For much of the season, Litchfield relied on its singles players to lead the charge.
That was the case in the Class A state boys tennis quarterfinals Tuesday morning in Minneapolis as the No. 6 Dragons' lost 5-2 to No. 4 St. Paul Academy and Summit School.
The 2016 state runner-up Spartans surged out to three quick doubles wins, all in two sets. The No. 1 doubles team of Jon Madsen and Zach Kaizer nearly earned a third set before dropping a tight 7-5 second to Duke Nguyen and Jeffrey Huang.
Simultaneously in the other dome at Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center, No. 1 singles Josh Prahl downed Noah Keogh 6-1, 6-3 to get Litchfield on the board.
Down 3-1, Litchfield had a 1-0 set lead at No. 2 and No. 4 singles and No. 3 was tied 1-1. A comeback was within reach.
Needing to sweep the last three, Litchfield No. 3 Jordan Green couldn't convert a first-set win into victory. He fell behind 4-2 in the third set and worked his way back to a tie and extra points before dropping a hard-fought match to Nathan Sobotka 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.
No. 4 Matthew Wedin salvaged a second point for Litchfield after nearly surrendering a late lead in the third, beating Sameer Bijwadia 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
With the team match already decided, SPA and A's No. 2 Max Soll rallied to win the last two sets against Trevor Meyer, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4.
"This morning I thought our kids competed really, really well," said Litchfield head coach John Carlson. "We had a shot. That’s all you can really ask for against a school like SPA. Historically, they’re very good tennis players. So I was real proud of how they played."
Litchfield snapped a seven-game win streak entering Tuesday.
The Dragons began the day's action bright and early at 8 a.m. and returned in the afternoon for the consolation semifinals against Section 3A champions and 2016 consolation runner-up, the Luverne Cardinals.
What message did Carlson have for his team in between matches?
"Well, I told them we were going to go bowling," Carlson said with the hope of relaxing the players.
Litchfield proceeded to bowl over its competition, winning 5-2 and converting a singles sweep.
Green made quick work of Cade VerSteeg 6-3, 6-1 to put Litchfield ahead. Meyer followed in quick succession against Mark Robinson 6-3, 6-2.
Prahl needed extra points to win his first set but he kept his win streak dating back to the regular season alive, downing Chris Jelken 7-6 (4), 6-2. It was retribution for Prahl, who lost to Jelken's team in the state consolation doubles finals in 2016.
Wedin beat another Jelken, Matt, 6-3, 6-2.
Litchfield's top two doubles teams dropped their matches. Griffin Kinny and Payton Prahl salvaged the Dragons' only doubles point of the day beating Trey Baustian and Luke Jarchow 6-4, 5-7, 10-7 with all eyes on them in the final match.
Not bad for a couple of players in their first year of tennis.
"I thought that win was a great one for us," Carlson said. "They started eight, nine weeks ago and got a win today."
The Dragons earned an extra hotel stay in Minneapolis for their efforts, as well as a trip to Olive Garden for a carbohydrate load.
"When we won our fourth point I called and asked 'Can we have our rooms again?,'" Carlson joked.
Litchfield advanced to take on Crookston in Wednesday's consolation final that concluded after the Independent Review went to press.
Madsen and Green will play St. Peter's Drew Elofson/Rafat Solaiman in the state doubles round of 16 at 10 a.m. Thursday in the single-elimination tournament at Reed-Sweatt. Their second match win or lose is 2 p.m. Thursday against Fridley's Jacob Roubal/Nic Fite or Thief River Falls' Cole Gillespie/Peter Zaviska. The tournament concludes Friday.
Josh Prahl will see Minnewaska Area's Carter LaMont in the round of 16 with the second match at noon, win or lose, against either Justin Bobo of Rochester Lourdes or Eli Weber of Lac qui Parley Valley. Bobo, an eight-grader, is the youngest in the tournament. All matches are at Reed-Sweatt and conclude Friday.
Litchfield did not face the aforementioned teams in the regular season or playoffs.
June 6 in Minneapolis
Class A quarterfinals
St. Paul Academy and Summit School 5, Litchfield 2
Singles — No. 1 Josh Prahl (L) def. Noah Keogh 6-1, 6-3; No. 2 Max Soll (S) def. Trevor Meyer 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4; No. 3 Nathan Sobotka (S) def. Jordan Green 1-6, 6-3, 7-5; No. 4 Matthew Wedin (L) def. Sameer Bijwadia 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 ... Doubles — No. 1 Duke Nguyen/Jeffrey Huang (S) def. Jon Madsen/Zach Kaizer 6-2, 7-5; No. 2 Benjamin Konstan/Rahul Dev (S) def. Cody Lendt/Andrew Fisher 6-4, 6-2; No. 3 Kai Sih/Liam Lynch (S) def. Griffin Kinny/Payton Prahl 6-1, 6-2
Class A consolation semifinals
Litchfield 5, Luverne 2
Singles — No. 1 Josh Prahl (Litch) def. Chris Jelken 7-6 (7-4), 6-2; No. 2 Trevor Meyer (Litch) def. Mark Robinson 6-3, 6-2; No. 3 Jordan Green (Litch) def. Cade VerSteeg 6-3, 6-1; No. 4 Matthew Wedin (Litch) def. Matt Jelken 6-3, 6-2 ... Doubles — No. 1 Layne Curtis/Dalton Schoeneman (Luv.) def. Jon Madsen/Zach Kaizer 6-1, 7-6 (7-4); No. 2 Jim Erickson/Isaac Gillette (Luv.) def. Cody Lendt/ Andrew Fisher 6-2, 6-1; No. 3 Griffin Kinny/Payton Prahl (Litch) def. Trey Baustian/Luke Jarchow 6-4, 5-7, 10-7
