The Thief River Falls doubles team of Dylan Hahn and Jack Onkka made history Friday by winning the Class A doubles state championship in boys tennis Friday at the Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis.
“Dylan and Jack played real steady minded,” said Thief River Falls Co-Head Coach Shawna Spears. “They had a few tough games here and there, but they didn’t lose their mindset.”
Hahn and Onkka were seeded first going into the state tournament and they lived up to the top-billing with a state championship. They defeated Andrew Muetzel/Drew Lundeen of Redwood Valley 6-2, 6-4 in Thursday morning’s opening round and they won in straight sets again Thursday afternoon, defeating Baasit Mahmood/Jacob Colton of St. Paul Academy/Summit School in the quarterfinals by scores of 6-3 and 7-5.
“In the second match, St.Paul Academy almost battled back for a third set, but Dylan and Jack kept it in control and finished the second set 7-5,” Spears said. Hahn and Onkka advanced to the championship with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over fifth seeded Andy Stevenson and AJ Helmer of Fridley in Friday morning’s semifinals, and they won the first state championship in the history of the boys tennis program by defeating Ethan Leeser and Frederick Suhler of Rochester Lourdes 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the championship match Friday afternoon.
“In the championship match, it was an intense battle,” Spears said. “A tie-breaker for the first set, a tie-breaker for the second but falling short, and multiple match points. Again, it was never that they cracked under pressure, but just that for those few games or points, the opponents really stepped up. We kept reminding the boys that this is the championship match, it’s supposed to be tough and intense – it’s two of the best doubles teams in the state going at it. After an intense point where we fed the front Lourdes player four times in a row, they finally took the match.”
“It was such an extreme feeling being there in that moment and seeing that point,” Spears said. “Jack and Dylan are two of the most dedicated and committed players you will find. They put in hours upon hours of practice, extra hitting, lessons, and conditioning which paid off. We are extremely proud of these two and thankful to have had them as leaders and teammates for the rest of our boys. With them taking the title, I think it gave a new hope to not only our boys, but also others in the section.”
Thief River Falls’ other doubles team of Rhett Janisch and JJ Cornelius also got off to a strong start Thursday morning with a three-set win over Cooper Hendrickson and Drew Anderson of Hibbing.
Hendrickson and Anderson both played singles when the Prowlers and Bluejackets played during the regular season, so the teams had not played each other prior to the opening-round match at state.
Hendrickson and Anderson won the opening set 6-2, with Janisch and Cornelius countering with a 6-2 win of their own to force a third set. The third set went down to the wire, with Janisch and Cornelius claiming a 6-4 win to advance.
“In JJ and Rhett’s first match, the first set was tough,” Spears said. “Whether it was jitters, taking time to still warm up, or a mix, that first set was not what we knew those boys could do. They definitely turned it around the second set and took care of business. Then for the third set, Hibbing battled back a bit more, but JJ and Rhett took care of business.”
The tournament came to an end for Janisch/Cornelius in the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-1 loss to number two-seeded Leeser/Suhler of Rochester Lourdes.
“For the second match, they had a tough match up against the number seed, who ended up playing in the championship,” Spears said. “Rhett and JJ played tough, but they couldn’t overcome the intensity of Lourdes. We’re still extremely proud of these two and the effort and progress they made this season.”
Familiar territory
Hahn and Onkka are no strangers to state competition. Both players were part of the Prowlers’ state runner-up team as eighth graders in 2018, with Onkka primarily playing in the number one doubles spot with Zach Twamley and Hahn primarily playing in the number two doubles spot with Noah Rupprecht.
One year later, both played big roles in the Prowlers returning to state with a sixth place team finish in 2019. That season, Onkka moved up to the number four singles spot in the lineup, while Hahn moved up to the number one doubles spot and continued to play doubles with Rupprecht.
Neither athlete got to compete in 2020 when the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Onkka was projected to play in the number two or three singles spot opposite Tucker Skime, while Hahn and Rupprecht were slated to be doubles partners for a third season.
Onkka and Hahn both played singles during most dual meets over the past two seasons, but they would get to play doubles together on occasion during the regular season before becoming full-time doubles partners for the individual portion of the postseason.
