second-seeded pair at No. 2. Senior Dylan Becksvoort was the Division 4 champion at No. 2 singles last season and is the third seed in this bracket, sophomore Nico Grosso won No. 4 singles in Division 4 and is seeded sixth at No. 3, and Lucas VanWieren was part of the No. 1 doubles champ last season and is playing No. 1 singles.
Anish Komirisetty, Haslett sophomore: Komirisetty is seeded third at No. 1 singles, 28-1 with his only loss this season to Lansing Catholic’s Noah West, who finished Division 4 No. 1 singles runner-up Tuesday.
Carson Coles, Big Rapids senior: The fourth seed at No. 1 singles is 30-1 with his only loss to Komirisetty on Oct. 4.
Division 2 (Oct. 22-23)
Top-ranked: 1. Birmingham Seaholm, 2. Midland Dow, 3. Grosse Pointe South
Reigning champion Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern is ranked No. 5 this season, and Dow and Seaholm tied for second last year just two points behind. The Chargers most recently won the 2022 and 2023 titles, and Seaholm are seeking their first Finals team championship in this sport but with five runner-up finishes over the last 18 seasons – its most recent two years ago.
Birmingham Seaholm: The Maples will pursue a first championship with all eight flights seeded third or higher and seven top or second seeds. Junior Giorgio Materazzo is on the top line at No. 2 singles, and senior Joaquin Flory occupies the same at No. 4, while sophomore Carter Griffith at No. 1 singles, freshman Charlie Griffith at No. 3, and three of four doubles pairs are all second-seeded. Seniors Britton Leo and Alex Ting are second-seeded at No. 1 doubles; Ting was the champion at No. 4 singles and Leo part of the No. 3 doubles winner a year ago. Leo’s 2024 partner, junior Aaryan Senthilvanan, is partnered with senior Jad Abdo as the second-seeded pair at No. 2 doubles. Carter Griffith is 22-5 and last fall reached the No. 1 singles semifinals as an unseeded freshman.
Midland Dow: The Chargers will be powered by their doubles, as three pairs are top-seeded – senior Matthew McGaugh and junior Nathan Song at No. 1, sophomore Sullivan Ladd and junior Jashwanth Thamminana at No. 3, and sophomore Vettel Xu and junior Ethan Clark at No. 4. Junior Yassin Elsaadany is seeded second at No. 2 singles and sophomore Raymond Chai is seeded second at No. 4, while senior Siddarth Venkatesan is seeded fifth at No. 3 singles after finishing runner-up at No. 4 a year ago.
Byron Center: While Byron Center enters ranked No. 4, a number of high seeds could allow the team to push the top two favorites as the Bulldogs seek their first top-two Finals finish. Seven flights are seeded, including six seeded third or higher. Senior Nolan Booth and junior Brayden Slot are the top seeds at No. 2 doubles, and seniors Aidan Banchoff and Ben Vander Stelt are seeded second at No. 3. Seniors Rylan Vandenberge and Casey Schans are seeded third at No. 1 doubles after finishing runner-up at No. 2 a year ago.
Mason Crosby, South Lyon East junior: He’s seeded third at No. 1 singles and undefeated at 31-0 with only one match going three sets this season.
Sam Schumacher, Portage Central junior: The top seed at No. 1 singles is undefeated at 28-0 and just missed a first championship finishing runner-up at the top flight last season. He defeated Seaholm’s Carter Griffith on Sept. 6.
Division 4 (Oct. 20-21)
Top-ranked: 1. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 2. Jackson Lumen Christi, 3. Maple City Glen Lake.
Last season’s champion Holland Christian is playing in Division 3 this season, but Glen Lake is the returning runner-up and Liggett was third in 2024. That was Glen Lake’s first top-two Finals finish, while Liggett is seeking its first championship since 2022 and Lumen Christi its first in program history with its previous high finish second in 2004.
