Rock Bridge crowned champions

Playing at No. 2 singles, Rock Bridge senior Ryan Olson found himself leading 9-8 in a tiebreaker against Liberty’s Daniel Orr on Friday. It was the last singles match of the day, with the Bruins leading 4-1. Olson knew if he won, Rock Bridge would advance to Saturday’s championship match at the Mid-Missouri Invitational at Bethel Park.

“I wanted to finish it off so we wouldn’t have any pressure going into doubles for the last part of the day,” Olson said.

After a rally that seemed to last an eternity, Orr’s shot hit the net, giving Rock Bridge the victory. In the heat of the moment, Olson screamed and launched a ball into oblivion with his racket.

Looking a little sheepish afterwards, Olson said the outburst was a reflex.

“It was really a good feeling after winning that,” Olson said. “I didn’t mean to hit the ball out of the stadium. I was just pretty fired up.”

It prompted some minor teasing from a few teammates.

“You’re a beast!” Aron Franck said afterwards, giving Olson a friendly punch in the chest.

Olson’s was one of the key wins under pressure that paved the way for Rock Bridge’s second consecutive championship.

The Bruins (13-0) won the title by beating Blue Springs South 5-4 on Saturday after beating Lafayette 8-1 and Liberty 7-2 on Friday to advance.

Rock Bridge coach Ben Loeb said the close score in the final did not surprise him.

“I really woke up this morning saying this thing could go either way,” he said.

It almost did. Playing in the No. 3 singles position on Saturday, senior Scott Hawf’s match against John Ferguson also went to a tiebreaker. Hawf had been playing at No. 4 on Friday, but Loeb decided to move him up a spot.

“Scott played so well yesterday that I thought he had the confidence to move up and play a higher position,” Loeb said.

It turned out to be a good decision. Hawf, who has gone undefeated in singles this season, won the tiebreaker 10-5, giving Rock Bridge its fifth victory and the championship. The win helped overcome losses at No. 1 and 2 singles.

Also posting wins in singles were junior Stefan Nosic at No. 4 and sophomore Jay Kinderknecht at No. 5.

“We’re a deep team,” Hawf said. “We keep each other up.”

Franck was downright beastly himself against Liberty, winning his No. 1 singles match 6-4, 6-1. He couldn’t sustain the momentum against Blue Springs South, though, losing to Bret Berryman 7-5, 6-0. Loeb said Berryman is one of the best players in the state. Franck, a sophomore, is new to the varsity lineup this season.

“Aron Franck can take a lot from this weekend in proving to himself that he can play with these better players,” Loeb said.

HICKMAN:

After the three matches, Rock Bridge’s undefeated record at Bethel Park now stands at 56, dating back to 2002.

Hickman: The Hickman boys’ tennis team’s fifth-place finish in the Mid-Missouri Invitational wasn’t indicative of its efforts on Friday and Saturday.

In the double-elimination tournament, the Kewpies lost a close match in the first round 6-3 to DeSmet, which eventually took third in the tournament.

“Everything was going well today, but we were matched up against a better team,” coach Jerry Price said. “We lost two of the doubles matches 8-6, so we were very close to winning it. They’re a strong team.”

After the loss, Hickman (8-2) tore through the opposite side of the eight-team bracket, defeating Glendale 7-2 and then Lafayette by the same score.

“I’m really proud of how the team played against them and how they responded to the loss,” Price said.

After losing his first set 6-1, freshman No. 6 player Brandon Page, who had one of the two losses against Glendale, dropped out for the rest of the tournament due to injury. He “tweaked” his shoulder, forcing him to withdraw.

Senior Rob Tillman, who filled in earlier in the season for junior Justin Guevara during his ankle injury, stepped in to fill his place. He again had no problems moving up, winning 6-3, 6-2 against Aaron Raidt of Lafayette.

“The seventh spot is one of the hardest to be in,” Price said. “But Rob’s filled in admirably. He’s patiently waited and comes through with wins when we need them.”

— RYAN GAVIN