Top-ranked Iowa City West boys’ tennis lowers the ‘boom’ on No. 2 Cedar Rapids Washington

CEDAR RAPIDS — In a boys' tennis matchup befitting a state championship, it was top-ranked Iowa City West that survived to play in Ankeny.

The Trojans (17-0) will compete for an unprecedented fifth Class 2A state championship in six years after eliminating No. 2 Cedar Rapids Washington, 5-1, in a team tennis state quarterfinal Saturday at Westfield Tennis Club.

'There's been very few moments in my coaching career that I've been as proud as I am right now,' West Coach Mitch Gross said. 'Because of the gauntlet that was placed in front of us, and for Wash, too. We tried to prepare all week as if it was the state finals.'

Both teams advanced to the state quarterfinal via early Saturday substate triumphs. West blanked Ankeny at Clark Racquet Center, 5-0, while Washington eliminated ninth-ranked Mason City at Westfield by the same score.

Once the MVC rivals were paired in the state quarterfinal, the top three in the West lineup collected wins in order. Two-time defending singles state champion Jiung Jung defeated Ty Sherman, 6-1, 6-1. Fellow senior Cole Schneider was impressive in a 6-4, 6-4 ouster of Rami Scheetz, while doubles partner Jack Wenzel eliminated Parker Muller, 7-5, 6-1.

'I thought Cole's match was huge,' Gross said. 'To dispatch Scheetz in straight sets, I have a lot of respect for Scheetz. As a coach, he's a hard nut to crack because he does so many things so well.'

The Trojans placed a stranglehold on the match when sophomore Sasha Chackalackal cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles over fellow sophomore Bennet Blumenthal.

Chackalackal, affectionately dubbed 'Boom' by West assistant coach Randy Dolson after a 1969 song from Sly and the Family Stone, improved to 15-0 this season at No. 6, and 17-0 overall. With every point, his boisterous teammates reminded him of his moniker.

'I've been putting my all into every match to make sure I get it done as fast as possible and as quickly as possible so I can go cheer on my teammates afterwards,' Chackalackal said.

Washington senior Will Rizer rallied from a 4-1 second-set deficit and kept the Warriors alive with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 4 singles over Sam Shin.

Whether the quarterfinal would require doubles was dependent on the result at court five, where West junior Brad DiLeo was embroiled in an exhaustive third set with Ethan Wickham of Washington. With both teams providing a courtside cheering section, DiLeo turned away deficits of 3-0 and 5-4 and delivered the Trojans to the team tennis state semifinals for the seventh year in a row, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

'I like that environment because they really cheer me on and it's loud in here,' DiLeo said. 'That pumped me up a lot because I know they are relying on me. I knew I could do it and I got it done.'

The team state semifinals and final will be held May 30 at the Prairie Ridge Sports Complex in Ankeny. No. 3 Linn-Mar can join the field with two wins at Ames on Monday, while Washington's season ends at 13-2.

'We can't complain,' Washington Coach Rusty Graff said. 'We did everything that we possibly could to put ourselves in position to play for that title. In order to play for the title, we would have had to beat West. West is the defending champion and accordingly, until somebody beats them they're the team to beat. It's a challenge for us and we have to get better to meet that challenge. They were very, very good today and we were not bad. They were just better.'

CLASS 2A SUBSTATE FINAL

At Clark Racquet Center

No. 1 Iowa City West 5, Ankeny 0

Singles —

Jiung Jung def. Griffin Laib, 6-1, 6-1; Cole Schneider def. Ryan Dauterive, 6-1, 6-1; Jack Wenzel def. Logan Scheer, 6-2, 6-0; Sam Shin def. Marcus Francis, 6-0, 6-1; Sasha Chackalakal def. Jayce Georgen, 6-0, 6-2.

At Westfield Tennis Club

No. 2 Cedar Rapids Washington 5, No. 9 Mason City 0

Singles —

Ty Sherman def. Josh Vandenberg, 6-2, 6-3; Rami Scheetz def. Brian Vandenberg, 7-6 (3), 6-1; Parker Muller def. Nicholas Matthews, 6-1, 6-0; Will Rizer def. Josh Hansen, 6-0, 6-2; Ethan Wickham def. Nathan Matthews, 6-1, 6-1.

CLASS 2A STATE QUARTERFINAL

At Westfield Tennis Club

No. 1 Iowa City West 5, No. 2 Cedar Rapids Washington 1

Singles —

Jiung Jung (ICW) def. Ty Sherman, 6-1, 6-1; Cole Schneider (ICW) def. Rami Scheetz, 6-4, 6-4; Jack Wenzel (ICW) def. Parker Muller, 7-5, 6-1; Will Rizer (CRW) def. Sam Shin, 6-3, 6-4; Brad DiLeo (ICW) def. Ethan Wickham, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5; Sasha Chackalackal (ICW) def. Bennet Blumenthal, 6-2, 6-2.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com