Seaholm Caps Tennis Finals with D2 Repeat, Crosby Concludes Perfect Run at No. 1
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
October 24, 2026
MIDLAND – By the time the sun dented the dense fog at the Midland Tennis Center on Saturday, Birmingham Seaholm had accumulated enough points to repeat as MHSAA Lower Division 2 tennis champion.
Seaholm finished the two-day tournament with 35, followed by Midland Dow with 25 and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern at 24.
The Maples were in a three-way battle for the top spot heading into the flight semifinals, leading with 24 points, followed by Forest Hills Northern with 21 and Dow with 20.
And all three teams were familiar with hoisting the trophy. FHN has won three of the last seven Division 2 team titles, its most recent in 2024, and Dow’s championship in 2023 was the most recent of its eight total since 2009.
“We try to prepare ourselves for anything that we’ll face here,’’ said Seaholm’s Carter Griffith, the team’s No. 1 singles player. “When everyone is gunning for us, we rise to that occasion. We focus on ourselves and not the outside noise.”
Said senior Kalil Wahab, who paired with freshman Hunter Helfman at No. 1 doubles: “Every team we went out and played, especially in the regular season, really went after us. You could tell their level rose when they were playing us. No matter what team we played, rather they were in our division or not.’’
Wahab and Helfman clinched their flight title with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 victory over Byron Center’s Brayden and Brody Slot. Seaholm’s victory lap started at No. 4 doubles with Deven Badhwar and Ryan McArdle defeating Byron Center’s Colten King and Jonah Wiechertjes, 6-0, 6-3.
“The start of the season was tough for us to get the spot,’’ said Badhwar. “We’ve been playing together since we were 8. I’m glad we could do it as seniors. We got what we wanted.’’
Said McArdle: “There’s no one else I’d rather win with. We had chemistry from the start.’’
Seaholm’s No. 2 doubles pair of Arhen Gupta and Kyle Car defeated Dow’s top-seeded Ethan Clark and Jashwanth Thamminana 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 to claim that flight. The Maples also captured No. 4 singles with freshman Luke Janz downing Jayden Qi of Forest Hills Northern, 6-4, 7-5. Carter Griffith’s brother, Charlie Griffith, captured No. 3 singles with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Dow’s Raymond Chai.
Dow claimed the No. 3 doubles title, with Vettel Xu and Zander Salisbury besting Davis Gryzenia and Weston Jerabek of Grosse Pointe South, 7-5, 6-2.
South Lyon East senior Mason Crosby clinched No. 1 singles against Carter Griffith with a 6-1, 6-2 victory. He had finished No. 1 singles runner-up last fall, and his four victories this weekend advanced his record to 30-0 to finish the season.
“I thought I had control of the match; it got a little tight at the end,’’ said Crosby. “I was doing whatever it took. If I had to come to the net, I would. If I had to sit back and grind it, I did that.’’
Forest Hills Northern freshman Andrew Yang won No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-2 over top-seeded Chase Martin of Dow.
PHOTOS (Top) Birmingham Seaholm’s Kalil Wahab and Hunter Helfman celebrate their championship at No. 1 doubles Saturday at Midland Tennis Center. (Middle) South Lyon East’s Mason Crosby moves into position during his No. 1 singles championship match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Holland Christian Wins 6 Flights, Claims 1st Team Championship since 1965
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
October 23, 2024
MIDLAND – Holland Christian, for several years a Lower Peninsula Division 3 boys tennis program, has found Division 4 to its liking this season.
The Maroons captured the Division 4 championship Tuesday at the Midland Tennis Center, rolling to the title with 33 points ahead of runner-up Maple City Glen Lake at 23. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett was third with 21.
Heading into the semifinals, Holland Christian carried a one-point lead over Glen Lake, with University Liggett a distant third with 16 points. The championship was the Maroons’ fifth but first since 1965, with its best Finals finish since coming in second in Division 3 in 1998. They had finished fourth in Division 3 in 2023 before moving into Division 4 for this season.
“We’re used to seeing teams (like) Detroit Country Day and Cranbrook; that’s part of it,’’ said Henry Langejans, a senior on the Maroons top-seeded doubles team with Lucas Van Wieren. “Stepping down to D-4 is a factor. We expected to be here.’’
Holland Christian won six flights, with a sweep at doubles. Langejans and Van Wieren captured the title at No. 1 doubles with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Landen Maltby and Luca Marciano of Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, and Tyler Hemmeke and Gavin Swiftney defeated Liggett’s Griffin Machal and Niko Cooksey at No. 2, 6-3, 7-6. Sophomores Michael Gorno and Graham Tanis prevailed with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Casey Jackson and Brady Thelen of Traverse City St. Francis, and Levi King and Jack DeYoung got the best of Liggett’s Davis Ford and Lucas Ferguson at No. 4 doubles 6-3, 6-4.
Gorno is the son of Holland Christian coach Steve Gorno.
“Playing for my dad is amazing,’’ said Michael. “He has taught me everything I know about tennis. We have a great coaching staff. We’ve been blessed to have our three coaches.
“We’ve been ranked No. 1 all year. We’ve had a target on our backs, so we’ve gotten every team’s best all year.’’
The runner-up finish was Glen Lake’s best all-time, and coach John Voss also noted this season’s Regional title was his program’s first since 2002. “We have players in No. 2 and No. 3 singles so we’ve had a good year,’’ said Voss. “This has been our best year.’’
Lakers senior Michael Houtteman, the top seed at No. 3 singles, said his team’s run started before the season. He defeated Edwin Seo of Berrien Springs, 6-2, 6-1, to clinch his flight.
“A lot of us have been putting the work in before the season,’’ said Houtteman. “We got tennis courts at the school my freshman year. I think a lot of us are playing our best tennis now. We have a lot of seniors. We’re all pretty amped us. A couple of flights lost, but they are out cheering us on as hard as they can.’’
No. 1 singles was a battle between friends: Freshman top-seed Oliver Caldwell of Grand Rapids West Catholic and Owen Jackson of Traverse City St. Francis.
After entering the Finals 1-1 against each other, Caldwell prevailed this time, winning 6-2, 6-3.
“He was the only person I lost to this year,’’ said Caldwell. “I’ve had a great season. He’s a great player. We go way back. I used to live in the Traverse City area, and we went to the same tennis school.’’
Holland Chrisitan’s Dylan Becksvoort defeated Hawthorn Sutherland of Glen Lake 6-3, 7-5, to win No. 2 singles. At No. 4, Holland Christian freshman Nicco Grosso defeated senior Hayden Riley of Lansing Catholic 6-1, 6-3.
“I’m kind of emotional right now because I’ve been working all year for this,’’ said Grosso. “Since the summer, Coach has had this planned out. We didn’t necessarily have the lineup, but the plan was there.’’
PHOTOS (Top) Holland Christian’s Lucas Van Wieren winds up during a No. 1 doubles match Tuesday at Midland Tennis Center. (Middle) The Maroons’ Tyler Hemmeke serves at No. 2 doubles. (Below) Grand Rapids West Catholic’s Oliver Caldwell shows intensity during a No. 1 singles match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)