Section team tournaments happening this week
Lakeville North went undefeated against South Suburban Conference boys tennis opponents for the second consecutive year, and the Panthers were rewarded with their second straight SSC championship.
In 2023 North blitzed through the conference schedule, dropping only one point in nine matches. The Panthers’ SSC rivals made it tougher on them this time through. Their closest match was April 25 against Eagan, where the Panthers won 4-3 with a couple of three-set victories. Eagan is the top seed in the Section 3AA tournament taking place this week.
North is the No. 2 seed in Section 1AA and defeated Winona 6-1 at home in a quarterfinal match Wednesday. The Panthers will play Rochester Century in the semifinals at 9 a.m. Friday at Lakeville South High School, with the winner facing Rochester Mayo or Rochester John Marshall for the section championship later Friday.
Rochester Mayo, the second-ranked team in Class AA, is the top seed in Section 1. Lakeville North is ranked eighth.
A potent singles lineup led by senior Anthony Scheglowski has been one of the Panthers’ strengths. Scheglowski, ranked seventh in Class AA, entered the postseason with a 15-4 record against some of the state’s toughest players, including No. 1-ranked Tej Bhagra of Rochester Mayo. Junior Kade Bishop was 16-3 playing singles and doubles matches, and ninth-grader Reid Bishop was 14-5.
Other North standouts include junior Ezra Mahoney, who’s 15-4 overall, and sophomore Preston Craig (16-2). Garrett Siefken, a senior and regular in the Panthers’ doubles lineup, is 14-5.
As a team, the Panthers are 13-4 overall. Three of their losses were to teams ranked in the Class AA top 10 this week (Rochester Mayo, Mounds View and Orono) and the other loss was to Eden Prairie, which was ranked earlier in the season.
Section 1AA
Lakeville South advanced to the Section 1AA team quarterfinals with a 6-1 victory over Faribault on Monday. The Cougars went in seeded ninth to Faribault’s eighth, but they swept the doubles matches – all in straight sets – and won three of the four singles matches.
South lost to top-seeded Rochester Mayo 7-0 in the quarterfinal round Wednesday.
Rochester Century defeated Farmington 7-0 in the opening round, eliminating the 11th-seeded Tigers from the team tournament.
The Section 1AA individual tournament is Tuesday, May 21, and Thursday, May 23.
Section 3AA
Top-seeded and defending champion Eagan defeated Park of Cottage Grove 7-0 in the Section 3AA quarterfinals Monday at Northview Park. Eagan had straight-set victories in each match, including Owen Heidtke and Carter Michaels at first and second singles, and Will Heidtke and Will Gleason at first doubles.
Eagan (16-3) defeated St. Thomas Academy in the semifinals on Wednesday afternoon and will face Two Rivers in the championship match Friday at Northview Park.
The Wildcats were 8-1 in the South Suburban Conference for second place, with their only loss to league champion Lakeville North.
Rosemount defeated Cretin-Derham Hall 6-1 in the first round of the Section 3AA team tournament before losing to Two Rivers 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
Section 3AA singles and doubles tournaments will be Tuesday, May 21, and Wednesday, May 22, at Two Rivers.
Section 6AA
Three of the top seven teams in the state Class AA rankings – Blake (tied for third), Edina (fifth) and Minneapolis Washburn (seventh) are assigned to the Section 6 team tournament. That was the gauntlet South Suburban Conference schools Apple Valley and Eastview had to look forward to after reaching the quarterfinals.
Apple Valley (12-4), the seventh seed, defeated 10th-seeded Burnsville 5-2 in a first-round match Tuesday before losing to No. 2 seed Edina in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Eastview defeated Minneapolis Roosevelt in the first round Monday. The Lightning lost to took on third-seeded Minneapolis Washburn on Wednesday, ending the team portion of their season 10-7.
The Section 6AA individual tournament starts Wednesday, May 22, at the Blake School’s Hopkins campus.
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