The #2 seed Crookston Pirate Boys Tennis team played a solid match, but the #6-ranked team in the state and #1 seed in the Section, Minnewaska Area Lakers, won 5-2 in the Section 8A Championship match played at Choice Fitness in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Minnewaska Area will make its third straight trip to state and fourth in the last five years.
CROOKSTON VS Minnewaska Area
Minnewaska Area won the first three matches and took a quick 3-0 lead in the match. The Lakers won at second singles with Carter LeClair beating Crookston’s Sam Widseth 6-0, 6-0.
Minnewaska Area won the second doubles match with Easton Palmer and Carter Myrom cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Sawyer Anderson and Colton Osborn.
The third doubles match was won by Minnewaska Area as Tyler Kohn and Aidric Vold won the first set 6-2 before outlasting Crookston’s Jacob Halvorson and Alex Zammert in the second set for a 6-4 victory to give the Lakers a 3-0 lead.
Crookston’s Ean Deleon continued his outstanding season at fourth singles as he beat Ethan Klick 6-4 in the first set and finished the match strong with a 6-2 victory to bring the Pirates within a 3-1 deficit.
A few minutes later, Minnewaska Area technically won the match as their third singles player, Carson Beyer, beat Crookston’s Hudson Rick in a hard-fourth match 6-3, 6-3, and the Lakers led 4-1 and assured themselves of their third straight trip to the state tournament with two matches left.
Minnewaska Area won the first singles match as they have one of the top players in the section, Drew Bleick, who beat Crookston’s Gunnar Groven 6-0, 6-0.
Crookston won the last match as the fist doubles team of Reggie Winjum and Grant Funk lost the first set to Marshall Kopp and Landon Schiffler 6-2. The Pirate duo bounced back to win the second set 6-2, forcing a third set. It was a great back-and-forth battle as the Pirates won 7-5 to win the match, but Minnewaska won the team match 5-2 to advance to their third straight state tournament.
Crookston’s team season comes to an end with a 15-2 record, and will say goodbye to the following seniors: Reggie Winjum, Gunnar Groven, Jacob Halvorson, and Sam Widseth. Minnewaska Area improves to 19-2 on the year.
| Crookston-2 | Minnewaska-5 | Winner | Score | |
| 1st Singles | Gunnar Groven | Drew Bleick | MINN | 6-0, 6-0 |
| 2nd | Sam Widseth | Carter LeClair | MINN | 6-0, 6-0 |
| 3rd | Hudson Rick | Carson Beyer | MINN | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 4th | Ean Deleon | Ethan Klick | Crox | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 1st Doubles | Reggie Winjum Grant Funk | Marshall Kopp Landon Schiffler | Crox | 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 |
| 2nd | Sawyer Anderson Colton Osborn | Easton Palmer Carter Myrom | MINN | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 3rd | Jacob Halvorson Alex Zammert | Tyler Kohn Aidric Vold | MINN | 6-2, 6-4 |
