Campbell wraps up remarkable tennis run at state

Jefferson junior compiles a 13-1 singles record

Junior Bode Campbell was looking to hoist the fourth state singles tennis champion to come from Bloomington Jefferson after qualifying with a perfect run to the Section 6AA title.

Campbell (13-1) opened the Class AA state singles tournament with a straight sets win over Eagan’s Carter Michaels 6-3, 6-1 before falling to No. 2 seed Sam Rathmanner of Mahtomedi in a three-set heartbreaker losing the opening set 7-5 before rebounding to take the second set 6-2 before losing the third and final set 6-1 to finish 1-1 on the day.

Rathmanner went on to fall in the third-place match on June 7.

Campbell qualified for state with a solid run through the Section 6AA field, starting with a pair of 6-0, 6-0 shutouts over Benilde-St. Margaret’s Connor Gugger then Edina’s Thomas Loucks to reach the semifinals.

Campbell dispatched Blake’s Tarun Gopalakrishnan 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals to set up a championship match against Blake’s No. 1 seed Kai Chen who needed three sets to top Jefferson’s Stuart Konezny 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 to stop what would’ve been an All-Jaguar section final.

Campbell came from behind to win the section crown, losing the opening set 7-6 before rallying to take the final two sets 6-1 and 6-0. Chen lost his true second-place match to Gopalakrishnan 7-5, 6-2 to grab the second state-qualifying spot.

Konezny reached deep in the section tournament starting with a pair of straight-set wins over Minneapolis Southwest’s Jasper Strom 6-3, 6-4 before a 6-4, 6-2 win over Edina’s Santiago Sanchez to reach the semifinals against Chen.

In doubles, Jefferson’s Peyton Sheffert and Nick Elfstrum eventually came up short in a third-place match against Minneapolis Washburn’s Louis Bastian and Sam Erdall 6-2, 6-2.

Sheffert and Elfstrum received a first-round bye before topping Burnsville’s Logan Dineen and Aditya Shoor in straight sets 6-0, 6-1 before dispatching Benilde-St. Margaret’s Noah Hong and Avery Nelson 6-4, 6-2. In the semifinals, the Jaguars duo ran into Washburn’s Lou Smith and Samir Stolpman 6-1, 6-2. The Millers pair qualified for state after topping Bastian and Erdall 6-3, 6-2 in a true second-place match.

Jefferson’s other doubles team at sections, Micah Wang and Gus Campbell lost their third-round match against Edina’s Humza Chaudhri and Andy Norman 6-2, 6-2. Wang and Campbell defeated Burnsville’s Elliot Malecha and Grant Blackburn 6-1, 6-1 in the first round and Minneapolis Southwest’s Oliver Galt and Abe Anderson in three sets 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

Kennedy’s doubles team of Simon Katan and Bryce Bannister lost their opener to Minneapolis South’s Eli Morgan and Gideon Nelson 6-0, 6-1 and Kennedy’s Cole Harkin and Wesley Peters lost to Apple Valley’s Connor Johnson and Jace Mertens 6-0, 6-1. Richfield’s Jonas Taylor and Jack Friel lost to Apple Valley’s Carson Bothof and Walter Haakenson 6-0, 6-0 and Richfield’s Cole Meyer and Peter Hasnik lost to BSM’s Blake Wagener and Nick Nordstrom 6-0, 6-0.

In singles action, Kennedy’s Samson Keefe lost to Burnsville’s Kenneth Lungay 6-4, 6-2 and Kennedy’s Oscar Stewart lost to St. Louis Park’s Thomas Halverson 6-1, 6-1.

Richfield’s singles entrants include Tenzin Jigdral who lost to Thomas Loucks of Edina 6-0, 6-0 and Jordan Timm who lost to Minneapolis Southwest 6-0, 6-0.

The previous Jaguar state champions came during a remarkable stretch in the mid-1990s with three consecutive titles from Matt Peplinski in 1995 and 1996 and Ryan Edlefsen in 1997. Jefferson claimed the big-school team titles in 1994 and 1996.

Follow Jason Olson on Twitter @Jason0lson or @SunSportsJason.