Connaughton beat Springfield Shawnee’s Daniel Detrick, 6-2, 6-0, in the boys Division II district tennis quarterfinals at Centerville High School on Wednesday, securing Badin’s first boys state berth.
“It’s kind of crazy,” the Rams junior said. “I tried not to think about it before I played. It’s kind of overwhelming, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.”
It was Connaughton’s third time in the state qualifying round and first time making it through. His first-round opponent, Indian Hill’s Andrew Pregel, eliminated him from the tournament last year.
“I have to admit, that one felt pretty good,” Connaughton said of paying back Pregel.
Connaughton will get a second shot at the player who bumped him out of the district tournament his freshman year as he will play Indian Hill’s Alexander Warstler in the semifinals Saturday. Warstler beat Chaminade Julienne senior Carlos Estrada-Sanchez, 6-3, 6-4, in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Waiting game: When Miami Valley School sophomore Colton Morehart walked off the court after a 6-0, 6-2 first-round singles win Wednesday morning, he was ready for a break. The Rams first singles player didn't think the break would be more than 24 hours.
Morehart’s eventual quarterfinal opponent, Kenton Ridge senior Chris Kalweit, didn’t even start his first-round match until several hours after the Rams player was off the court because Kalweit’s opponent — Patrick Casanas, of Summit Country Day — had an advanced placement exam.
AP exams and graduation played havoc with the D-II district tennis schedule. Five players from four schools arrived late at the district tournament. That delayed two doubles and two singles first-round matches as well as the quarterfinal matches for the winners.
Kalweit’s late start and lengthy three-set win over Casanas, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, made it challenging to play his quarterfinal match against Morehart and make it to his Wednesday night graduation ceremony. In order to accommodate his graduation, the quarterfinal match was postponed until Thursday at 4 p.m.
After spending more than four hours waiting for his quarterfinal match only to have it rescheduled, Morehart was disappointed but remained positive.
“I would definitely have liked to finish today, but this gives me a chance to work with my coach, reset a little and be more rested,” Morehart said.
Division I: Boys D-I district play gets underway Thursday at 9 a.m. at Centerville High School. Centerville's Josh Giambattista and Troy's Shane Essick are among the top-seeded singles players vying for a state berth.
Semifinals and finals for both divisions are Saturday.
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