By DAVID COOK
After winning five straight state titles, the run came to an end this season for the Midland Dow boys tennis team at the Division 2 state finals.
The Chargers, however, did not give up the title without a fight, as they tied for third place place with Portage Central with 23 points, four points behind state champion Forest Hills Central.
“It’s a good run,” said Dow coach Terry Schwartzkopf. “It’s not what we’re used to, but it’s a great learning experience.”
A pair of Dow players won individual state championships in singles competition. Colin Angell won the title at No. 1 singles, while Michael Szabo won the title at No. 3 singles. Aditya Middha reached the semifinal at No. 4 singles.
In doubles action, Dow’s No. 1 team of Daniel Magno and Cole Williamson reached the final. The No. 2 team of Spencer Bouck and Sagar Kamaraju and the No. 3 team of Armin Vallazza-Margl and Noah Nichols both reached the quarterfinal round.
“To have two losses in the first round and still finish in third place really took a team effort,” Schwartzkopf noted. “And you’ve got to keep the right perspective. Most teams would give anything to finish third in the state.”
Dow proved it could play with any team in the state this season. Ranked no. 1 in the state in Division 2 for most of the year, the Chargers defeated Forest Hills Central 6-2 in a dual this season and also beat Forest Hills Northern, the state runner up, 5-3. The Chargers accomplished these feats despite heavy graduation losses from last year’s squad. “We were replacing an immense amount of talent,” Schwartzkopf said. “We had five guys that left that had maybe a cumulative 11 individual state championships. Then our No. 1 decided to play ITF instead of coming back to the team.”