The Negaunee High School boys varsity tennis team won the Kingsford Invitational on Friday, dropping just four of 32 matches to edge the host Flivvers by two points. In the front row from left are Quinn Walters, Marshall Knapp, Carson “Spud” Lajimodiere and Brandon Alba. In the top row, from left, are head coach Kyle Saari, Axl Sarasin, Vince Tincknell, Easton Guenette, Nolan O’Dovero, Max Larson, Trent Emard and Conner Steede. Not shown is Wyatt Nelson. (Photo courtesy Kyle Saari)

KINGSFORD — The overall excellence shown by the Negaunee High School boys tennis team this spring paid off with a narrow victory at the Kingsford Invitational held at the Flivvers’ courts on Friday.

In this five-team tournament, each of the eight flights played the other four teams once for a total of 32 matches. Instead of the first-to-6, best-of-3 format used in a normal dual meet, these matches were a single set with the first to eight wins coming up victorious.

With each match victory counting for a single point, the Miners scored a near-perfect 28 of 32 points to beat out Kingsford’s 26.

Escanaba and West Iron County tied for third with 13, while Iron Mountain didn’t score.

Negaunee’s only four losses were to Kingsford, while the Flivvers also lost to NHS four times. The difference in the end was that the Miners didn’t lose any other matches, while Kingsford lost two others, according to KHS coach Dante Fortner.

The Flivvers’ coach noted that Negaunee was a perfect 4-0 at four flights. They were No. 4 singles player Axl Sarasin and a trio of doubles tandems — No. 2 Marshall Knapp and Vince Tincknell, No. 3 Conner Steede and Trent Emard, and No. 4 Wyatt Nelson and Brandon Alba.

The other four flights each went 3-1 and were just as crucial to the Miners winning the title. In singles, they were No. 1 Easton Guenette, No. 2 Nolan O’Dovero and No. 3 Max Larson, along with No. 1 doubles duo Carson “Spud” Lajimodiere and Quinn Walters.

“We felt that the goal of everything earlier (last) week was to prepare us for this tournament,” Negaunee head coach Kyle Saari said in an email about the event. “It’s important to learn how to win with each group in a tournament setting, and our depth showed.

“We knew we had to hold our own vs. Kingsford head to head, and then be perfect elsewhere. That’s exactly what we did.

“Our (Nos.) 3’s and 4’s really carried us…. Trent and Conner have been so consistent for us. They have such a knack for hitting angles and putting teams in real tough spots.

“Wyatt and Brandon are developing into a similar type of team … too.

“We’ve (previously) mentioned often how quickly Axl is learning and improving, so it’s another sign of that … since he earned his first title.

“It’s the first step toward what we want to accomplish down the road, but we have to move on immediately (this) week and never be content.”

The Miners, who were 8-0-2 in dual meets entering this week, opened with Westwood on Monday afternoon, then travel to West Iron County today, host Kingsford at 3 p.m. Wednesday and also host their own Negaunee Invite at 10 a.m. Friday.

This is all in preparation for the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals in Division 1, which is barely two weeks away on Wednesday, May 27, at Westwood.

Story contents based on an email received from Negaunee tennis coach Kyle Saari and information from Kingsford tennis coach Dante Fortner. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.