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.)
Bloomfield Hills' Pierce Shaya Playing for 4th Flight Title, 3rd Team Championship
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
October 18, 2024
BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Pierce Shaya’s career thus far at the MHSAA Boys Tennis Finals has been akin to eating at a buffet line, with there being a lot of variety that satisfies an appetite.
In his case, the appetite that’s been satisfied has been individual championships won in an unusual variety of ways.
When Shaya was a freshman, he won the Lower Peninsula Division 1 title at No. 3 singles with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Noah Vogel of Ann Arbor Pioneer.
As a sophomore, Shaya won another Finals title, but this time it wasn’t as an individual. He played No. 1 doubles alongside Merrick Chernett, and that duo won it all over Troy’s tandem of Srihari Ananthalwan and Rushil Kagithala.
Last year, Shaya went back to singles but was the team’s No. 2 player behind sophomore Jonah Chernett. Shaya controlled what he could control, winning the crown at No. 2 singles with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Chad Anderson of Rochester.
Three years, three different flights and three LPD1 Finals championships is certainly not a traditional resume for a high school tennis player. But that is the route Shaya has taken.
“I didn’t go into high school thinking I would play three different spots,” he said. “But I guess it’s very cool to be able to win it and now attempt to go 4-for-4.”
Indeed, Shaya this weekend will have a chance to add another highlight to his championship-laden career.
With Chernett not on the team this year because he moved to Florida, Shaya finally got the chance to play at No. 1 singles in his final year of high school and has taken full advantage of the opportunity.
Shaya is 20-1 on the season and seeded No. 1 at No. 1 singles for the Division 1 tournament taking place at Byron Center West Sports Complex and Grand Rapids South Christian.
His only loss came to Rochester Hills Stoney Creek’s Andrew Vincler, who is seeded second at No. 1 singles.
“Obviously everyone is gunning for me,” Shaya said. “It doesn’t really matter to me because I still have to go through everyone to win it. But the seeding is nice to show my season’s work paid off.”
Shaya also will be looking to help lead Bloomfield Hills to a third-straight team title.
Bloomfield Hills head coach Greg Burks had no doubt that Shaya would be able to handle the role as the team’s top man this year, and he has seen Shaya save his best for his last high school season.
“I would say his biggest improvements over the past year have been his forehand and serve,” Burks said. “They are both much bigger and heavier and at this level and the level he wants to get to, having both of those is a must. His volleys have also improved significantly.”
Shaya also hopes to have another title double with his younger brother, Connor, a junior.
Connor won at No. 3 singles last year with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Northville’s Josh Kim, and he is the second seed at No. 2 singles this weekend.
“I think our parents would love that,” Pierce Shaya said. “We trained a lot from (ages) 10 to 13.”
Shaya has a future in tennis beyond this weekend, as he has committed to play for the University of Michigan.
When he gets to Ann Arbor, he hopes his unique high school journey will have included four Finals titles in four different flights.
“It’s a very cool situation, I think,” Shaya said.
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTO Bloomfield Hills Pierce Shaya takes a photo last season after receiving his championship medal. (Photo courtesy of State Champs Sports Network.)