The season ended on Saturday for both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys’ tennis teams.
The Jaguars earned their first win under coach Grant Menadue before dropping a 5-0 decision at Johnston in a Class 2A substate semifinal.
Centennial advanced to the semifinal round earlier with a 5-0 victory over Des Moines North. The Polar Bears finished with a 2-10 record.
That gave the Jaguars a chance to avenge an 11-0 loss to Johnston on May 6. However, the Dragons (12-1) then swept the singles matches to advance to Wednesday’s substate final, where they will play Iowa City High (8-7) for a trip to the state team tournament.
Centennial finished at 1-11.
“We may not have won much this year, but I feel like the season was a major success,” said Menadue. “The individual growth and as a whole is undeniable! Everyone grew in skill, confidence, and as a collective unit over the season. This team deserved to win, but I think there is a lot of them on the horizon. We will miss our seniors, but are excited for the next generation to show what they can do. There is a lot of potential for this team in the years to come.”
Ankeny, meanwhile, traveled to Linn-Mar (Marion) for the substate final after posting a 5-0 win over visiting Des Moines Roosevelt on Friday. The Lions didn’t advance to Wednesday’s substate final without a battle.
The Hawks took Linn-Mar into doubles play before the Lions eventually emerged with a 5-2 victory. Linn-Mar (11-6) will play Marshalltown (14-1) for the right to advance to state.
Ankeny finished with a 3-8 record.
The Hawks’ doubles team of Dylan Victor and Garrett Weichers will compete in the Class 2A state tournament on May 27-28 at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex in Iowa City.