Twelve long years have passed since the Wolves won the league title and they broke the streak last Thursday earning a share of the OAA White title.
“It was a major accomplishment for us,” said Clarkston Boys Varsity Tennis Coach Chas Claus. “It is something all of the guys are very excited about and proud of.”
The Wolves finished the league undefeated 5-0 and finished the OAA White meet in second place with 45 points. Rochester took first place with 50 points to earn a share of the league title with Clarkston.
“We were disappointed not to win the tournament but we are pleased with sharign the league title,” Claus added.
Matt Dahl, Ian Stuart and Alexis Haselwanter led the team winning the championship flights on the singles courts. They also finished undefeated in the OAA White.
Claus added the team of Ray Coyle and Andrew Gibson on the Doubles No. 5 court had a victory over Lake Orion to make it to the championship round.
“It really made us in the running to win the tournament,” he said. “It didn’t work out but all of the guys did their jobs.”
Gibson and Kaiden Kamp ended up in second place for Doubles No. 5 along with Joey and Johnny Whall, Doubles No. 1, and Brendan Greenlee and Mitch Rogowski, Doubles No. 2.
Alex Matisse finished in second place on the Singles No. 1 court after a loss to Rochester’s Nicholas Ang.
Berkley and Stoney Creek finished tied for third in the league while Lake Orion finished in sixth place and Farmington in seventh.
The Wolves host MHSAA Regionals on Thursday and will see Lake Orion, Rochester and Stoney Creek again.
“It helps with greater familiarity with those players,” Claus said, adding the league meet helped to prepare the boys. “It is good good competition and good competition under pressure. You get to play with something on the line and play knowing the entire team needs your performance.”
The Wolves will also face players from Bloomfield Hills, Rochester Adams, Waterford Kettering, Waterford Mott and West Bloomfield during the tournament.
“The region is going to be tough,” said Claus. “In my opinion it is the best region in the state. We have a few flights where we have a pretty good chance of winning it. We have other flights we will need to have our best day of the season in order to win a match or two. We welcome the opportunity to prove ourselves.
The top two teams plus any team scoring a total of 18 points move on to the state finals at Midland Tennis Center, Oct. 18-19.
“I am curious to see if a third team will make it out of this region,” Claus added. “My suspicion is it is such a strong region that the second tier teams will have a hard time getting 18 points. There will be a lot of solid teams beating each other up.”
The day begins at 8 a.m. with flights as various locations including Clarkston. The finals begin at 3 p.m. at 6093 Flemings Lake Road.