Boys tennis: North Central stops Carmel for state title

Screams filled the air as Ari Gerstein and two of his teammates collapsed to the floor in celebration of Gerstein's 7-5 second-set victory Saturday to guarantee North Central High School the three points necessary to claim the state tennis title.

The second-ranked Panthers defeated No. 1 Carmel 3-2 at Indianapolis Racquet Club Dean for their second straight title and 19th overall.

"The first year felt good, the second was better," said North Central coach Dan Brunette.

In the past four years, Carmel and North Central have each reached the finals no less than three times.

"It's been going on for 40-something years probably, this back-and-forth," said Carmel coach Mike Bostic. "Tip our hats to them. They got the momentum early, we just couldn't recover."

North Central, which whipped Delta 5-0 in the semifinals Saturday morning, defeated No. 3 Park Tudor in the quarterfinals Friday night.

"That gave us a lot of momentum going into today and that was probably a good thing for us," Brunette said.

North Central's three points in singles were all the team would get as Carmel prevailed in both doubles matches. But that was enough to reverse the score from the regular season meeting between the two powerhouse programs.

JT Wynne, who won the first match of the day for North Central at No. 3 singles, was out with a concussion during the regular-season match with Carmel. His slot went to Carmel during that dual. On Saturday, Wynne defeated Azad Koya 6-3, 6-2.

"My hat goes off completely to JT Wynne at No. 3 singles. Right in the middle of the action, he really really really focused. Played really offensive tennis. And he's not a big guy," said Brunette. "And he was mentally in the zone from the first point on."

The aggressive style was all part of Wynne's game plan.

"I knew if I really got off to a big start, it would really motivate, not only myself but my teammates," said the junior, who only lost one match all year. "So when I came out I started playing smart but when I had my chances I really went for them."

Junior Jonathan Kroot picked up the second point at No. 2 singles, downing senior John Armstrong 6-3, 6-2.

Then Gerstein ended the drama at No. 1 singles with a 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Nick Werner.

Carmel did salvage both doubles points.

"I love both those doubles teams (No. 1 Matt Quammen/Radha Vishnubhotla and No. 2 Patrick Fletchall/Zach Hennessey). They've been solid all year long, great chemistry," Bostic said. "They are good friends off the court and that translates on the court. And they are obviously highly skilled. It's a good combination to have."

But in the end, North Central's edge in singles ruled the day.

"Our guys feed off of the fans and that's what separates us from a lot of the other schools, just how much our fans put into it, how much they care," Brunette said.

Follow Star reporter Autumn Allison on Twitter: @Aallison25.