By Cort Reynolds

LIMA__The Bluffton High School boys tennis team competed well in the Div. II sectional tournament Thursday and Saturday at UNOH on May 14 and May 16.

On Saturday, the Pirate senior doubles team of Grady Coonfare and Isaiah Kohli survived a tough first set to beat the second-seeded St. Marys team of Jake Ackroyd and Noah White 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 in the sectional finals and win the doubles crown.

Earlier on Saturday, the top-seeded Bluffton duo dominated another Roughrider tandem of Chisholm and Klosterman 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the finals.

The Bluffton team of Coonfare and Kohli won their opening round match 6-0, 6-1 over the third St. Marys duo of Ruane and James on day one of the sectionals. 

In the quarterfinals, Coonfare and Kohli then shut out the Ada junior duo of Brooklynn Andreasen and Jaylin St. Laurent 6-0, 6-0 to advance to the Saturday semifinals.

Making it to the semifinals automatically qualifies an individual or duo for the Port Clinton district tournament next week.

By virtue of winning the sectional title, Coonfare and Kohli will be one of four top seeds in the 16-team district tournament. The duo had played top singles most of the season, but teamed up to run through the sectional doubles field without losing a set in four matches.

The tandem of Pirate senior Hudson Phillips and sophomore Toby Yarnell won their doubles round of 16 match 6-2, 6-1 over Solomon and Jostpille of Elida on day one. 

In the quarterfinals later that day, Phillips and Yarnell lost 7-5, 6-4 to the O-G duo of Warnecke and Compton, ending their run.

Pirates Ezra Nygaard and sophomore Micah Lemley won their round of 32 doubles match 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday against Elida’s Rader and Lawson. In the round of 16 later that day, they were ousted 6-1, 6-1 by Roughriders Chisholm and Klosterman. 

In the singles tournament flight on Thursday, Bluffton senior Nick Lovett lost his first round of 16 match to Elida’s Brody Altenbach 6-0, 6-2 to be eliminated.