Thief River Falls lived up to its No. 1 seed by winning the Section 8A boys tennis tournament title Tuesday at the Park Rapids Depot Courts.
Park Rapids, the No. 4 seed, opened with a 6-1 win over No. 5 Perham before being eliminated with a 6-1 loss to Thief River Falls in the semifinals. No. 3 Crookston defeated No. 2 East Grand Forks 5-2 in the other semifinal match. Thief River Falls then claimed the section title with a 6-1 win over Crookston.
The Panthers, who defeated Perham 6-1 during the regular season, duplicated that score in the first round of the section tournament, which was rained out Monday.
Joe Penning and Ben Waller prevailed 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 doubles; Brady Pederson and Ted Tiffany won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 doubles; and Kyle Dickinson and Max Brown posted a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles to lead the way.
Ryan Kent's 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles sealed the win. The Panthers rallied in two of the other three singles matches as Mark Smith's 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 1 singles and Steve Smith's 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles provided the 6-1 margin.
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Dickinson and Brown rallied for an 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles as the Panthers avoided being blanked by Thief River Falls for the second time this season.
Thief River Falls, which is ranked No. 6 in the latest state Class A poll, won the other six matches in straight sets to advance to the finals. The loss in the section semifinals ended the Panthers' record in dual meets at 6-6.
Park Rapids 6, Perham 1
No. 1 singles: Mark Smith, PR, over Gus Rutten 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
No. 2 singles: Cody Gustafson, P, over Alex Renner 6-4, 6-3.
No. 3 singles: Ryan Kent, PR, over Michael Buer 6-1, 6-0.
No. 4 singles: Steve Smith, PR, over Scott Ericson 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.
No. 1 doubles: Joe Penning/Ben Waller, PR, over John Carlson/Tim Buchin 6-1, 6-2.
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No. 2 doubles: Brady Pederson/Ted Tiffany, PR, over Nick Delaney/Michael Hovey 6-2, 6-2.
No. 3 doubles: Kyle Dickinson/Max Brown, PR, over Dylan Ashcroft/Brandon Range 6-1, 6-1.
Thief River Falls 6, Park Rapids 1
No. 1 singles: Jacob Engelstad, TRF, over Mark Smith 6-0, 6-0.
No. 2 singles: Cody Bottem, TRF, over Alex Renner 6-0, 6-0.
No. 3 singles: Connor Hutton, TRF, over Ryan Kent 6-4, 6-2.
No. 4 singles: Brenden Skime, TRF, over Steve Smith 6-4, 6-2.
No. 1 doubles: Chase Haviland/Jordan Swanson, TRF, over Joe Penning/Ben Waller 6-3, 6-3.
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No. 2 doubles: Carey Horian/Brian Kays, TRF, over Brady Pederson/Ted Tiffany 6-0, 6-3.
No. 3 doubles: Kyle Dickinson/Max Brown, PR, over Parker Nessen/Cody Reese 0-6, 6-2, 6-3.
