Carson Kienitz of Munising comes to the net to return a shot in a No. 1 singles match during the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 2 Finals in boys tennis held at Kingsford High School on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (Terry Raiche photo courtesy MHSAA.com)

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By JERRY DeROCHE

Special for MHSAA.com

KINGSFORD — West Iron County has returned to its accustomed position as a power this year in MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 2 boys tennis.

After failing to finish in either of the top two spots in 2022 and 2023, the Wykons repeated as Division 2 champions on Wednesday in the U.P. Finals tournament in Kingsford.

Winning titles in four flights, WIC fended off challenges from runner-up Munising and three other opponents.

The Wykons totaled 17 points to 14 for the runner-up Mustangs. Ishpeming placed third with 13 points, Iron Mountain fourth with 11 and Gwinn fifth with one.

“There were a lot of long matches today,” Wykons coach Jim Anderson said. “A lot of them went to three sets or tiebreakers. I’m really happy with the kids’ focus to stay on track and accomplish our goal.”

Individually, the star of the show had to be Munising senior Carson Kienitz, who won his fourth U.P. championship with a 6-0, 6-0 win in the championship match at No. 1 singles over Iron Mountain’s Malakai Broersma.

Broersma came into the final match with a blister on his foot after defeating last year’s No. 2 singles champion Zander Birmingham of WIC, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).

Nevertheless, Kienitz showcased his all-around game, which took him to a No. 2 doubles title his freshman season, a No. 1 doubles championship his sophomore year and now two No. 1 singles titles.

“I’ve put in a lot of time ever since my freshman year coming up to this moment,” Kienitz said. “So obviously (winning four titles) is really awesome.”

The 6-foot-5 Kienitz, who was an All-U.P. First Team basketball selection this season, said he enjoys the more laid-back atmosphere of tennis as it compares to basketball and football.

“You’ve got a lot less people watching you, and it’s just you versus the other kid,” said Kienitz, who is off to Michigan State University in the fall to study electrical engineering. “And I’ve always tried to be nice to my opponents, and I love when they’re nice to me, so it’s a really friendly gentleman’s sport.”

Munising also won the No. 2 singles flight, as Danny Goss recorded a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over West Iron’s Dominick Brunswick, and the No. 3 doubles championship where Nolan Dolaskie and Blake Tyner fought through a second-set hiccup to defeat Ishpeming’s Luke Laitinen and Dax Kakkuri 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

The Hematites took home the other flight championship as the No. 2 doubles team of Ethan Corp and Levi Nicholls upended Iron Mountain’s Ben Truong and Dylan Lindgren 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.

The highlight of West Iron’s title run had to come at No. 1 doubles, where second-seeded Elijah Oberlin and Jackson Strom knocked off top-seeded Oskar Kangas and Evan Copley of Iron Mountain 6-2, 6-4.

Oberlin and Strom got off to a flying start, capturing the opening five games. Kangas, a Wisconsin-Oshkosh basketball recruit, and Copley steadied the ship a bit by taking the next two games, but the WIC duo held firm to win the opening set.

The second set went back and forth until the Wykons broke serve in the 10th game to complete the victory.

“We talked about it before the match that we just needed to stay consistent,” said Oberlin, who started playing tennis just last season. “Nothing fancy, nothing special, just be consistent and stay focused.”

That no-frills approach worked wonders against the Iron Mountain duo, which featured Kangas, a returning No. 1 doubles champion from last year.

West Iron claimed another doubles title at No. 4 when Cayden Holm and Carson Aldegarie upended Ishpeming’s Ethan DeMarios and David Hyatt 6-3, 6-2.

WIC also posted wins at Nos. 3 and 4 singles. At No. 4, freshman Casey Clisch knocked off Ishpeming’s Gideon Krook 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, while at No. 3, James White outlasted Seth Greenleaf of IM 3-6, 7-6 (12-10), 7-6 (7-5).

Jerry DeRoche is a sports writer at the Daily News of Iron Mountain who was reporting for the Michigan High School Athletic Association website, mhsaa.com.