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Janesville Parker tennis nets second place

Janesville Parker’s boys tennis program enjoyed one of its best WIAA Division 1 subsectional performances in years.

Parker High advanced players to today’s Lake Geneva Badger Sectional in No. 1, 2 and 3 singles and No. 1 doubles.

That performance allowed the Vikings to finish second in the meet behind Lake Geneva Badger, which outscored Parker 22-16. The qualifiers from the Janesville Subsectional will square off in the sectional against those from the Kenosha Subsectional. Berths to the state individual meet and state team tournaments will be decided.

“I was real pleased with the way we played, Parker coach Mike Fuhrman said. “Overall, it was a nice day for us.”

Threatening weather forced the scheduled outdoor action from the courts at Palmer Park to the indoor courts at the Janesville Athletic Club and the Clock Tower Inn in Rockford, Ill.

Parker’s No. 1 singles player, Nick Gilbank (10-10), and the Vikings’ No. 1 doubles team of Jake Lewis and Ian Weiland

(3-6) can earn automatic state berths with victories in their first matches today.

Janesville Craig’s No. 1 doubles team of Ben Tanko and Steve Mickelson, the only Cougars to survive the subsectional, also can advance to state with a win in its first sectional match.

Badger advanced all of its singles player and all three of its doubles teams to the sectional. The Badgers’ full squadron includes Augie Goldermann (No. 1 singles), Dean Schwefel (No. 2 singles), Robert Johnson (No. 3 singles), Kevin Williams (No. 4 singles), Alex Chironis and Reid Solheim (No. 1 doubles), Alex Heinz and Matt Heinz (No. 2 doubles) and Spencer Hartz and Dimitri Chironis (No. 3).

Milton’s three doubles teams all stayed alive: Taylor Banh and Tyler Banh (No. 1 doubles), Riley Bailey and Austin Grandt (No. 2 doubles) and Travis Morrison-Dalton Miatke (No. 3).

Meanwhile, Parker’s Jason Knutson, now 13-5 at No. 2 singles, had the wildest ride to the sectional. He lost his opening set twice, then rallied both times to win the match, first coming back for a 6-7, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Milton’s Charles Holcomb and following that with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Elkhorn’s Ross Olson.

“Jason showed some great resiliency today,” Fuhrman said.

Parker’s Matt Knutson

(17-4) won a pair of matches at No. 3 singles. His only probable hope for a state berth is to win a sectional title and then earn a trip as an extra qualifier.

The only automatic state qualifiers today are the top four finishers at No. 1 singles and doubles and the champions at No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles.

“It will be tough,” Furhman said of all the Janesville qualifiers. “The other half of the sectional is very good.”

Subsectional team points carry over, and the sectional champion advances to the state tournament.

The individual state tournament is June 4-6, and team tournament is June 12-13, both a Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.