Carmel High School junior Rocky Li considered this a case of redemption.
Li got the clinching third point at No. 2 singles in the No. 1 Greyhounds’ 3-2 victory over No. 2 Columbus North Oct. 14 in the IHSAA boys tennis state championship at DePauw University’s indoor courts in Greencastle. Carmel finished with a 27-0 record.
“Being the decider and clinching the point this year was huge to me,” Li said. “I was actually the person to lose the final point that knocked us out of the state tournament last year, so finally winning and bringing the trophy back home was an unforgettable moment.”
Li said it was sweeter than winning the state title as a freshman. The Greyhounds lost to West Lafayette Harrison 3-2 in the regional final last year. Carmel had previously captured six consecutive state titles.
“Being able to finally show my worth and effort on the court was a sensation I could never forget,” said Li, who defeated Columbus North’s Parth Shah 6-3, 6-1.
Carmel defeated defending state champion and third-ranked North Central 4-1 in the state quarterfinals Oct. 13 at CHS.
Rain then forced the semifinals and final matches to move after a wait during rain at North Central High School.
“It’s not easy to get high school kids to concentrate from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.,” Greyhounds coach Dan Brunette said.
Rather than play all the singles at once and doubles afterwards because of the number of courts available, Carmel and Culver Academies chose to have their teams play all together and the winner would have less rest for the final. The two began play after Columbus North edged No. 8 Jasper 3-2 in the opening semifinal.
Carmel topped No. 6 Culver 4-1, with the only loss coming at No. 1 singles.
“It was a tough setup,” Brunette said. “It’s a lot on your mind to watch one match, knowing you have to play one match and if you win that, you have to play another one right away. I was impressed with their level of maturity and discipline. It was a long day physically and mentally.”
CHS sophomore Wesley Worobel topped Columbus North’s Austin Clark 6-0, 6-2. The No. 2 doubles team of freshmen David Liu and Grant Mu won the third point, topping Michael Crossman and Yoki Murabayashi 6-2, 6-1.
The Bull Dogs’ (24-2) strength all season was at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.
North’s Hank Lin topped senior Jonathan Yang 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles.
Carmel junior Michael Bao and senior Braedon McIntyre suffered their first loss of the season, falling to Anvay Atram and Amrit Kar 6–3, 7-5.
“Lin and the two doubles players have a lot of experience,” Brunette said. “We knew they were going to be tough matches. I thought we would be favored in the other three and we took care of business. We didn’t play our best match of the year at No. 1 doubles. (North’s) team played well and they kept us out of our rhythm.”
That eliminated Bao and McIntyre from the state doubles competition. Bao and McIntyre lost in the state doubles semifinals last year.
“It was disappointing,” Brunette said. “I feel for those guys. But by the same token, we don’t talk about individual titles. We talk about the team, and that’s what we work for.”
Yang earned the Mental Attitude Award for boys tennis.
“He’s a great leader for the team and a great student-athlete at Carmel,” Brunette said. “He’s a special kid.”
