With the rival Trenton Bulldogs and Chillicothe Hornets locked up a 4 wins each in a Class 1, District 15 semifinal showdown on Tuesday afternoon, the match came down to the #5 singles match between Trenton’s Creed Houghton and Chillicothe’s Nick Malloy.
In a thrilling finish, Malloy took a 6-5 lead for the visiting Hornets, and was one point away from swinging a road upset for the Hornets against the second-seeded Bulldogs. With the 12th point of the match going to deuce, Houghton rallied to tie the match at 6, then dominated the tiebreaker, rolling to a 7-1 advantage, a 7-6 triumph, and a 5-4 win for THS that sends the Bulldogs to Excelsior Springs, for a meeting with the Tigers in the District 15 title match, this (Wednesday) afternoon at 4 o’clock.
The match between the Bulldogs and Hornets was entertaining and tight throughout, with Trenton winning 4 of 6 singles matches, while Chillicothe took 2 of 3 doubles encounters.
Other than Houghton’s three-set (7-6 (7-5), 0-6, 7-6 (7-1)) clincher over Malloy, only one other singles match went the full three sets, with Chillicothe’s Tyler Maasdam rallying for a 6-7 (4-7), 6-0, 6-1 win over Trenton’s Wyatt Neal at #4 singles.
At #1 singles, Nick Shields of Trenton rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Chillicothe’s Max Anderson. The Hornets #2 singles entry, Jacob Henington, swept Trenton’s Jacob Davis 7-5, 6-3. Trenton’s Kade Ockenfels tipped momentum the Bulldogs direction at #3 singles, with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Dalton Rosenbach.
At #6 singles, Gabe Swann picked up an important win for the home team, taking down Bryce Larson of the Hornets 6-4, 6-1.
In doubles play, Trenton’s #1 team of Shields and Davis beat Anderson and Henington 8-3. However, the Hornets put pressure on the Bulldogs with two victories, as Rosenbach and Malloy (#2 doubles) beat Ockenfels and Houghton 9-7, while Maasdam and Larson (#3 doubles) doubled up Neal and Swann, 8-4.
The top seed in District 15, the Excelsior Springs Tigers, advanced to Wednesday’s district final with a 5-2 win over the Carrollton Trojans. The District 15 champion (Excelsior Springs or Trenton) will face the District 16 champion (Maryville or Bishop LeBlond) in the sectional round of the Missouri Class 1 boy’s tennis tournament. Pembroke Hill and Barstow will meet in the District 14 final, with Marshall hosting Higginsville in the District 13 final.
