Make no mistake: That initial state title will always be a special one to Max Manthou.<\/p>\n
But the second boys singles crown for the Kentwood High sophomore tennis star also felt mighty satisfying.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first one is the coolest, because I was coming in as a freshman. I don\u2019t want to say this one isn\u2019t as special,\u201d Manthou remarked after grinding out a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Juanita junior James Russell in the Class 4A finals at the Vancouver Tennis Center. \u201cI\u2019m always confident, and I was pretty in control (of the match).\u201d<\/p>\n
While Manthou was doing the expected and locking up the gold medallion in boys singles, fellow sophomore Matt Overland of Kentridge was doing the unexpected and bring home the bronze.<\/p>\n
Overland, whose game has grown significantly at the halfway point of his high school career, won his first two matches on Friday, fell to Manthou in Saturday\u2019s semifinals, then won the first five games of the third-place match against Puyallup senior Scott Sullivan before Sullivan had to retire for the day because of cramping.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was hoping I would get at least sixth, but I got third \u2013 that\u2019s crazy, man,\u201d said Overland, whose ebullience endeared him to many people who didn\u2019t even know him \u2013 and also won him one of the daily sportsmanship awards.<\/p>\n
Added Kentridge coach Bob Armstrong, \u201cHe was outstanding \u2013 he performed to his absolute capacity. And I think a lot of people really enjoyed his enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t go quite as well for the Chargers\u2019 senior doubles team of Zack AhYat and Luyang Gai. With their sights set on a title after back-to-back runner-up finishes, AhYat and Gai saw those hopes vaporize right away with a first-round loss on Friday to Mead\u2019s Ethan Burns and Ethan Vaughn, 6-3, 6-4.<\/p>\n
They came back with three straight victories on the consolation side before running into the Mead pair again in the match for fourth and sixth places. Again, the Panthers prevailed, 6-2, 6-4, although the Chargers rallied from a 5-1 second-set deficit to make it 5-4, fighting off six match points in the process before clinching it on the seventh try.<\/p>\n
Even so, AhYat and Gai\u2019s sixth-place finish, plus Overland\u2019s third place, gave Kentridge 15 points and the second-place team trophy, one point behind champion Bellarmine Prep. Overland, plus sophomore doubles qualifiers Vineeth Omkaram and Paul Yi, who were eliminated in two straight on Friday, are expected to return next season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were two points from (taking) first place \u2013 we gave it our best shot,\u201d Armstrong said. \u201cWe had some close matches, and we also sowed some seeds that will pay off next year. We have three sophomores, and we\u2019re looking forward to those kids next season. They know who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unexpected finalist<\/b><\/p>\n
When Manthou stepped across the net from Russell for the singles final, he was facing an opponent who wasn\u2019t exactly on anyone\u2019s radar screen coming into the tournament. Russell played doubles at state last year, winning one of three matches with partner Victor Yang before exiting.<\/p>\n
But to Kentwood coach Ingrid Bakke, it didn\u2019t matter who Manthou was playing in the final.<\/p>\n
A title is a title.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re all going to be special,\u201d Bakke said. \u201cThe first one was so exciting and new because he had never experienced high school tennis. This one was, because once you\u2019ve won one, you\u2019re the target. And for him to play well throughout the tournament like he did … On the changeover (after the first set), I said to him, \u2018How\u2019s your serve?\u2019 and he said, \u2018It\u2019s great!\u2019 For him to say that is just great.\u201d<\/p>\n
After breezing through his first two matches during Friday\u2019s rain-hampered first day of play \u2013 6-0, 6-0 against Clint Vidano of Wenatchee, and 6-1, 6-0 against Richard Oam of Jackson \u2013 Manthou came up against a pair of hard hitters on Saturday, the first of whom was friendly rival Overland in the semis.<\/p>\n
Overland, who also played Manthou in a West Central District quarterfinal last week (Manthou won that one, 6-0, 6-0), was looking forward to the rematch after winning his first two on Friday at state \u2013 6-4, 5-7, 10-7 in a super tiebreaker against Richland\u2019s Troy Zuroske in the first round, then 6-3, 6-2 against Roosevelt\u2019s Stephen Perkins in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got to give him what I\u2019m made out of and see what happens,\u201d Overland said after his two Friday contests.<\/p>\n
Manthou prevailed, 6-3, 6-1, splitting the first four games of the match before winning 10 of the final 12.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatt played phenomenal,\u201d Manthou said. \u201cI played really well against Matt, but he played well, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unheralded though he was, Russell quickly proved himself worthy of a spot in the finals. He opened the match with a love service game before Manthou ran off three straight. Russell got one back to make it 3-2, then Manthou took the last three to close out the set, winning the last seven points.<\/p>\n
The second set started off in almost identical fashion \u2013 the first game to Russell on his serve, the next three to Manthou, Russell closing to 3-2, and Manthou holding serve to make it 4-2.<\/p>\n
But Russell wasn\u2019t done. He held serve, getting within 4-3, then broke Manthou\u2019s serve for the only time in the match, making it 4-all. Manthou broke back for a 5-4 lead, then finished fast with a love service game, drilling a forehand that skipped past Russell\u2019s outstretched racket, delivering back-to-back first-service winners, and then, on match point, watching a Russell backhand sail long.<\/p>\n
Lob shots: Kentridge\u2019s senior girls doubles team of Anna McIntosh and Chelsey White came within one set of a medal. After going down 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 in their first-rounder on Friday against Wenatchee\u2019s Tatiana Wood and Amy Scheumann, the Chargers won two straight on the consolation side, putting them into the consol semis against Mead\u2019s Britta Stime and Katrina Stime. McIntosh and White won the first set, 6-2, but the Panther pair took the next two sets, 6-2, 6-2, and ultimiately went home with the fourth-place medal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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