Amazing to see the talent spewing from the Super National draws this week. Some of Michigan's best players - many of which reside here in Oakland County - have already been relegated to the back draw. Ed Covalschi, last year's Division 1 state champion, is out. The D1 runnerup and 2011 state champion Tyler Gardiner, is not even in Kalamazoo. Brett Forman, the 2010 state champ, is still alive, in the back draw.
Over on the girls side, Alexandria Najarian, widely considered the best high school player in the state - including by myself - dropped her first match in San Diego. The D1 champion, Mary Hanna - not here - and the runner-up, Lexi Baylis, lost her first match of the tournament. No Oakland County players are seeded. So there are no easy draws.
But most of the area players are still alive, battling it out in the back draw. Here's the latest. I will update this as information comes in.

Boys 16 

• Tim Wang battled back from a first-round loss to pick up a win in the back draw. His next match will be against the 16-seed, Alfredo Perez, in the third round.
• Connor Johnston, who opened the tournament with a win before losing his second match, advanced to the third round in the back draw thanks to a walk-over. He'll next face Brandon Yeoh.

 Boys 18

• Michael Dube' continued his stellar play, picking up his third-straight win, the last a three-setter over John Zordani, to reach the round of 32.
• Max Fliegner moved on to the third round of the back draw, where he'll take on William Little, the 19th seed, who dropped his opening match as well.
• Jack Murray also advanced in the back draw, winning his second-round match to move on to face Justin Fields in the third round.
• Brett Forman joined Fliegner and Murray in winning Tuesday. He will take on Shane Monroe in his next match in the back draw.

Girls 16

• Christina Jordan came back strong, winning her last two matches in the back draw to reach the third round. She now gets Elizabeth Tedford in her next match.
• Dominique Vasile, after winning her first two matches, fell to the No. 1 seed, Ena Shibahara, in straight sets.
• Sophia Abelson dropped her third-round match to the 11-seed, Jessica Failla.

Girls 18

• Alexandria Najarian won her second match, but fell in her third, ending her tournament.
• Baylis lost to Raquel Pedraza to end her national run.

Sometimes writing up an all-county team - be it boys or girls tennis, or hockey - doesn't give the time or effort I put into the teams justice. I spend a lot of time throughout the season trying to accumulate match and tournament results. I try to keep in touch with coaches via phone calls and emails.
I try to see some matches, get out to some practices. I do try my best to see the best.
That being said, I still make mistakes. I may overlook certain individuals or teams. I can't be everywhere, or know everything. I do rely on that information from coaches to help me make good decisions. Sometimes I fail, however.
This year's all-county boys tennis team is loaded with talent. Some of it is old talent (seniors), but a good chunk of it was made up of sophomores and juniors. That bodes well for the future of high school tennis in this county. I had looked forward to seeing how the Division 1 draw at No. 1 singles would play out this season in Midland. You had Ed Covalschi (Eisenhower), Tyler Gardiner (Northville) and Brett Forman (Troy) all in the draw. They were the headliners - all three graduated having won an individual #1 singles state championship.
But beyond that the field was stacked with young talent, some of which was located right in Oakland County, and some of which were on our all-county team. If nothing changes (no transfers, no high-profile players coming into high school tennis, or incoming freshmen I'm not aware of), Oakland County could have a few of the best players returning to the Division 1 draw. I expect Novi's Tim Wang and Rochester Adams' Justin Hyman to be two of the best next year. Don't expect them to meet in a quarterfinal next year like they did last month. They should be top-four seeds. Catholic Central's Michael Dube' should also be a top-four seed. And Athens' Richard Zhang could be a sleeper. One thing I'm hoping is that somehow, someway, Lakeland's Alex Kim gets a shot at competing in Midland. He's a great player who's been stuck in the toughest region in the state these past two years. When you've got players such as Tyler Gardiner, Tim Wang, J.P. Mullane and Michael Dube' in your draw, you've got your work cut out for you.
I explained to a coach earlier today that my decisions when putting the all-county team together are based on what I know, and what I'm presented, when I seek out information from all the coaches heading into the selection process. That being said, some deserving players may be left off the team.
Some of the toughest decisions when finalizing a team are those at the end of the second team. We had some great individual and doubles talent that missed making the team. Some very well may have been deserving of a spot. Take for example, Birmingham Groves' Calvin Greer. He's a very good player who had a good year. He won a regional championship and took a couple of the players on the second team to three sets.
In doubles, it was extremely difficult to decipher who should or should not make the second team. Troy and Andover's top teams were solid and were no brainers. But Stoney Creek, North Farmington, Seaholm and Rochester Adams all had good No. 1s. Stoney Creek peaked at the right time, winning the OAA Red championship and finishing runner-up to a very good Brother Rice pair. North Farmington's Andrew Murtland and Rob Chapekis perhaps should have been on the second team, but I was unaware of a win over Birmingham Seaholm's Jason Mondry and Ben McDermott, who did make it. I wish I had five slots instead of four. But I cannot take anything away from Mondry and McDermott. They won OAA White and regional championships. A great season for sure.

