Boys Tennis

(CASEY) — Olney repeated as Little Illini Conference boys tennis champions by a narrow margin on Friday in the meet hosted by Casey-Westfield.

The Tigers finished with 27 points, just enough to edge past the host Warriors, who totalled 25.5 points. Paris finished third with 14 points, followed by Robinson (8.5), Newton (3) and Mt. Carmel (1).

Based on pre-tournament seeds, Paris and Casey-Westfield were expected to claim the top two spots, and that’s the way it played out in the end.

In singles play, the form chart held, as top-seed Carter Seamon of Olney defeated No. 2 seeded Tiger teammate AJ Padilla in the finals.

Doubles play wasn’t as predictable, however. Casey-Westfield advanced both of its’ tandems  to the finals. The No. 4 seed of Wade Winnett and Gavin Ridge made it all the way to the finals before losing to top-seeded Alex Hancock and Kellen Sullivan.

So, after an all-Olney singles final, and an all-Casey-Westfield doubles championship, perhaps what put Olney over the top in the points race was an upset in the first round of doubles play.  Olney’s fifth-seeded duo of Mario Celada and Owen Buchanan upset third-seeded Isaiah Courter and Will Hudson of Mt. Carmel to get to the semifinals, and gain more points for the Tigers.

Here’s a summary of the LIC tournament:

Team Results:
1. Olney (27), 2. Casey (25.5), 3. Paris (14), 4. Robinson (8.5), 5. Newton (3), 6. Mt. Carmel (1)

Individual Results:
Singles: 1. Carter Seaman (Olney), 2. AJ Padilla (Olney), 3. Carson Throneburg (Paris), 4. Will Cochonour (Casey-Westfield)
Doubles: 1. Kellen Sullivan/Alex Hancock (Casey-Westfield), 2. Wade Winnett/Gavin Ridge (Casey-Westfield), 3. Levi Hefferman/Jonah Klingler (Olney), 4. Mario Celada/Owen Buchanan (Olney)

All-Conference:
First Team: Carter Seaman (Olney), Kellen Sullivan (Casey-Westfield), Alex Hancock (Casey-Westfield), AJ Padilla (Olney), Wade Winnett (Casey-Westfield), Gavin Ridge (Casey-Westfield)
Second Team: Carson Throneburg (Paris) , Levi Heffereman (Olney), Jonah Klingler (Olney)
Honorable Mention: Will Cochonour (Casey-Westfield), Maria Celada (Olney), Owen Buchanan (Olney)