BURLINGTON – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 23rd annual state men’s dual team tennis championships will come to the Burlington Tennis Center on Saturday.
All four classification championships are scheduled for Saturday, with the 1-A and 4-A classifications starting at 9:30 a.m. and then the 2-A and 3-A beginning at 12:30 p.m.
In the 4-A championship, three-time defending champion Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds (20-4) will take on Raleigh Millbrook (18-3), which is making its fourth trip into the state finals but first since 2009. Millbrook actually beat R.J. Reynolds in that ‘09 final by a 5-3 count.
In regional dual team action Wednesday, Millbrook edged perennial power Raleigh Broughton, which was seeking a record 13th appearance in the finals, by a 5-3 score while Reynolds eliminated Charlotte Providence 5-1.
The doubles team of Jack Riazzi and Paul Yamane of R.J. Reynolds won the state 4-A championship last weekend, beating the Millbrook duo of Chris Mahan and John Karlawish in the final.
The other 9:30 am match is in the 1-A classification as unbeaten Elkin (17-0) will battle Durham’s North Carolina School of Science and Math (16-2). Elkin is in its eighth trip to the championship with a perfect 7-0 mark in previous finals appearances, but it’s the first trip to the finals for the Buckin’ Elks since 2004..
Elkin downed Kernersville Bishop McGuinness 5-3 in the regional round while NCSSM was beating Raleigh Charter 7-2 to advance to Burlington.
Tyler Macy and Ryan Schell of the Buckin’ Elks won the NCHSAA state 1-A doubles championship last weekend.
The 2-A championship at 12:30 p.m. will send defending champ and unbeaten Shelby (20-0) against Carrboro (20-1), a rematch of last year’s final won by Shelby 5-1. In regional play on Wednesday, Shelby overcame 2011 2-A champ Newton-Conover 5-1 while Carrboro was blanking Hillsborough Cedar Ridge 5-0.
Shelby’s Golden Lions are seeking their fifth state title in their fifth appearance in the championship.
Shelby is led by Marshall Parker, the state singles champion who defeated Carrboro’s Brian Frieburghouse in the finals last weekend, while Ray Webb Parker and Will Lutz of Shelby got to the state doubles semifinals.
The other 12:30 match is the 3-A final, pairing six-time champion Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (25-0) against Charlotte Catholic (14-2), in the finals for the ninth time. Gibbons ousted Chapel Hill 6-0 in the regionals while Catholic got past Weddington 6-3.
Robert Kelly of Gibbons won the singles championship last Saturday, beating Catholic’s Riley Brosnan in the finals, and the Gibbons doubles team of Matt Galush and Noah Constantine also won a state crown.
The North Carolina Tennis Foundation is one of the event sponsors of the championship.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION 23rd ANNUAL DUAL TEAM TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Burlington Tennis Center, Burlington
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Class 1-A: Elkin (17-0) vs. Durham North Carolina School of Science and Math (16-2), 9:30 am
Class 2-A: Carrboro (20-1) vs. Shelby (20-0), 12:30 pm
Class 3-A: Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (25-0) vs. Charlotte Catholic (14-2), 13:30 pm
Class 4-A: Raleigh Millbrook (18-3) vs. Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds (20-4), 9:30 am
NCHSAA FastFacts
Date: Saturday, May 18,2013
Site: Burlington Tennis Center, Burlington
First Held: 1991
Qualifiers: Eastern and Western champions meet for state title; 32 schools qualified for playoffs in each classification except 1-A (24)
Defending champions: 1-A: Hendersonville; 2-A: Shelby; 3-A: Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons; 4-A: Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds
Of Interest: A total of 51 different schools have played for the state title in the previous 22 years of this championship, with Raleigh Broughton and East Chapel Hill leading the way with 12 trips to the finals.