Nevertheless, it was another great season of high school tennis and I want to thank everyone who helped me cover it along the way. There's always room for improvement, though. I still only hear from about half of our coaches - if that. There's no reason every coach shouldn't be calling in his/her match results. I don't care if you're from an elite school, or a developing program. Every kid deserves to read his name in the paper, or on MIPrepZone. Have a great winter and we'll see all you tennis lovers in the spring!

I've got to say, I hate rain. And if you were a tennis fan this weekend, I'm sure you're with me. Rain played a big part in the festivities. Indoor tennis is tolerable, but not for 20 straight hours. There's nothing like seeing 200-plus people surrounding a court late on Day 2 of the finals.
Regardless, I spent my weekend up in Midland watching some great tennis. And I've got to start things off by saluting the performance Ann Arbor Huron put on for the crowd. They far exceeding everyone's predictions, probably even their own. I know they exceeded mine. I underestimated their "ability to finish." I believed they had the talent, and the draws, to put themselves in a position to be there in the end. But I felt Brother Rice and Novi had the top-end talent to pull away.
But instead, that's exactly what Huron did. The River Rats clinched the title with seven flight finals yet to be played. Six of their eight semifinalists scored wins, and three of them went on to win it all. I didn't see any winning flight championships. So congratulations to Huron, which, as I was told, will return a plethora of talent next year, starting at the top with No. 1 Jack Petersen. Consider them the favorite, starting now.
As for Novi and Rice, which I had picked to finish 1-2, they each had their troubles in head-to-head matchups with Huron. Rice was the first to fall, dropping semifinal matches to the River Rats at three flights. In two of those three, Huron went on to win titles. Novi directly controlled its own destiny as well, but dropped two semifinal matches to Huron and three more in the finals.
Again, Kudos to the River Rats. They definitely deserved to win their second-straight state title.

One of the big reasons I wanted to be in Midland on Friday-Saturday was the draw at No. 1 singles. I can't remember a more talented, or deep, top draw. By the end of the weekend, it included three different No. 1 singles state champs. Troy's Brett Forman won it all in 2010. Tyler Gardiner won it as a junior a year ago. And on Saturday, Utica Eisenhower's Ed Covalschi picked up a pair of impressive victories, beating Forman and Gardiner back-to-back to claim his title.
Fans packed the stands, and wall, to watch both matches, starting at 9 a.m. Gardiner beat Petersen in one semifinal on the first court, while Covalschi beat Forman in an exciting three-setter on the next court over. Forman beat Covalschi in the first set in what his coach said was his best match of the season. But Covalschi eventually wore out the Troy senior, who cramped up in the third set. I was excited to get a chance to see Covalschi play, and he lived up to the reputation that preceded him.
Some of the best tennis - aside from that semifinal match - at No. 1 singles took place on Day 1. While on my way up to Midland, I was notified that Rochester Adams sophomore Justin Hyman was up a set and had a 6-5 lead on No. 3 seed Tim Wang of Novi. Despite facing two match points, Wang rallied to win the match and secure two big points for his team. This was a match I thought could be trouble for the Wildcats.
Also on Friday, Stoney Creek's Nick Fiaschetti beat Catholic Central's Michael Dube' in three sets in a bit of an upset. Though anyone who's seen Fiaschetti play the past few weeks wasn't surprised. He's one of a few players in the draw that in most years would have been seeded - Hyman and Troy Athens Richard Zhang to name a couple others.

