Country Day Claims 7 Flights, Team Trophy
October 18, 2014
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
GRAND BLANC — Doubles competitors aren't viewed as second-class tennis players at Detroit Country Day.
While there is more individual glory in playing singles, some of the Yellowjackets' best doubles players are perfectly content to help the team by staying put.
"You don't fix something that's not broken," senior Blake Burstein said.
Respect for their roles on the team is reflected in the fact that the team's three captains are doubles players Burstein, Rishabh Nayak and D.J. Bailey.
When Country Day celebrated its fourth consecutive MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 title Saturday at Genesys Athletic Club, Burstein and Nayak were the only players who were part of each of the previous three championship teams.
Burstein has won his flight all four years, while Nayak has done so the last three years after reaching the No. 4 doubles final as a freshman. Burstein repeated at No. 1 doubles with new partner Damian Runkle. He won at No. 3 doubles his first two years.
"I love doubles," Burstein said. "I do singles outside of school for USTA. I feel like I can contribute to the team the most in the doubles lineup. Our singles lineup is so deep there wouldn't be a necessity for me to hop in there. They're taking care of business just fine."
Burstein and Nayak played together only one year, combining to win No. 3 doubles as sophomores.
"Blake is always a guy to take charge," Nayak recalled from their year together. "He'd always be focused and pump you up.”
Nayak and Adam Junn won the No. 2 doubles title, as Country Day won by a 39-32 margin over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, which won the 2010 Division 3 title before Country Day began its current run.
"When I first came in as a freshman, I had no idea what to expect," Nayak said. "I just wanted to make the tennis team and play tennis. After a while, hanging out with the team, I realized we could achieve state championships if we worked hard. That's what we've been doing the last four years."
The finals nearly turned into a dual meet between Country Day and Cranbrook-Kingswood. The only intruder was East Grand Rapids' Max Condon, who lost 6-1, 6-0 in the No. 4 singles final to Country Day's Michael Khaghany.
The top two contenders were tied 23-23 after Friday's action. Country Day took a 31-30 edge into the finals, then won six of the seven head-to-head matchups with Cranbrook-Kingswood, as well as No. 4 singles.
"Sometimes it gets heated; other times it gets respectful," Country Day coach Tom Ellis said of the rivalry with the Cranes. "It's two schools rich in tennis tradition, and they go at it."
No team has ever had a perfect score of 40 points at an MHSAA Final. Country Day has finished just one point short each of the last three years. The only other school to score 39 points is Ann Arbor Pioneer, which did it in Division 1 in 2002 and 2005.
During its four-year championship run, Country Day has won 25 of 32 flights and been the runner-up in six others. Only one flight failed to reach the finals, in 2011 when No. 2 singles lost in the quarterfinals.
Country Day's only loss in the finals Saturday came when Cranbrook-Kingswood's Alex Hubers and Steven Meng took a 1-6, 6-5, 6-3 decision over Country Day's Bailey and Andrew Joslyn. It was the only three-set match in the finals.
"We're rivals in every sport," Burstein said. "It's always been real close competition. We've won every time we've played against them, but it's always a toss-up. We never go into the match thinking we're going to beat Cranbrook. It's always that we have to play our best and if we do, we think we should win. But it's not always a given."
Country Day junior Noah Karoub won the No. 1 singles title with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Cranbrook-Kingswood freshman Benji Jacobson.
Karoub trailed 5-2 in the first set before charging back.
"I just knew it was too important to give up right there," Karoub said. "I was never going to stop fighting. I had to figure out what I was doing wrong and change things. As the match goes on, I get a better feeling for his game and what I should be hitting. I start getting a better rhythm."
Karoub was the No. 2 singles champion last year and wasn't even in the lineup as a freshman, playing the season as a reserve.
"It really makes me feel like a bigger part of the team that I helped win the state final," Karoub said. "It was still fun, though (in 2012). I love everyone on the team."
Jacobson had Karoub on the move throughout the match, but unforced errors began to mount late in the first set.
"He changed his game plan up three times in the first set," Jacobson said. "The first two times, I was all over him. He played amazing. He got to every ball. It eventually adds up and you get frustrated. He just gets every ball back."
At No. 2 singles, Country Day's Davis Wong beat Cranbrook-Kingswood's Marc Sable 6-1, 6-4.
Jakob Gahn of Country Day beat Michael Bian of Cranbrook-Kingswood 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 singles.
Burstein and Runkle won 6-2, 6-0 over Chase Ghesquiere and Matthew Gerard of Cranbrook-Kingswood at No. 1 doubles.
Nayak and Junn won No. 2 doubles by a 6-4, 6-3 score over Cranbrook-Kingswood's Nolan Trepeck and Joseph Cavataio.
At No. 4 doubles, Anand Prabhu and Jack Mettler of Country Day beat Colin Petzold and Brandon Kerr of Cranbrook-Kingswood 6-4, 6-4.
It was the 15th MHSAA championship won by Country Day. Next year, the Yellowjackets will try to match the five-year run of their 1996-2000 teams.
PHOTO: (Top) D.J. Bailey (right) follows through on a return for Detroit Country Day during the No. 3 doubles championship match. (Middle) Country Day's No. 1 singles Noah Karoub volleys on the way to winning the individual title at his flight. (Below) Cranbrook-Kingswood's Benji Jacobson serves during his match with Karoub. (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.