REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!
Varsity girls tennis captures regional title for first time in school history
The first ever Elk Rapids girls tennis regional trophy is surrounded by those who helped bring it home. Courtesy photo
By Tim Peterson,
Contributing Writer
One of the plainer and dusty looking sports banners hanging in the Elk Rapids gymnasium will be looking more impressive after getting a facelift. The varsity girls tennis banner reads “2006” under Conference, with the remainder of the banner blank. Thanks to some gutsy play and a “don’t give up” attitude the banner will stand out with a “2022” located under Regional. This historical moment is due to the varsity tennis team winning six of eight flights at the Division 4 regionals last Thursday at St. Elizabeth to claim the first regional title in 20 years of girls tennis at Elk Rapids. The final tally was Elk Rapids in first place with 29 points and a berth in the state finals. St. Francis finished in second place with 23 points, also advancing to the state meet. Harbor Springs accumulated 18 points, the minimum number needed to qualify for the state finals, despite a great effort by the Elks to keep the Rams from advancing.
“The girls were the ones playing, they had to want it,” said Elk varsity tennis coach Keith Schulte. “We practice all year, we coach the girls, we want them to learn, improve and also to have fun. It comes down to what they want when they step onto the court. They showed that today, as we lost the first set four times but came back to win the next two. That is awesome. It comes from a culture and a family atmosphere that we have. They found a way to win.”
The Elks swept the singles play, beginning with a win in the championship round from first seed Ayva Johnstone (6-0,7-6 SF), giving Johnstone the claim to the number one player in the region. Second seeded Ella Croftchik (6-1,6-1 HS), third seed Anneka Croftchik, battling back from a first set loss to get the win (5-7, 6-4, 6-3 SF) and fourth seed Lily Brown (6-4, 6-3 SF) all earned flight champion recognition. In doubles the Elk flight champions were first seed Caroline Ducharme and Morgan Bergquist, coming back to dominate two straight sets after losing the opener (3-6, 6-4, 6-2 SF), and third seed Kelly Minidis and Portia Beebe, shaking off a first set loss to win the next two (6-7, 6-2, 6-3 SF). The second seeded tandem of Jaida Schulte and Jillian Acker rolled over Charlevoix and East Jordan to face Harbor Springs in the flight championship. Winning the first set the Elk duo lost the second set, leading to a fierce third set battle with the Rams, who needed the win to advance or have their season end with a loss. Locked at 6-6 in the third set, Harbor scored six straight and won the final set 7-6 (8-6). Despite the loss the Elks played solid in a very exciting and dramatic match for the crowd on hand. The Elks will travel to Ann Arbor for the Division 4 state finals on June 3-4. Well played Elk tennis, from the players to the coaches – Elk Pride is very strong in this group!
Contributing Writer
One of the plainer and dusty looking sports banners hanging in the Elk Rapids gymnasium will be looking more impressive after getting a facelift. The varsity girls tennis banner reads “2006” under Conference, with the remainder of the banner blank. Thanks to some gutsy play and a “don’t give up” attitude the banner will stand out with a “2022” located under Regional. This historical moment is due to the varsity tennis team winning six of eight flights at the Division 4 regionals last Thursday at St. Elizabeth to claim the first regional title in 20 years of girls tennis at Elk Rapids. The final tally was Elk Rapids in first place with 29 points and a berth in the state finals. St. Francis finished in second place with 23 points, also advancing to the state meet. Harbor Springs accumulated 18 points, the minimum number needed to qualify for the state finals, despite a great effort by the Elks to keep the Rams from advancing.
“The girls were the ones playing, they had to want it,” said Elk varsity tennis coach Keith Schulte. “We practice all year, we coach the girls, we want them to learn, improve and also to have fun. It comes down to what they want when they step onto the court. They showed that today, as we lost the first set four times but came back to win the next two. That is awesome. It comes from a culture and a family atmosphere that we have. They found a way to win.”
The Elks swept the singles play, beginning with a win in the championship round from first seed Ayva Johnstone (6-0,7-6 SF), giving Johnstone the claim to the number one player in the region. Second seeded Ella Croftchik (6-1,6-1 HS), third seed Anneka Croftchik, battling back from a first set loss to get the win (5-7, 6-4, 6-3 SF) and fourth seed Lily Brown (6-4, 6-3 SF) all earned flight champion recognition. In doubles the Elk flight champions were first seed Caroline Ducharme and Morgan Bergquist, coming back to dominate two straight sets after losing the opener (3-6, 6-4, 6-2 SF), and third seed Kelly Minidis and Portia Beebe, shaking off a first set loss to win the next two (6-7, 6-2, 6-3 SF). The second seeded tandem of Jaida Schulte and Jillian Acker rolled over Charlevoix and East Jordan to face Harbor Springs in the flight championship. Winning the first set the Elk duo lost the second set, leading to a fierce third set battle with the Rams, who needed the win to advance or have their season end with a loss. Locked at 6-6 in the third set, Harbor scored six straight and won the final set 7-6 (8-6). Despite the loss the Elks played solid in a very exciting and dramatic match for the crowd on hand. The Elks will travel to Ann Arbor for the Division 4 state finals on June 3-4. Well played Elk tennis, from the players to the coaches – Elk Pride is very strong in this group!
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