Bellman, Moell Advance to Districts
ADA- Over the weekend, members of the Wapakoneta Boys Tennis team played in the two-day OHSAA Divison One Sectional Tournament at the courts of Ohio Northern University and Findlay High School.
Friday, in Ada, Wapakoneta senior Gannon Casebolt took the courts first and faced top-seeded Gabe Burke from Shawnee. The Redskin was blanked 0-6, 0-6 to end his tennis career “I'm so proud of everything Gannon did on the court this year, but I'm more proud of the things he did off the court for our team and for our school,” Wapakoneta Head Coach Austin Scott said. “He was an excellent representative of Wapakoneta. He'll be missed next year as he moves on to college swimming.”
Third-seeded Aiden Bellman played Aiden Bielefeld from Perrysburg in round one on Friday. Bellman won 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the second round, where he matched up with Mason Latham from Shawnee and won in three sets, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2. He advanced to Saturday’s semifinals on the campus of Findlay High School, where he topped Caleb Goff from Bowling Green 6-1, 6-3. In the Sectional Finals match, Bellman fell to Shawnee’s Burke 0-6, 1-6. Scott said after his matches that he was nervous for Bellman coming after a rough regular season finale, but was assured the Wapakoneta senior was ready to go. “It seemed like all the momentum he had built throughout the year was gone,” stated Scott. “He assured me he would get back on track and flip the switch for the tournament, and he wasn't kidding. For being the three seed, he ended up getting a really tough draw and had to face two excellent opponents in the opening rounds. He played with so much energy on Friday and willed himself to two incredible victories to advance on. I'm excited to see what he can do next week. He has a great shot of reaching his ultimate goal.” One of Bellman’s obstacles in front of his final goal stands in Port Clinton, where he will play for a state appearance in day one of Wednesday’s District Tournament.
Fellow senior Parker Moell received a bye to the second round at Ohio Northern and played Finn Wilhelms from Perrysburg. The Redskin won 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in three sets to advance to the semis. He lost by the same score as Bellman to Shawnee’s Burke on Saturday, however, bounced back to win over Bowling Green’s Goff 6-4, 6-1 for a third place finish. “As a team, we talked a lot about making small improvements each week so we could peak and play our best tennis when tournament time rolled around. Parker took that mission very seriously, and he is playing the best tennis of his career when it matters the most,” expressed Scott. “He and I talked everyday leading up to the first day of sectionals and we envisioned qualifying for districts, and he went out and made that happen. I couldn't be prouder,” Scott added. Moell will make the trip up North with Bellman on Wednesday for the District Tournament.
In doubles action, John Jauert and Brayden Hooker played Bowling Green’s Robby Seiffert and Keegan Kriska and came out victorious 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). In round two, they battled two-seeded Salah Mohammed and Seth Grieshop of Shawnee, but came up short 4-6, 0-6 to get eliminated from the tournament. “John and Brayden provided some absolutely electric moments for our team this year. I had a lot of fun watching them,” Scott voiced. “We'll miss John a lot, and I'm already looking forward to what Brayden can do next year in his third varsity season.”
In their final varsity tennis competition in the states, Hilda Kupila and Zhavokhir Muratbayev played Perrysburg's Jack Alcroft and Aaditya Ambulkar in round one doubles. The foreign exchange duo lost 6-0, 6-1 to end their season. “Hilda and Zhavokhir played with so much joy every time they were paired up this season, and I was glad I got to see it one more time on Friday,” Scott said. “We are going to miss them so much next year as they head back to their home countries at the end of the school year.”