Negaunee pulled out a one-point victory over Marquette to capture its fifth straight championship at its own Negaunee Invitational Tournament held Friday at the Miners’ courts. The Negaunee varsity team includes, front row from left, Easton Saari, Quinn Walters, Marshall Knapp, Carson “Spud” Lajimodiere and Axl Sarasin. Top row from left, head coach Kyle Saari, Brandon Alba, Vince Tincknell, Easton Guenette, Nolan O’Dovero, Wyatt Nelson, Max Larson, Conner Steede and Trent Emard. (Photo courtesy Kyle Saari)

NEGAUNEE — “We’re No. 3!” just wouldn’t have the right ring to it for the Negaunee High School boys varsity tennis team.

Despite only winning the third-most flight championships on this day, the host Miners pulled out a one-point victory over Marquette — and six points over Kingsford — in the Negaunee Invitational Tournament held at the Miners’ courts on Friday.

This tourney was set up like a regular tournament, including the upcoming MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals, with five points awarded for winning a flight, then four for runner-up, three for third place, all the way down to zero points for sixth place.

So if one team won the most flights, they’d likely win the team title, too. Right?

In this case, not so.

While Marquette and Kingsford each won three of the flights, Negaunee won just two. But the Miners more than made up for their lack of championships with a bunch of runners-up, plus third places in the remaining ones, to pile up just enough points for the victory.

To be exact, with 40 points the most possible to be scored — five points in each of eight flights — Negaunee totaled 32, while the Sentinels had 31 and the Flivvers 26.

The rest of the team scoring included Westwood in fourth place with 14 points, followed by Escanaba with 10 and West Iron County 7.

In addition to its three championships, Marquette tacked on two second places, two thirds and a fourth. Kingsford, in addition to its three wins, had no second places, with two thirds, two fourths and a fifth.

“Today went right down to the wire,” Miners veteran head coach Kyle Saari said in an email detailing the results. “There’s several quality teams in (U.P. Division 1) so there is no match that is a given. This tournament always brings the best of the U.P. together, and there’s no better way to prepare for bigger things down the road.

“We can’t say enough about how proud we are of this group’s growth week to week. This is the most question marks we’ve ever had about a lineup in March, and they challenge each other and themselves daily to leave a mark.

“This was another checkpoint goal, but we have a few flights that want to add a shot or two to their game and close a few gaps before the U.P.’s.”

Both U.P. Finals are set for Wednesday, May 27, Westwood hosting Division 1 that includes the Patriots, Marquette and Negaunee, while Kingsford hosts Division 2 that will include Ishpeming, Gwinn and Munising.

Of course, Negaunee needed the two championships it did pull out on Friday to have any chance at the Negaunee Invite title. Those were both garnered in doubles by the No. 2 tandem of Vince Tincknell and Marshall Knapp and No. 3 duo of Conner Steede and Trent Emard.

“Marshall and Vince were able to grind out a tight second set in the finals,” Saari said. “Westwood has a real nice team there, and it was a good battle.”

Tincknell and Knapp won 6-0, 6-4 over the Patriots’ Ethan Marta and Jacob Ridl in the finals at No. 2 doubles, Westwood’s best finish of the day.

“Conner and Trent awarded themselves and our team in return, with their effort to close things out,” Saari said. “Their chemistry and focus is as good as what we’ve had, and they’ve increased their athleticism so much, too.”

Steede and Emard needed three sets to eke out a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 victory over Marquette’s Conner Henry and Jude Balding in the title tilt at No. 3 doubles.

Saari was also quite pleased with runner-up finishes turned in by his top two singles players, No. 1 Easton Guenette and No. 2 Nolan O’Dovero.

“Easton Guenette and Nolan O’Dovero had outstanding semifinals to put us in this position,” Saari said about getting the team title. “Easton was down 9-6 in a tiebreak and rallied with five straight points to win. Nolan had a specific plan in his semi, and it paid off.”

Guenette lost 6-2, 6-3 to Kingsford’s Landon Adam in his finale, while O’Dovero fell in three sets to the Flivvers’ Isaac Lebouef 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in his title tilt.

Marquette picked up championships at both No. 4 flights, singles and doubles, along with No. 1 doubles.

The Sentinels’ No. 1 doubles pair of Bode Helman and Connor Dunn didn’t lose more than two games in any of its six sets Friday, which included a 6-1, 6-1 win over Negaunee’s Quinn Walters and Carson Lajimodiere in the finals.

At No. 4 doubles, MSHS’ Billy Krebs and Jack Tiziani gutted out a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) win over the Miners’ Wyatt Nelson and Brandon Alba in their finale.

And at No. 4 singles, Marquette’s Dominic Camilli breezed to a 6-2, 6-0 triumph over Escanaba’s Kyle Smith in their championship, the Eskymos’ only finals appearance of the day.

The other three flights went Kingsford’s way, including their wins in the finals over Negaunee at Nos. 1 and 2 singles.

The Flivvers’ other title came at No. 3 singles, where Evan Grymes pulled off a 6-2, 6-3 win over Marquette’s Caden Laurn in the finals.

Looking at this week’s schedule, after Westwood is scheduled to host West Iron County this afternoon, conference tournaments are set for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The Patriots will host Negaunee, Ishpeming and Gwinn at the Mid-Peninsula Conference tournament, while Marquette will travel to Escanaba for the Great Northern Conference meet.

On Wednesday, Munising travels to Kingsford, on Thursday, Marquette hosts Negaunee, and on Friday, Munising goes to Ishpeming to round out the U.P. dual-meet season.

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