Cedar Rapids Washington goes back to boys’ state tennis with win over crosstown rival Jefferson

CEDAR RAPIDS — Lucas Burkamper has been undefeated at No. 2 singles this season for a reason.

"He doesn't beat himself," said Cedar Rapids Washington boys’ tennis coach Tom Neff of the sophomore. "You are going to have to hit some good shots to beat him."

During Wednesday's Class 2A substate team final with crosstown rival Jefferson, Burkamper appeared to be in control, leading 4-3 in the second set of his match against Landon Augustine after winning the first, 6-2.

“I was just getting a little tight, a little nervous,” he said after dropping the next three games of the set and falling behind 2-1 in the third. “He was stepping up his game, but then I realized I just had to play my game and dictate my points. I started playing better and was able to pull through at the end.”

Burkamper prevailed by a 6-4 count in the third set to complete a 5-0 victory for the No. 7 Warriors, sending them to the state tournament for a second straight year.

“Lucas has one of the strongest mental games of anyone on our team,” Neff said. “He was 12-0 at No. 2 singles on the year and really came through today when we needed him.”

Washington (15-2) downed Jefferson by a 9-0 count in the regular season, but several of those matches were close. That was also the case Wednesday as three of the six singles matches went to a third set, including the one match that was not completed.

“Jefferson came here and played great,” Neff said. “There were three three-set matches and all were very, very tight. We could have easily been 3-3 heading into doubles. I was really proud of the way the players on both teams played today.”

The Warriors started out fast, quickly winning first sets in five of the six matches. Ironically, the one bad start belonged to freshman Bjorn White, who fell 6-2 to Jefferson's Adam Panoch at No. 6 singles. The fiery freshman responded by taking the next two sets, 6-1, 6-3 to set the stage for Burkamper to seal the match.

Nicholas Burkamper, Brock Davis and Colton Eilers were all straight-set winners for the Warriors.

“We're excited to be one of the top eight teams in the state,” Neff said. “We're just looking forward to playing it out. We're as deep as anybody and now we have the opportunity to show that at state.”

For Lucas Burkamper, the chance to return to state with many of the same teammates from 2022 is special.

“It's just a surreal experience,” he said. “We're all super excited and we've all worked super hard for this and to be able to experience it with friends will be great.”

Boys’ tennis substate finals roundup

In other 2A substate finals involving area schools, Linn-Mar is going back to state after downing Johnston, 5-0, in the final match to be played on the courts near the high school. Next season, Linn-Mar is scheduled to be playing on new courts, currently under construction adjacent to the baseball/softball complex at Oak Ridge Middle School.

Defending state champion Iowa City West also will be back at state. The No. 2-ranked Trojans downed MVC rival Dubuque Senior, 5-0, in Iowa City.

In Class 1A, defending state champion and No. 2-rated Cedar Rapids Xavier earned the opportunity to chase a fourth straight team title by downing Davenport Assumption, 5-2, at Xavier.

No. 3 Decorah also will be at state. The Vikings moved on with a 5-0 win at home of Aplington-Parkersburg.

The state team tournament is set for May 31-June 1. Class 2A matches will be held at Waukee Northwest High School with the 1A field playing at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center in Iowa City.

Cedar Rapids Washington 5, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 0

Singles — Nicholas Burkamper (CRW) def. Logan Miller 6-0, 6-2; Lucas Burkamper (CRW) def. Landon Augustine 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; Brock Davis (CRW) def. Logan Augustine, 6-2, 6-1; Colton Eilers (CRW) def. Austin Nagel, 6-0, 6-2; Thor White (CRW) vs. Jacob Strain, DNF’ Bjorn White (CRW) def. Adam Panoch 2-6, 6-1, 6-3