Ben Murphy
Sports Scene
Amidst the celebration of H.H. Dow High’s third straight Division 2 state tennis championship, one distinct sound could be heard. That sound was a big sigh of relief from head coach Terry Schwarzkopf.
“I’m finally able to exhale,” he said. “The first year we surprised people. The second year was the question of ‘can we do it again?’ This year, there was more pressure and more expectations. It feels great to send my seniors on top and as three-time state champions.”
The Chargers finished their second consecutive undefeated season with a 23-0-3 record. They finished with 31 points in the two-day state finals tournament, holding off Forest Hills Central, who finished with 19.
“If you talk to my boys, they would say that I am always worried,” Schwarzkopf said. “I was confident coming in, we did have seven no. 1 seeds and a no. 2 that I thought would win it all. The key in my mind was my one singles (John Templeman) winning his first two matches, which he did. At that point, I felt very confident that we would take it. Point-wise, we actually won in the first day of the tournament, though nobody knew it.”
Templeman ousted North Farmington’s Michael Mertz 6-4, 6-4 in round one, and Holly’s Jeff Sophiea 6-0, 6-2 in round two before falling to second-seeded Tyler Richmond of Portage Central 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
Johnathan Gurnee, playing in no. 2 singles, received a bye his first round, topped Jordan Brown of Dearborn Edsel Ford 6-0, 6-0 in round two, picked up a quarterfinal win over Sanjay Reddy of Bloomfield Hills Andover 6-2, 6-1, beat Hans Lee of Lakeview 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinal, and topped Billy Heckman (who had previously beat Gurnee this season) of Portage Central 6-3, 7-5. The win for Gurnee gave him his second career state championship, (he won no. 4 singles as a sophomore), and set the career wins record in the MHSAA with 141.
In no. 1 singles, Austin Woody topped Evan Ketai of Birmingham Groves 6-2, 6-0 in the finals, and in no. 4 singles Juli Guerra topped Janah Yousif of Bloomfield Hills Andover 6-1, 6-1.
The no. 1 doubles team of Santi Guerra and Vikram Shankar lost in the semifinals 6-1, 6-1, while the no. 2 doubles team of Jason Chang and David Goslin captured a state title when they defeated Daichi Hirakawa and Abhiram Krishan of Portage Central 7-6, 6-2.
The no. 3 doubles team of Patrick Eschbach and David Read fell in the semifinals, and the no. 4 doubles team of Mark Gorte and Carson Bricco fell in the same round.
“We won all of the matches on Friday except for the no. 1 singles quarterfinals match,” Schwarzkopf said. “We did not really have a clinching moment, but I was encouraged in the first round when FHC, North Farmington, and Andover took zeros at one singles. That, in my mind, set the stage for the whole tournament.”
The coach wouldn’t pinpoint a key moment in the state tournament, opting to look at the entire year instead.
“The whole season is the key,” Schwarzkopf said. “From the day they stepped off the court last season, internal competition started. That drives the kids to continue to improve and play competitive matches. They train at the tennis center in our off time, they simply never stop. Then, once season begins, we continue to stress conditioning and focus a lot on the mental aspect of the game. Most of the players already come in with great strokes, they need strategy.
“We play the toughest competition in the state,” the coach added. “All of that prepares these kids mentally and physically for the challenge. Also, team chemistry is a must. Our guys are a tight knit group of boys that see each other as family.”
Gurnee and Santi Guerra, both seniors, get to leave high school tennis at the top, winning team and individual championships.
“These guys were the pillar of the program,” Schwarzkopf said. “The cornerstone to our victories. Four individual and three state titles between the two of them. As captains, they served the team through inspiration and dedication. I am not sure if what these two accomplished can ever be matched by other individuals. I am proud of them, not just for their accomplishments on the court, but for whom they are off the court. I would have felt I failed their legacy if we had not sent them out as winners.”
So as Dow’s two seniors pass the torch to next year’s team, talks of yet another state championship will assuredly come to the forefront.
“I think we have a great chance,” Schwarzkopf said of winning a fourth title in a row. “We lose two and have two stellar freshmen coming in next year. Three of the four state flight winners return. My one singles returns with a year under his belt. I think next year’s championship is ours to lose if we can stay focused. They motivate themselves. They want it and nobody wants to be the team that ends the streak.”