by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor

Thief River Falls advanced to the Section 8A championship match in boys tennis for the 17th consecutive season with a 6-1 semifinal win over East Grand Forks Tuesday afternoon.

“The kids played very well today,” said Head Coach Fabian Tunberg. “Cole Gillespie had a nice win against Ben Kern, who has given him some trouble in the past.”

Gillespie defeated Kern 6-3, 6-3 in what would turn out to be the closest singles match of the dual. Camden Broadwell knocked off Justin Marciniak 6-2, 6-1 in the number two spot. Tucker Skime beat Josiah Gehrls 6-1, 6-2 in number three singles and Jack Onkka made short work of Bryce Huot in the number four spot, winning 6-2, 6-1.

In doubles competition, Tunberg chose to use a lineup that looked a lot like the one he used during the 2018 postseason. Noah Rupprecht and Dylan Hahn made up the number two doubles team at last year’s section and state tournaments and on Monday, they were again paired – now as the number one doubles team – and reeled off a 6-2, 6-2 win over Blake Felch and Paker Anderson. Last year’s number three doubles team of Ethan Janisch and Aiden Martell were back together – this time playing the number two doubles spot – and their chemistry was showcased in a 7-5, 6-3 win over Tucker Brown and Justin Smerer.

“We changed our lineup a bit and put Aiden [Martell] and Ethan [Janisch] together,” Tunberg said. “They have so much energy when they play together.” East Grand Forks’ lone win in the dual came in the number three doubles match, with Tanner Mack and Tanner Lubinski of East Grand Forks winning a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Reece Janisch and Rhett Janisch. Second-seeded Perham defeated third-seeded Minnewaska Area 5-2 in the other semifinal match.

Tunberg likes the way his team is playing heading into Tuesday’s championship match. “We are thriving heading into the section championship,” Tunberg said.

Thief River Falls 6, East Grand Forks 1
Singles – Cole Gillespie (TRF) defeated Benjamin Kern 6-3, 6-3; Camden Broadwell (TRF) def. Justin Marciniak 6-2, 6-1; Tucker Skime (TRF) def. Josiah Gehrls 6-1, 6-2; Jack Onkka (TRF) def. Bryce Huot 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles – Noah Rupprecht/Dylan Hahn (TRF) def. Blake Flech/Parker Anderson 6-2, 6-2; Ethan Janisch/Aiden Martell (TRF) def. Tucker Brown/Justin Smerer 7-5, 6-3; Tanner Mack/Tanner Lubinski (EGF) def. Reece Janisch/Rhett Janisch 6-4, 6-4.