RHS tied with Xavier after sub-sectional

STAR JOURNAL REPORT

The Rhinelander High School varsity boys tennis team has advanced all seven flights to Wednesday’s WIAA Division 2 Sectional at Kohler after hosting Monday’s nine-team sub-sectional.

To qualify for the sectional, the players in No. 1 singles and doubles needed to advance to the sub-sectional’s semifinal level, while the remaining singles and doubles players had to advance to the final level.

In the four flights for singles players, the Hodags’ Logan Wild (No. 1) advanced as the sub-sectional’s No. 3 seed after winning his match, Markus Johnson (No. 2) earned the top seed after winning two matches, Matt O’Melia (No. 3) picked up the second seed with a pair of match victories and Russell Benoy (No. 4) received the top seed with two match victories.

In the three flights for doubles players, RHS’s Grant Gilbert and Jared Fabich (No. 1) won their match to earn the No. 4 seed, Jared Haug and Connor Young (No. 2) received the top seed after winning both of their matches and Marshall Bessette and Logan Oestreich (No. 3) picked up the second seed with two match victories.

Appleton Xavier, which also advanced to the sectional in all seven flights, is tied with the Hodags in team points after the sub-sectional with 24, followed by Antigo (10), Lakeland (8), Newman Catholic (4), Shawano (4) and Stevens Point Pacelli (2) with Fox Valley Lutheran and Medford recording no points.

At the sectional tournament, the top-four finishers in No. 1 singles and doubles and the top finisher in No. 2 doubles and singles will automatically qualify for the State Individual Tournament, for which others eliminated earlier in the sectional tournament could qualify if selected by the State Seeding Committee. The sectional team champion advances to the State Team Tournament.