By RYAN WALKER
Coach Robert Vanderkolk’s prophecy is fulfilled.
A year and one day ago on Thursday, the Tigers’ coach predicted a sectional championship after falling 3-2 to Norwell in the title match last year, saying, “You’re interviewing next year’s sectional champion coach.”
On Thursday, his team claimed its first sectional championship since 2015 with a 4-1 victory over the same Norwell squad.
When asked about it, Vanderkolk was at a loss for words. He just laughed. “I don’t know.”
The Knights certainly made it a match, leading 3-2 after all the first sets were completed. They had all three singles spots ahead and both doubles were in favor of Bluffton.
“It was great to see the guys just coming and firing on all cylinders,” Norwell head coach Noah Tobias said. “I thought they did an amazing job doing that because that’s kind of been one of our focus points this year.”
The Tigers got on the board first with those doubles teams of No. 1 Coy Lantz and No. 2 Ben Maggard and Kade Abbett, needing only one last spot up 2-0.
Landon Diver of Norwell swept Jacob Ribich next, leaving No. 1 singles between Gavin Reynolds (N) and Nolan Lambert and No. 2 singles between Anthony Hartman (B) and Braylon Troutt.
The No. 2 singles went to a tiebreaker and not shortly after went No. 1 singles.
Both Hartman and Lambert took early leads up by one game each in the tiebreaker, then there was an unfortunate break for the Knights.
Reynolds, a senior, went down with an ankle injury during the third set. Before it, he was neck-and-neck with Lambert with a set one victory.
After taking the full time to recover, he returned to the court to finish the match.
“He probably had his best match of the year,” Tobias said. “And I don’t think you can say that there’s a more resilient player than Gavin because he was in pain, but he knew this was his senior season and he wanted to finish this matchup at all costs. But it pains me that that’s how he had to go out, but again, he just did a great job.”
Hartman took a 5-2 lead over Troutt and scored three straight times before finally finishing the job for the Tigers. About 10 minutes later, Lambert followed his lead.
The turnaround for Vanderkolk’s senior was something he expected from his four-year varsity player. He said that there were not many players he’d rather have than Hartman or Lambert to get the final points of a match, and both of them did it.
“Braylon kicked (Hartman’s) butt in the first set,” Vanderkolk said. “Anthony and I had a conversation that probably isn’t fit to print … But he responded just like I knew he would. I knew he wasn’t afraid of the moment. Yeah, he came out tighter than tight in the first set, but once he relaxed and said, ‘OK, this is what I’m supposed to do as a tennis player,’ he did it.”
“I wasn’t playing my best tennis in the first set, went over on the changeover after the first one got over, talked to coach and he kind of gave me the little bit of motivation there, and just kind of kept grinding,” Hartman said.
Coach’s response?
“Just to keep fighting, in his own way,” Hartman said, smiling.
For the Tigers, it’s the reward of a successful two-year rebuild. All seven varsity members from the prior season returned and took care of their business in the conference and in the sectional. They will face the winner of the Peru sectional at home on Tuesday.
For the Knights, it’s the start of their new direction toward getting back to the sectional championship and winning the thing.
Tobias’ Knights graduated four of the seven seniors from last year and played a handful of new varsity members all year. Next year, the team will lose Reynolds, Diver and Eddie Archbold, but return Troutt, Rylan Heyerly, Aedyn Quintanilla and Dylan Randol.
“They have been forced to grow this year so much just in the whole mentality of, ‘OK, I’m supposed to be here in this spot. I deserve this spot. Now, I’m gonna go play my heart out, and I want to do whatever I can to get a win,’” Tobias said. “And I think we did that, especially with our younger players, I think we did that … It’s going to be a good couple of years for us, and I’m forward to the future right now.”
Bluffton’s match next week will be at 5 p.m., and they’ll be hungry for it. But now, it’s time to soak in the moment for the first time in nine years.
“The job’s not done,” Vanderkolk said. “We’re going to celebrate the crap out of this. Have a blast tonight and tomorrow. My fellow teachers are probably going to get annoyed with me tomorrow because I’m going to be hooting and hollering the entire day in the school building.”
ryan@news-banner.com
Individual results:
• Nolan Lambert (B) defeated Gavin Reynolds 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles.
• Anthony Hartman (B) defeated Braylon Troutt 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2 singles.
• Landon Diver (N) defeated Jacob Ribich 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 at No. 3 singles.
• Ben Maggard and Coy Lantz (B) defeated Eddie Archbold and Aedyn Quintanilla 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 doubles
• Kade Abbett and Dane Schlagenhauf (B) defeated Rylan Heyerly and Dylan Randol 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2 doubles.