Congratulations to Oakland County's three flight champions on Saturday. Novi's Pavan Rao won at No. 4 singles, while Brother Rice's Nos. 3-4 doubles teams walked away as winners. Joey Hildebrand and Johnny Cameron knocked off Ann Arbor Huron at No. 3, while David Weatherford and Brendan Dillon went through their draw losing just seven games in four matches.

As a team, Huron made my predictions look a little silly. I didn't want to reveal my individual predictions before the draws because I didn't want to put any undue pressure on the kids. But I'll reveal them now. I hit some, and missed on some, thanks in large part to the success of the River Rats.

No. 1 singles
My prediction: Covalschi (UE) over Gardiner (NOR)
Actual: Covalschi (UE) over Gardiner (NOR)

No. 2 singles
My prediction: Connor Johnston (NOR) over Michael Trupiano (DCC)
Actual: Connor Johnston (NOR) over Jack Hamaty (BBR)

No. 3 singles
My Prediction: Koushik Kondapi (NOV) over Colin Williams (AAH)
Actual: Colin Williams (AAH) over Koushik Kondapi (NOV)

No. 4 singles
My Prediction: Pavan Rao (NOV) over Jon Seyhun (AAH)
Actual: Pavan Rao (NOV) over Jon Seyhun (AAH)

No. 1 doubles
My Prediction: Jason Carless-Andrew Ying (NOV) over Akihiro Ota-Aaron Brodkey (AAH)
Actual: Akihiro Ota-Aaron Brodkey (AAH) over Jason Carless-Andrew Ying (NOV)

No. 2 doubles
My Prediction: George Hamaty-Connor Parks (BBR) over Nishant Kakar-Michael Chang (NOV)
Actual: Max Teener-Ryan Stark (AAH) over Nishant Kakar-Michael Chang (NOV)

No. 3 doubles
My Prediction: Joey Hildebrand-Johnny Cameron (BBR) over George Lu-Michael Bondin (AAH)
Actual: Joey Hildebrand-Johnny Cameron (BBR) over George Lu-Michael Bondin (AAH)

No. 4 doubles
My Prediction: David Weatherford-Brendan Dillon (BBR) over Shashank Chitta-Kevin Xu (NOV)
Actual: David Weatherford-Brendan Dillon (BBR) over Austin Luker-Will Brenner (AAH)


I will try to blog about the Division 2 and 3 finals later today. Because I was on site in Midland, I was unable to communicate with my other coaches. Country Day did dominate in Division 3, while Birmingham Seaholm was one of five Oakland County teams to finish among the Top-12 in Division 2.

A year ago, I predicted the boys state finals. I'm back to try it again. Everyone likes predictions, right? So I'm gonna give it a shot, here, now.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY STATE FINALS ADVANCE

Division 1
Novi 30, Birmingham Brother Rice 28, Ann Arbor Huron 27, Northville 18, Troy 17, Novi Detroit Catholic Central 14, Traverse City Central 13, Port Huron Northern 13, Rochester Adams 11, Ann Arbor Pioneer 10, Utica Eisenhower 9, Holland West-Ottawa 8, Troy Athens 6, Ann Arbor Skyline 6, Midland 5, Grosse Pointe South 3, Romeo 2, Grandville 2, Grand Blanc 1, Kalamazoo Central 1, Stoney Creek 1, Livonia Stevenson 0, Livonia Churchill 0

