Shaya Brothers Run Individual Title Count to 7 in Pacing Bloomfield Hills 3-Peat
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
October 19, 2024
BYRON CENTER – There may not be a sibling rivalry, but there's plenty of talent.
Bloomfield Hills senior Pierce Shaya can definitively say there is no goal of one-upping his younger brother, Connor, when it comes to their impressive tennis careers. In fact, Pierce said having his brother on the team only makes him better.
"Motivation," he said. "There's definitely not a rivalry."
The two closed out stellar seasons in helping the Blackhawks win Saturday's MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals championship in Byron Center. Pierce won his fourth individual flight title, while Connor added his third as Bloomfield Hills finished with 35 points to 27 for runner-up Troy. Northville was third with 20 points, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice next with 13, and Ann Arbor Skyline and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek had 12 points each.
Pierce, headed to Michigan next season, defeated Chad Anderson of Rochester 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Connor upped his career record to 81-0 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Quentin Rangi of Rochester Hills Stoney Creek at No. 2 singles.
Pierce had previously won No. 3 singles as a freshman, No. 1 doubles as a sophomore and No. 2 singles as a junior. Connor won No. 4 and No. 3 singles the last two years, respectively. The two represent arguably the best one-two punch in the state, Bloomfield Hills coach Greg Burks said.
"As a coach, you're looking to have that type of talent at the top," said Burks, whose team title was its third straight. "Not every coach has that, and we're lucky as a team to have it."
The Shaya brothers took different paths this season. Pierce said he didn't play his best tennis until the last couple weeks, while Connor said Saturday’s was the toughest of his three titles. Pierce said he couldn't find any rhythm until playing in a recent USTA event in Midland.
"It's been my worst year," he said. "I wasn't able to find any rhythm, but a lot of it turned in that tournament. I came back from there, it was a changeup for me, and I kind of had to find my way. I won a couple matches, and I think it helped me get in the mood for this weekend."
Connor, who was seeded No. 2 despite his previous postseason success, said increased pressure after winning two previous titles was something he knew he had to overcome.
"Every year is different, and this is a lot off my shoulders," he said. "There was a lot of competition here. A lot of older players who hit the ball hard. The odds were against me; people thought I would lose."
Bloomfield Hills also earned titles in three other flights. Zev Spiegel defeated Ann Arbor Huron's Aarav Dalal 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 singles, while two Black Hawks doubles teams won. The No. 1 pair of Asher Langwell and Dominic Pascarella defeated Nick Song and Josh Kim of Northville 6-4, 7-6 (2), and Meyer Saperstein and Sajan Doshi downed Northville's Nathan Shields and Anderson Herdoiza 6-5, 6-2 at No. 3 doubles.
Bloomfield Hills' Brady Winston also made a final before losing to Troy's Dheera Yelleti 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.
Troy's Jackson Kraus and Raghav Karur defeated Suraj Makunar and Shreyan Muddappa of Troy Athens at No. 4 doubles 6-0, 6-3. Northville's No. 2 doubles team of Nikhil Karmani and Brian Zang defeated Troy's Varun Shetty and Anthony Wu 7-6 (8), 2-6, 7-5..
Burks, finishing up his 20th year as coach, said another team title was anything but a certainly three months ago when the season opened. Bloomfield Hills had to plug numerous holes from last year's championship lineup.
"I told the kids what they did was nothing short of spectacular," he said. "I don't if they realize how hard this was and what we did. Every match we grew as a team. It was a learning process, and we weathered the storm.
"We have depth, a lot of depth. We have a lot of neighboring clubs who've done a great job. We wouldn't have done this without their amazing jobs."
Spiegel, a sophomore, said the coaches did an outstanding job nurturing a young team.
"It was a great season," he said. "The coaches told us we weren't always going to win, but that we were here for a reason. Coach said we could win it all if we didn't do silly things."
PHOTOS (Top) Bloomfield Hills poses with its latest team championship trophy, won this weekend at Byron Center West Sports Complex. (Middle) Rochester Hills Stoney Creek’s Quentin Rangi volleys during a Friday match at No. 2 singles. (Below) Northville’s Alex Boules gets into a ground stroke at No. 4 singles Friday. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Marquette Boys End Negaunee's Reign, Claim 1st Finals Title Since 2009
By
Adam Hinch
Special for MHSAA.com
May 29, 2025
ESCANABA – For the first time Wednesday, Escanaba hosted the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Boys Tennis Finals.
And for the first time in 16 years, Marquette finished as champion, edging Negaunee by three points as the Miners sought to add to their two-year title streak.
Marquette scored 17 points, followed by Negaunee with 14, Kingsford with 13, Escanaba with seven, Ishpeming Westwood with four and Gladstone with one point.
“I’m super proud of these guys and the effort they have put in,” Marquette coach Karl Thomsen said. “The work they have put in over the last three years to get the program back where it used to be really shows up in the results this season.”
In singles action, Chase Thomsen of Marquette picked up the championship at No. 1 defeating Kingsford’s Gavin Moore 6-2, 6-3.
“I was definitely a little nervous for this match coming in,” Thomsen said. “After seeing how they were hitting in the other semifinal, I think I channeled it well and played the best tennis I have played all season.”
Thomsen had a bye in the first round and knocked off Ishpeming Westwood’s Jaxon Alderton 6-4, 6-1 on the way to the championship match.
Kingsford’s Landon Adam picked up the championship at No. 2 singles defeating Negaunee’s Ethan Harris 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Adam also had earned a three-set victory over Escanaba’s Connor Howes 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Negaunee’s Kolten Store picked up the No. 3 singles championship, defeating Kingsford’s Evan Grimes 6-3, 6-2 after previously downing Brant Veeser from Gladstone 6-1, 7-5. Elan Chu of Marquette emerged with a hard fought three-set win over Negaunee’s Max Larson in the No. 4 singles final after earning a three-set win over Escanaba freshman Chris Economopoulos 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
“It was a special moment for all these kids,” Karl Thomsen said. “They watched Negaunee celebrate last season, and it drove them to keep working and it was our goal coming into this season to capture the U.P. Finals.”
In doubles action, Marquette claimed three flight championships. At No. 2, Lucas Belkowski and Conner Henry defeated Escanaba’s Adam Prey and Caden Fulsher in two sets 7-6(5), 6-3 with the first set going to a tie-breaker. Belkowski and Henry also had defeated Jayce Patron and Xavier Grondz of Westwood 6-3, 6-2.
Sentinels Connor Dunn and Winston Leonard earned the No. 3 doubles title clincher over Negaunee’s Hank Tincknell and Vince Tincknell 6-3, 6-2, and teammates Kane Bush and Bode Helman claimed the No. 4 flight with a deciding win over Clark Robb and Andy Yu of Kingsford 6-2, 6-0.
At No. 1 doubles, Kingsford’s duo of Isaac Lebouef and Jacob Crockford defeated Negaunee’s Nolan O’Dovero and Easton Guenette 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. The Flivvers pair also defeated Andrew Lord and Alex Morgan from Escanaba in the semifinals 6-2, 6-2.
PHOTOS (Top) Marquette’s Chase Thomsen prepares to serve during a match Wednesday at No. 1 singles. (Middle) Kingsford’s Fletcher Hulkkonen follows his serve during a singles match. (Photos by Adam Hinch.)