Brevard junior Joseph Schrader won the NCHSAA 2-A tennis championship Saturday in Apex.
APEX – Second place wasn’t going to cut it a third time for Brevard junior Joseph Schrader.
The two-time defending Citizen-Times All-WNC Player of the Year finally got his first career state championship Saturday at Middle Creek Park. Schrader shook off some early nerves to topple Ryen Reid of Newton-Conover, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2, in the finals of the NCHSAA 2-A singles tournament.
Schrader had been a state runner-up in 2014 and 2015.
“I was really nervous and I started out the match with the wrong mindset,” Schrader said.
“I wasn’t really focused about taking it point-by-point. I was thinking to myself that this is the state final and I definitely don’t want to lose again. I regrouped and took care of business.”
Schrader lost the first set tiebreaker, 7-2.
Earlier on Saturday, he had breeze through a semifinal match with Depei Yu of the N.C. School for Science and Math in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
Schrader came into the two-day state tournament with a 14-0 record after previously winning 2-A Western Regional and Western North Carolina Athletic Conference championships.
“It’s an awesome feeling. I’ve been waiting three years for this,” Schrader said.
“I feel like I definitely played really well on Friday. (Saturday) was good, but there was definitely some stuff that needed improving.”
Schrader was joined on the 2-A all-state team by Brevard’s doubles pairing of Cameron Wilson and Liam Baer.
More from the NCHSAA:
2A Individual Men’s Tennis Championships conclude: Carrboro duo, Brevard’s Schrader take titles
APEX, N.C. – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 2A Individual Men’s Tennis Championships concluded with a fantastic final two rounds at Middle Creek Park in Apex. The Carrboro pair Brian Freiburghouse and Jason Wykoff clinched the doubles title while Joseph Schrader from Brevard captured the singles championship.
After falling in their opening set of the day in a semifinal match against Liam Baer and Cameron Wilson from Brevard, Freiburghouse and Wykoff did not lose another set on the day. The pair responded in the next two sets with 6-1 and 6-3 wins to down Baer and Cameron and advance to the finals. The Jaguar duo then swept straight sets from Spencer Storey and David Derrick from Salisbury in the Championship round, winning 6-2 and 6-3 respectively.
Joseph Schrader lost a tie-breaker in the first set of the Championship round, 7-2 in the tie-breaker before regrouping to knock off Newton-Conover’s Ryen Reid. Schrader played with laser-like focus in the final two sets, winning the second set 6-1 and the decisive third set 6-2. His semifinal round match with Depei Yu from NCSSM was a straight-set victory, 6-2 and 6-4.
2A Tennis Singles
Friday, May 13, 2016
at Cary Tennis Park
First Round
Thomas McCorkle (Central Academy) def. Jack Brady (First Flight), 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Ryen Reid (Newton-Conover) def. Nick Kuzma (NCSSM) 6-1, 6-0
Landon Church (West Wilkes) def. Drake Lanier (East Duplin), 6-0, 6-2
Zach Anderson (Carrboro) def. Kenji Price (Shelby), 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Depei Yu (NCSSM) def James Mabry (Shelby), 6-0, 6-0
Brett Moore (West Davidson) def. Nailah Ortega (Greene Central), 6-1, 6-3
Joseph Schrader (Brevard) def. Andre Javen (Carrboro), 6-0, 6-0
Ethan Elliott (West Stokes) def. Cole Bryant (East Duplin) 4-6, 7-6(9-7), 6-3
Second Round
Ryen Reid (Newton-Conover) def. Thomas McCorkle (Central Academy) 6-1, 6-0
Zach Anderson (Carrboro) def. Landon Church (West Wilkes) 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5)
Depei Yu (NCSSM) def. Brett Moore (West Davidson), 6-2, 6-2
Joseph Schrader (Brevard) def. Ethan Elliott (West Stokes) 6-0, 6-0
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Semifinals
at Middle Creek Park
Ryen Reid (Newton-Conover) def. Zach Anderson (Carrboro) 6-0, 6-1
Joseph Schrader (Brevard) def. Depei Yu (NCSSM) 6-2, 6-4
Championship
Joseph Schrader (Brevard) def. Ryen Reid (Newton-Conover) 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, 6-2
2A Tennis Doubles
at Cary Tennis Park
First Round
Holt McKeithan & Ben McKeithan (Washington) def. Seth Whitley & Tyler Mills (Forest Hills) 6-4, 6-1
Vishal Naik & Mrinaj Janampalli (NCSSM), BYE
Spencer Storey & David Derrick (Salisbury) def. Zach Pagnani & Mac Skillen (Washington) 6-0, 6-4
Ashvin Warrier & Tejas Dalvi (NCSSM) def. Aaron Hamm & Henry Cox (Newton-Conover) 6-3, 6-1
Brian Freiburghouse & Jason Wykoff (Carrboro) def Will Clifton & Griffen Benfield (Shelby) 6-0, 6-1
Trey Speight & Austin Eury (West Stanly) def. Mitchell Wright & John Guarino (Croatan) 6-2, 6-3
Liam Baer & Cameron Wilson (Brevard), BYE
Koty Wojeski & Julian Quintero (Kinston) def. Hunter Jordan & Dakota Massucco (Wilkes Central) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Second Round
Holt McKeithan & Ben McKeithan (Washington) def. Vishal Naik & Mrinaj Janampalli (NCSSM) 7-5, 6-3
Spencer Storey & David Derrick (Salisbury) def. Ashvin Warrier & Tejas Dalvi (NCSSM) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
Brian Freiburghouse & Jason Wykoff (Carrboro) vs. Trey Speight & Austin Eudy (West Stanly) 6-1, 6-1
Liam Baer & Cameron Wilson (Brevard) vs. Koty Wojeski & Julian Quintero (Kinston) 6-1, 6-0
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Semifinals
at Middle Creek Park
Spencer Storey & David Derrick (Salisbury) def. Holt McKeithan & Ben McKeithan (Washington) 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)
Brian Freiburghouse & Jason Wykoff (Carrboro) def. Liam Baer & Cameron Wilson (Brevard) 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
Championship
Brian Freiburghouse & Jason Wykoff (Carrboro) def. Spencer Storey & David Derrick (Salisbury) 6-2, 6-3
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