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Bellmont tops Viking netmen for sectional championship

Huntington North's second singles player Graham Sereno locks in on a volley during the Norwell Sectional Tennis championship against Bellmont on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Vikings lost, 1-4.
Huntington North's second singles player Graham Sereno locks in on a volley during the Norwell Sectional Tennis championship against Bellmont on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Vikings lost, 1-4. Photo by Steve Clark.

Battling both Bellmont and cold, windy weather, the Huntington North boys' tennis team lost the championship match of the Norwell Sectional, 1-4, on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The season-ending loss caps the Vikings' record at 9-10. The team's final win came a day prior when it beat the host Knights, 4-1, in semifinals.

Auden Eckert produced the lone win for Huntington North in the title match, which saw players bundle up in pants and long-sleeved clothes to combat the 40-degree temperatures, made worse by persistent winds that affected play.

"It's always fun watching the ball fly one way and all of a sudden it comes back in play and you're just like, ‘Really?,'" remarked Blake Childs, the Vikings' head coach.

However, Eckert, a freshman, overcame both the weather and his Bellmont opponent to log a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 victory in the third singles match.

Senior Graham Sereno, playing at second singles, almost gave Huntington North another win, but fell in three sets, 6-2, 5-7, 5-7.

A victory by Sereno, though, would have been purely cosmetic as the Braves picked up all three wins they needed with triumphs at first singles and in both doubles matches to secure the sectional crown before either he or Eckert had completed their matches.

The second doubles team of senior Cameron Stuttle and sophomore Brent Kreiger fell 4-6, 2-6, while the first doubles unit of senior Hunter Phillips and freshman Matt Karst lost 3-6, 1-6.

A 0-6, 1-6 loss by sophomore Nick May at first singles completed the Vikings' day.

"Very proud of them - just, unfortunately, we couldn't get that third win," said Childs.

Sweeping singles play helped Huntington North top Norwell in semifinals. Eckert was a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Cody Shively while Sereno downed Kyle Boots, 6-2, 6-2, and May blasted Bryant Barger, 6-0, 6-2.

A narrow 6-4, 7-5 decision by Stuttle and Kreiger over Noah Tobias and Trevor Wilson rounded out the Vikings' wins.

The Knights' lone victory came against Phillips and Karst, who lost 1-6, 3-6, to Alex Hunter and Brandon Burch.