During their junior years, Hahn and Onkka dominated their way to a section doubles championship and kept the momentum going at state with a fourth place finish.
Results
Class A Doubles
• Dylan Hahn/Jack Onkka, Thief River Falls, 4-0, first place – def. Andrew Muetzel/Drew Lundeen, Redwood Valley, 6-2, 6-4; def. Baasit Mahmood/Jacob Colton, St. Paul Academy and Summit School 6-3, 7-5; def. Andy Stevenson/AJ Helmer, Fridley, 6-1, 6-1; def. Ethan Leeser/Frederick Suhler, Rochester Lourdes, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (5-7), 6-3.
• Rhett Janisch/JJ Cornelius, Thief River Falls, 1-1, DNP, def. Cooper Hendrickson/Drew Anderson, Hibbing, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4; def. by Ethan Leeser/Frederick Suhler, Rochester Lourdes, 6-1, 6-1.
• Semifinal – Ethan Leeser/Frederick Suhler, Rochester Lourdes, def. Leo Benson/Maik Nguyen, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
• Third place – Leo Benson/Maik Nguyen, St Paul Academy/Summit School def. Andy Stevenson/AJ Helmer, Fridley, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2.
Class A Singles
• Semifinals – Isaac Maddock, Osakis, def. Marjan Veldic, Rochester Lourdes, 7-6 (7-2), 6-0; Evan Fraser, Mounds Park Academy, def. Tate Reichmann, Minnewaska Area, 6-2, 6-7 (7-4), 6-1.
• Third place – Marjan Veldic, Rochester Lourdes, def. Tate Reichmann, Minnewaska Area, 6-4, 4-6, 10-7.
• Championship – Evan Fraser, Mounds Park Academy, def. Isaac Maddock, Osakis, 6-3, 6-1.
Class AA Doubles
• Semifinals – Matias Maule/Sam Skanse, Orono, def. Luke Fridinger/Kaushik Bukkuri, East Ridge, 6-2, 6-1; Tej Bhagra/Spencer Busch, Rochester Mayo, def. Sam Rathmanner/Brandon Pham, Mahtomedi, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
• Third place – Sam Rathmanner/Brandon Pham, Mahtomedi, def. Luke Fridinger/Kaushik Bukkuri, East Ridge, 6-1, 6-3.
• Championship – Matias Maule/Sam Skanse, Orono, def. Tej Bhagra/Spencer Busch, Rochester Mayo, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Class A Singles
• Semifinals – Collin Beduhn, Wayzata, def. Ashton Adesoro, Harding, 6-4, 6-1; Matthew Fullerton, Edina, def. Allen Gong, Eagan, 7-5, 6-1.
• Third place – Allen Gong, Eagan, def. Ashton Adesoro, Harding, 4-6, 6-0, 10-5.
• Championship – Matthew Fullerton, Edina, def. Collin Beduhn, Wayzata, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 (7-3).
Class A Team
• Quarterfinals – Rock Ridge (Virginia) 4, Minnewaska Area 3; St. Paul Academy and Summit School 7, Luverne 0; Rochester Lourdes 6, Foley 1; Breck School 4, Litchfield 3.
• Consolation semifinals – Minnewaska Area 6, Luverne 1; Litchfield 6, Foley 1.
• Semifinals – St. Paul Academy and Summit School 5, Rock Ridge 2; Breck School 4, Rochester Lourdes 3.
• Consolation Championship – Litchfield 4, Minnewaska Area 3.
• Third place – Rochester Lourdes 5, Rock Ridge 2.
• Championship – St. Paul Academy and Summit School 5, Breck School 2.
Class AA Team
• Quarterfinals – Orono 7, Duluth East 0; Rochester Mayo 6, Eagan 1; Edina 7, Eden Prairie 0; Mounds View 5, Becker 2.
• Consolation Semifinals – Eagan 4, Duluth East 3; Eden Prairie 6, Becker 1.
• Semifinals – Orono 5, Rochester Mayo 2; Edina 5, Mounds View 2.
• Consolation championship – Eden Prairie 4, Eagan 3
• Third place – Mounds View 4, Rochester Mayo 3.
• Championship – Orono 4, Edina 3.