All Saints Celebrates on Big Screen

KINGSFORD – In the years 2022 and 2023, a strange event occurred in recent Upper Peninsula boys tennis history. One of the strongest programs above the Mackinac Bridge, West Iron County, failed to finish either first or second in the annual contest for Upper Peninsula Division 2 supremacy.

But the last two seasons have brought a return to normality.

With four flight championships, West Iron repeated as Division 2 champion by fending off Munising and three other opponents in Wednesday's Finals hosted by Iron Mountain and played at Kingsford High School.

The Wykons recorded 17 points to finish three in front of the runner-up Mustangs. Ishpeming placed third with 13 points, Iron Mountain finished fourth with 11 and Gwinn wound up fifth with one.

“There were a lot of long matches today,” West Iron coach Jim Anderson said. “A lot of them went to three sets or tiebreakers. I’m really happy with the kids’ focus to stay on track and accomplish our goal.”

The highlight of West Iron’s win came at No. 1 doubles where second-seeded Elijah Oberlin and Jackson Strom knocked off top-seeded Oskar Kangas and Evan Copley of Iron Mountain 6-2, 6-4.

Oberlin and Strom got off to a flying start, capturing the opening five games. Kangas, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh basketball recruit, and Copley steadied the ship a bit by taking the next two games, but the West Iron duo held firm to finish off the opening set.

The second set went back-and-forth until the Wykons broke serve in the 10th game to complete the victory.

“We talked about it before the match that we just needed to stay consistent,” said Oberlin, who started playing tennis just last season. “Nothing fancy, nothing special, just be consistent and stay focused.”

That no-frills approach worked wonders against the Iron Mountain duo, which featured Kangas, a returning No. 1 doubles champion from last year.

Anderson said he knew his doubles team could hang with the Mountaineers physically.

“We’ve got some really good athletes at one doubles,” the third-year varsity coach said. “Elijah was an amazing basketball player for West Iron County, and Jackson is a complete athlete who can do it all.

“So, they are able to handle other athletes across the net without any issues.”

Oberlin and Strom didn’t fare well in the U.P. Finals at No. 2 doubles last season but roared back with a memorable finish this time.

“Last year our team ended up winning, but we came up short,” Strom said. “But this year we were able to contribute to the team win, and it’s a great feeling.”

West Iron claimed another doubles title at the No. 4 flight where Cayden Holm and Carson Aldegarie upended Ishpeming’s Ethan DeMarios and David Hyatt 6-3, 6-2.

West Iron also posted wins at No. 3 and No. 4 singles. In the three singles match, No. 2 seed James White outlasted top-seed Seth Greenleaf of Iron Mountain 3-6, 7-6 (12-10), 7-6 (7-5). At No. 4 singles, freshman Casey Clisch knocked off Ishpeming’s Gideon Krook 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.

Individually, the star of the show was Munising senior Carson Kienitz, who won his fourth U.P. Finals championship with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Iron Mountain’s Malakai Broersma.

Broersma came into the championship match with a blister on his foot after defeating last year’s No. 2 singles champion Zander Birmingham of West Iron 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). Nevertheless, Kienitz showcased his all-around game which took him to a No. 2 doubles title his freshman season, a No. 1 doubles championship his sophomore year and now two No. 1 singles titles.

“I’ve put in a lot of time ever since my freshman year coming up to this moment,” Kienitz said. “So obviously (winning four titles) is really awesome.”

The 6-foot-5 Kienitz, who was an all-U.P. first-team basketball selection this season, said he enjoys the more laid-back atmosphere of tennis as opposed to basketball and football.

“You’ve got a lot less people watching you, and it’s just you versus the other kid,” said Kienitz, who is off to Michigan State University in the fall to study electrical engineering. “And I’ve always tried to be nice to my opponents, and I love when they’re nice to me, so it’s a really friendly gentleman’s sport.”

Munising also won the No. 2 singles flight, as Danny Goss recorded a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over West Iron’s Dominick Brunswick, and the No. 3 doubles championship where Nolan Dolaskie and Blake Tyner fought through a second-set hiccup to defeat Ishpeming’s Luke Laitinen and Dax Kakkuri 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

The Hematites took home the other flight championship as No. 2 doubles team Ethan Corp and Levi Nicholls upended Iron Mountain’s Ben Truong and Dylan Lindgren 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.

PHOTOS (Top) West Iron County's Elijah Oberlin returns a volley during a No. 1 doubles match Wednesday. (Middle) Munising's Carson Kienitz comes to the net to return a shot at No. 1 singles. (Photos by Terry Raiche.)