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett: The Knights are seeded at every flight, with four top seeds leading the way – sophomore Yurii Polnyi at No. 2 singles, sophomore Justin Platt at No. 4, senior Landen Maltby and junior Charlie Laethem at No. 2 doubles and sophomores Rene Quint and Lucas Ferguson at No. 3. Maltby was part of the No. 1 runner-up last season, while seniors Griffin Marchal and Niko Cooksey were runners-up at No. 2 in 2024 but are second-seeded at No. 1 this week. Ferguson was part of the runner-up at No. 4 doubles last season with Davis Ford, who is seeded third at No. 3 singles this time.
Jackson Lumen Christi: This team is expected to make a big jump after tying for 13th a year ago. Six Titans flights are seeded as they seek their first team championship, led by a pair of second seeds – senior Holden Luce and junior Brogan Kelly at No. 3 doubles and senior Jason Gonerka at No. 3 singles.
Maple City Glen Lake: Sophomores Levi Lamb and Luke Selby lead four seeded flights on the top line at No. 4 doubles, while junior Porter Martin is second-seeded at No. 4 singles. Last season’s No. 2 singles runner-up Hawthorn Sutherland is playing No. 1 this week as a junior.
Noah West, Lansing Catholic sophomore: After advancing to the No. 1 quarterfinals last season as a freshman, West is the top seed at the top flight and 26-2 without a loss since Aug. 16.
Luke Zhang, Plymouth Christian Academy junior: He defeated West to reach the semifinals at No. 1 singles last season as the fifth seed, and is second-seeded this time and undefeated at 17-0.
Division 1 (Oct. 17-18)
Top-ranked: 1. Troy, 2. Bloomfield Hills, 3. Novi.
Bloomfield Hills has won the last three Division 1 championships – including last season’s by eight points – with Troy finishing runner-up last fall and tying for second in 2023 after winning the most recent title in 2021 before the Black Hawks began their run. A Novi championship would be its first since 2015.
Troy: All eight Colts flights are seeded fourth or better, with five top seeds and domination expected especially at doubles. Senior Varun Shetty and sophomore Sourish Danui are top-seeded at No. 2, senior Nate Wanstreet and sophomore Jackson Kraus are top-seeded at No. 3 and senior Raghav Karur and junior Zain Taqi are top-seeded at No. 4. Troy also claims top lines at No. 3 singles with sophomore Krish Gupta and No. 4 with senior Anthony Wu. Sophomore Dheeraj Yelleti is seeded fourth at No. 2 singles after winning the No. 4 title a year ago, and Karur and Kraus won No. 4 doubles in 2024 while Wu and Shetty were runners-up at No. 2.
Bloomfield Hills: A top seed and three seconds should put Bloomfield Hills in position to score significant points again, and they could get a boost from at least one unseeded flight as well. Senior Connor Shaya is unseeded at No. 1 singles but won No. 2 a year ago, No. 3 as a sophomore and No. 4 singles as a freshman. Junior Brady Winston follows as the top seed at No. 2 singles, and reigning No. 3 singles champion Zev Spiegel is second-seeded at that flight. Also second-seeded are senior Jonah Chernett and junior Krish Reddy at No. 1 doubles and seniors Sajan Doshi and Meyer Saperstein at No. 2. Doshi and Saperstein were champions at No. 3 last season, while Winston was the runner-up at No. 4 singles.
Novi: The Wildcats finished seventh a year ago and enter this weekend with four flights seeded fourth or higher. Seniors Daniel Han and Jaehoon Lee lead the way as second seeds at No. 3 doubles as they play to become Novi’s first flight champions since 2016.
Chad Anderson, Rochester senior: Undefeated this fall at 22-0, he’s seeking to finish his career with his first championship and is seeded first at No. 1 singles after finishing runner-up at that flight last season and runner-up at No. 2 as a sophomore.
Grant Miller, Ann Arbor Pioneer freshman: He’s 25-2 this debut season with losses only to Anderson and Ann Arbor Skyline senior and third-seeded Connor Wilcox after winning the first set.