Thoughts: Novi beat everyone in Division 1 this year - save for a 4-4 tie with Brother Rice - and it really showed in the respect the Wildcats received in their seeds. Novi received four top seeds, and I see them taking home three state titles, and finishing runner-up in two more flights. Brother Rice has had its mini ups and downs the last month of the season, but if the Warriors' depth can really come through for the team, I see them sweeping 2-3-4 doubles. It's unfortunate that No. 1 Gunnar Peery has the worst draw in the entire tournament - a second-round matchup with Eisenhower's Ed Covalschi, who I think will win this tournament without dropping a set.
I could very easily see Huron and Rice swapping positions, but I don't see either of them catching Novi at the top. The only way this happens is if Huron's doubles catch fire and outplay their seeds at three or four flights. OR, if Rochester Adams' Justin Hyman brings his A-game and pulls off an upset of No. 3 seeded Tim Wang in the second round. Hyman is a star on the rise and could just do it.
My pleasant surprise is Catholic Central, which, if it rides the momentum it gained at the regional tournament, could finish in the top-six. Michael Trupiano played great at the regional, as did Gabe Apaza. And the Shamrocks' doubles teams have some decent draws, giving the team some opportunities to scores additional points.

Division 2
Midland Dow 38, Portage Central 26, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 19, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 17, Detroit U-D Jesuit 16, Okemos 13, Birmingham Seaholm 12, Battle Creek Lakeview 12, Bloomfield Hills Andover 11, Birmingham Groves 8, North Farmington 6, Berkley 6, Bloomfield Hills Lahser 5, Grosse Pointe North 5, Kalamazoo Loy-Norrix 4, Holly 2, Ortonville-Brandon 2, Gibralter Carlson 0, Wyandotte Roosevelt 0, Southgate Anderson 0, Dearborn Divine Child 0, Dexter 0.

Thoughts: This was a no brainer as far as who will win it. And it was tough for me to pick against Midland Dow at any of the seven flights it is seeded No. 1 at. So I didn't. The Chargers will roll to their fourth-straight Division 2 title. Locally, eight of the 18 teams at Holly/Fenton this weekend are from Oakland County.
Though I don't see any of them contending for a title, I do see six finishing among the top 13. I like Seaholm's No. 2 doubles team of Zach Tayler and Griffen Neal reaching the finals at their flight.
It was also nice to see Berkley get a few breaks in the draw. The Bears have three flights (2-singles, 1-doubles and 4-doubles) where I like their second-round matchups. Win all three and the team might just finish Top-11.

Division 3
Birmingham Detroit Country Day 39, St. Joseph 31, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 26, East Grand Rapids 20, Grand Rapids Christian 16, Petoskey 15, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern 14, Holland Christian 10, Haslett 9, Richmond 8, Sturgis 7, DeWitt 6, Spring Lake 4, Cadillac 4, Hamilton 4, St. Clair 4, Otsego 3, Parma Western 2, Plainwell 2, Grosse Ile 1, Chelsea 1, Trenton 1, Charlotte 1, Riverview 0

Thoughts: I know, I know, Country Day's Max Shanbrom beat Cranbrook's Nithin Davuluri in the regional final to earn the No. 1 seed at 4-singles. But if the two do make it to the championship match, it'll be their third meeting, the tiebreaker.Though I'd like to see Country Day sweep the finals, I think Davuluri might prove to be the spoiler. Other than that, it's smooth sailing for the Yellowjackets. Too talented top (Max Fliegner and Sven Kranz) to bottom (Matt Stebbins-D.J. Bailey).
And St. Joseph, in any other year, might have a team worthy of winning a state championship. But this year it'll have to settle for second. The seeds and draws favor Cranbrook to sneak past East Grand Rapids. But the Cranes will have to play up to those seeds. I anticipate Cranbrook reaching the finals in all eight flights, with Davuluri's run at No. 4 capping things off.