This collection of players and coaches are the co-champions of the Negaunee Invitational, the host Miners at left and Escanaba at right. The event was played last Saturday at the NHS courts as each of these teams finished with 35 points and Marquette a close third with 33. (Journal photo by Travis Nelson)

ISHPEMING — After some tough meets against the Upper Peninsula’s best players and teams over the past week, Negaunee got to build its confidence by sweeping the championships in all eight flights at the Mid-Peninsula Conference meet held at Westwood High School on Thursday.

In fact, the Miners didn’t lose a set in the 16 matches they played, though one or two matches came close.

Negaunee finished with a perfect 48 points, well ahead of runner-up Westwood’s 27 as the Patriots had three finalists and the other eight flights all coming in third.

Iron Mountain, also with three finalists, was third with 24 points, while Ishpeming came in a strong fourth with 20, getting two flights to the finals. Gwinn was fifth with 9.

Despite how easy it looked, Negaunee head coach Kyle Saari isn’t one to take a conference championship for granted.

“This is always one of (our) goals at the beginning of the year, and we’re very proud of everyone and their level of focus throughout the year,” Saari said about keeping his program’s long conference winning streak intact. “As a program, it’s been special to put 11 of these together in a row, and that’s a testament to these different groups of kids over the years in sustaining that run.”

Westwood coach Sarah Massie was pleased, knowing how strong the Miners are, and felt her Patriots can compete strongly at the U.P. Division 2 finals they host on Thursday.

“We knew coming into (Thursday) that Negaunee was a strong team and that’s what they showed,” Massie said. “Our No. 1 and No. 4 doubles and No. 4 singles all made it to the finals, with everyone else taking third.

“We played a lot of close matches that could have swung either way … and I think that goes to show that U.P.’s should be a fun day next week.”

Negaunee was particularly dominant in singles, with all four of its entrants sweeping their semifinal matches 6-0, 6-0, then those four losing a total of just 11 games in their quartet of finals matches.

Miners’ No. 1 singles player Luke Syrjala defeated Iron Mountain’s David Juul 6-2, 6-2 in his finale, while NHS No. 2 Gavin Saunders took out IM’s Brenden LaPoint 6-1, 6-3 for that title.

“Gavin Saunders had a real smooth, steady day,” Saari said. “He played some of his best tennis in the final and he’s a major factor for our success next week.

“Luke Syrjala was locked in, too. He had a real tight match with Iron Mountain earlier this year, and he was able to stay composed throughout and did his job.”

Just as dominant, if not more, was Negaunee No. 3 singles player Tyler Lajimodiere after he dispatched IM’s Kaden Sheldon 6-1, 6-0 in that final, and Miners’ No. 4 Mick Kumpula, who took care of Westwood’s Mason Hietikko 6-2, 6-0 for that title.

Even though not quite as dominant, the story was much the same for Negaunee in doubles. The four duos dropped just seven games combined in their semifinals matches, then with one exception breezed through their finals, too.

That exception came at No. 1 doubles, where the Miners’ Jace Turri and James Thomson worked hard to defeat the Patriots’ Ryan LaFountain and Chase Prophet 6-4, 7-5 in their finale.

“Jace and James battled through some adversity in the first set to close it out after a really strong start,” Saari said about his top doubles pairing. “Westwood has a nice (No.) 1 doubles team, so it was a good one for them to get.”

Meanwhile, Negaunee’s No. 2 doubles tandem of Gavin Downey and Bryce Storms felled Ishpeming’s Logan Hurkmans and Ben Rubick 6-1, 6-1 for their crown; Miners No. 3 duo of Gavin Jacobson and Zack Brundage turned back Ishpeming’s Ethan Corp and Luke Laitinen 6-1, 6-1 for that title; and NHS No. 4 Carter Piziali and Brandon Borlace fended off Westwood’s Jayce Patron and Mitchell Ford 6-3, 6-2 for their championship.

The three Westwood and two Ishpeming flights that reached their championships all won a semifinal match to get there.

For the Patriots, Hietikko dropped IM’s Reece Kangas 4-6, 6-4, 10-5 at No. 4 singles, while LaFountain and Prophet turned back Ishpeming’s Hayden Hares and Hunter Smith 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 doubles.

And at No. 4 doubles for Westwood, Patron and Ford worked extra long to defeat the Hematites’ Adam Maki and Tramon Gauthier 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.

The Patriots’ five nonfinalists all won their third-place matches to make sure their team point total kept them in second place.

For Ishpeming in its semifinals, Hurkmans and Rubick also needed three sets to get by Westwood’s Zak Senske and Gabe Tossava 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2 doubles, while Corp and Laitinen had another three-setter to beat John Thomsen and Nick Salzwedel 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 at No. 3 doubles.

The Hematites had another match victory Thursday as Ryan Maki downed Gwinn’s Matt Jenkins 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) in a No. 2 singles quarterfinal.

Gwinn’s success came at No. 1 singles, where John Deatrick dropped Ishpeming’s Landen Kiviniemi 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinal round.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.