Published: October 06, 2009 09:50 am      

Jimtown celebrates first boys tennis sectional title

Fairfield nipped 3-2

Jimtown captured its first-ever high school boys tennis sectional championship Monday, 3-2, over Fairfield on the Goshen Middle School courts.

Steve Fledderman, 275-242 in 29 seasons as head coach of the Jimmies, was obviously elated at the outcome.

“It was 29 years in the waiting and I am proud of these kids. They did a great job. All seven of our starters are seniors, so we knew it had to happen with this group.

“I don’t remember ever having an all-senior lineup. This has been one of our goals since Day One. We had to make five trips to Goshen because of the rain and are glad to get this over with.”

The Jimmies, 16-5, turn around and face Concord in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. today at Concord. East Noble, a 4-1 winner over Westview in its sectional Monday, goes against Warsaw. The finale is at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

“We have lost a few 3-2 sectional matches over the years and it is great to get one,” said Fledderman. “Coach (assistant Troy) Sands did came in this year and did a wonderful job working with our players.

“Our singles came through and it came down to the wire with our No. 1 player. Those singles players did what was needed.”

With the team score tied at 2-2, Jimtown senior Matt Candler nailed down the decisive point with a 6-3, 7-5 victory at No. 1 singles.

Already winners for the Jimmies were senior Shane Cook 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2 singles and senior Bret Giddings 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3.

Fairfield swept doubles with seniors Josh Beck and Derick Troeger 6-2, 6-4 at No. 1; seniors Derek Thwaits and Trent Kauffman 7-5, 6-4 at No. 2.

The outcome was the same during the regular season with the Jimmies winning singles and the Falcons doubles for a 3-2 count.

Fairfield finishes the season with a 13-7 mark.

Mike Filbrun, 215-77 in 15 seasons as Fairfield boys coach, said, “All five courts had good strong matches and I was impressed with the efforts of both teams.

“Coach Fledderman has had many good players and good teams over the years, but often some tough matchups in the sectional. He is more than deserving of a sectional championship.

“Our team came a long way this season and there are no regrets here. They gave a great effort and our goal now is to win this tournament next year.”