Wakefield sweeps Cap Eight boys tennis titles

Wakefield senior Bo Boyden, the defending N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A singles champion, has his eyes set on a different title this season as he teams up fellow senior and Jensen Martin in a quest for a doubles crown.

“Last year was a special moment winning singles, and I was definitely thinking about doing it again this year, but it’s not every day you can team up with one of your best friends and win a state title. So I think that really impacted my decision, and I think it was a good one,” Boyden said.

The Wolverines seniors took home the Cap Eight doubles title Wednesday at Millbrook Exchange Tennis Center, defeating the Millbrook duo of junior Austin Cobb and freshman Josiah Schainblatt 6-2, 6-0.

Martin won the 2014 state doubles title with former teammate Phil Lauture, who moved to Charlotte, so the Wakefield captains decided to team up to win a title of their own.

“We haven’t played much this season, so we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Boyden said. “In the beginning we started off a little slow, but I think as we keep progressing and practicing more we’ll start to mesh well together. We’re playing well, but just more practice and I think we’ll have a really good shot at taking it all.”

Boyden and Martin finished their match in time to catch a bit of the all-Wakefield singles championship match that featured Wolverines sophomores Blake Carter and Nico Grewe.

Grewe walked away with the singles title 6-2, 6-2.

“We don’t have the same depth that we’ve enjoyed (at Wakefield) recently, but the quality is there,” Wakefield coach Ken Stewart said of this year’s team. “And this is such a fun group. They have the passion. I don’t know if that’s the X-factor or not, but they love being out there.”

Wakefield is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the N.C. High School Tennis Coaches Association’s list of 4A teams. Millbrook is ranked No. 2 while Enloe is No. 5.

Martin has seen the team grow over the past four years, both physically and mentally. Sweeping the conference tournament titles is proof of how far the players have come, he said.

“This year we’re much more mature on the court,” Martin said. “We think through points more and our fitness level is up. ... Our conference is really strong with a lot of good players, so to come out on top just shows that we’ve been fighting a lot and getting better.”

Grewe defeated Broughton’s Taylor Boole 6-4, 7-5; and Carter defeated Enloe’s Michael Ogundele 7-5, 4-6, 10-4 in the singles semifinals.

Martin and Boyden defeated Sanderson’s Ben and Scott Spickard 6-0, 6-0; and Cobb and Schainblatt defeated Enloe’s Nathan Griffith and Ethan Saber 6-3, 6-7, 10-8 to advance to the doubles final.

In the fifth place matches, Enloe’s Rohan Chandrasekhar topped Sanderson’s Mohamed Almontaser 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 while Wakefield’s Robert Belonga and Lake Ihly defeated Broughton’s Blaise Waters and Will Beasley 5-7, 7-6, 10-7 in doubles.

The tough Cap Eight competition has helped prepare the teams for the postseason as they look to bring a third straight 4A state title to the area. Wakefield won the dual team title last season while Millbrook won in 2013.

“I think it’s good that we have one of the best conferences in the state,” Boyden said. “Millbrook-Wakefield matches are always good. We’re always nervous for them and we always prepare a lot for them. .... Our conference is so good we get good practice, so going into the state tournament we’re warmed up and ready to go.”

The first round of the NCHSAA dual team tournament is Tuesday. The individual playoffs begin May 1.

This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Wakefield sweeps Cap Eight boys tennis titles."