Sports

Wildcats fall to Petoskey in home tennis match

ALPENA - The Alpena Wildcats faced a difficult test on Wednesday as they hosted Petoskey in boys' tennis, ultimately falling 8-0 but showing grit and determination across the lineup.

The competition was held at the APlex instead of the high school courts because of rain.

In singles, Alpena players pushed through some tough battles. At No. 1 singles, Will Meinhardt fought hard against Liam Washington before falling 6-1, 6-2. Nathan Pokorzynski had one of the closest matches of the day at No. 2 singles, taking the first set 7-5 before Petoskey's Brian Tang rallied to win 6-2 in the second set and claim the match. Dillon Gagnon also kept things tight at No. 3 singles but was edged out 6-4, 7-5 in another competitive contest. At No. 4 singles, Zack Cloft forced a third-set tiebreak after taking the second set 6-2, before coming up short 10-2.

The doubles courts belonged to Petoskey, though Alpena's pairs continued to fight point by point. Austin DeRosia and Oliver McConnell fell at No. 1 doubles, while Liam Kieliszewski and Sam Hainstock (No. 2 doubles), Jack Caplis and Jackson Wallace (No. 3 doubles), and Jonah Gagnon with Lachlan Knowlton (No. 4 doubles) all faced strong Northmen duos.

While the final score tilted heavily in Petoskey's favor, the Wildcats left with positives. Pokorzynski's opening set win, Gagnon's near push to a third set, and Cloft's strong response in his second set all showed Alpena's ability to challenge a top opponent.

The Wildcats will look to rebound quickly as they travel to Cadillac today for a 4 p.m. matchup.