Platte County brought home two titles on Friday, May 2, at William Chrisman High School in Independence in the Class 2 District 8 individual tournament.
It was the second time in three years the Pirates had swept the individual district titles, which now have a shot at state championships May 16-17 in Springfield. Platte County last swept the individual district titles in 2023, kickstarting their back-to-back team district title campaign.
“I was really proud of the way the guys performed at the district tournament,” Platte County tennis coach Zachary Keith said. “These guys put a lot of pressure on themselves trying to make it to the state tournament, so it’s fun to see them play their best tennis when it really matters.”
A rain delay left senior Paul Havemeier unfazed as he became the district champion in his singles debut. He started with a quarterfinal defeat of William Chrisman’s Lucas Smith before qualifying for state with a victory against Kearney’s Jack Goodman. In the championship match, Havemeier defeated Kearney ace Cameron Daniel 6-1, 6-4 to earn his first individual district title.
The Pirates’ top-seeded senior tandem of Jack Bralley and Hayden Cook earned the doubles district championship, cruising past Mojtaba Suliman and Ali Djouma from East in the quarterfinals. After another 6-0, 6-1 semifnal win, defeating Kearney’s Blake Magnusson and Kieran Minnich, they eventually made it to the championship match and defeated No. 2-seeded Lincoln Prep duo of Nicolas Wirz and Lincoln Merrigan by a score of 6-4, 6-3.
“Having both teams win the district title was pretty cool and a reflection of all the hard work those guys have put in over the last 4+ years,” Keith said. “I think a lot of players believe their success comes from hard work during the season, but really it comes from hard work that’s occurred over the last four years of in-season, off-season, etc., tennis. These guys have done a lot of things right for a long time, and it’s evident by their results.”
“These guys personify what Platte County tennis is all about,” Keith said. “They all played in the state championship last year, so they are all battle-tested and know how to approach big-time postseason tennis. The less experienced guys on our team learn a lot from these three gentlemen.”
The doubles tandem of Jake Diano and Hayden Cook also had a good district run, edging out William Chrisman’s Giuseppe D’Angelo and Trevor Jolley in a nail-biting thre-set quarterfinal, 6-1, 6-4, 10-5. They were denied a ticket to state by losing against No. 2-seeded Lincoln Prep, but earned a third-place medal with a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Kearney.
Senior Jack Bralley in his district quarterfinal against East on Friday, May 2 at William Chrisman High School.
Will Kimlinger was also a semifinalist in singles after defeating William Chrisman in the quarterfinals. Kimlinger lost out on a trip to state but bounced back through some tiebreakers to earn a fourth-place medal. Platte County will send the trio of Havemeier, Bralley and Cook to state later this month for an opportunity to bring home some silverware.
“Our expectations for the state tournament are always the same: maximize your results based on where you fit into the random draw,” Keith said. “There are guys at the state tournament who are unbeatable, but there are also plenty of guys who we can compete with on a consistent basis. Those are the opponents who you love to see in the early rounds, and if that’s the case, then we hope to come home with some top-eight place medals.”
Platte County will hope to win its third consecutive district team title this week. As the top overall seed, the Pirates have a first-round bye before facing the winner of Kearney and Winnetonka on Tuesday, May 6. If they win Tuesday’s matchup, they will have a chance for the district title on Wednesday.