‘We’re just not there yet:’ Zebras fall to traditional power Peru in sectional

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Rochester boys tennis team finished a 9-8 season with a 5-0 loss to host Peru in a sectional quarterfinal Wednesday. Front, from left – Drake Heishman, Hunter Kamp, Jackson Frounfelter, Ashton Musselman, Wade Wheaton. Middle – Logan Fuller, Carter Merideth, Harrison Dunwoody, Jesse Smith. Back – coach Kyle Reinartz, Wade Bowers, Camden Zink, Waylon Thomas, assistant coach Andrew Dunwoody.

PERU — The Peru boys tennis team has won 34 sectional titles in its history.

Rochester has won four.

Peru has won 26 sectionals since Rochester won their most recent sectional title in 1983.

Peru has not lost a sectional match since losing in the final to Wabash in 2017. 

Peru had history on their side against the Zebras when they met at Thrush Courts Wednesday, and they also had recent history: They beat Rochester 5-0 Sept. 4 in their Three Rivers Conference meeting, and they beat them again 5-0 in their sectional quarterfinal.

Peru advanced to the semifinals, where they will play Wabash at 5:15 p.m. Thursday. Maconaquah and Manchester will meet in the other semifinal, and the winners return at 5:15 p.m. Friday for the sectional final.

Rochester finished the season on a three-match losing streak for a 9-8 record.

Zebra coach Kyle Reinartz spoke of where his program is at as compared to where Peru’s program is.

“My overall thought on today’s match is Peru is a very good, fundamentally sound program,” Reinartz said. “They’ve always been good. We’re just not there yet.”

The highlights were a tense first set at No. 2 doubles, where Hunter Kamp and Carter Merideth lost 6-4 before falling 6-1 in the second set; and a comeback from the No. 1 doubles team of Harrison Dunwoody and Ashton Musselman, who fell behind 5-0 in the second set before winning three straight games.

“With two doubles, the last time we played, we had Merideth and (Jesse) Smith play against Peru, and now we had Kamp, and I thought Kamp stepped up in a big way, and we competed,” Reinartz said.

Wade Bowers, Jackson Frounfelter and Camden Zink lost in singles. They won four games combined.

Rochester will have to replace Bowers, all four doubles players and JV player Drake Heishman to graduation.

Reinartz said athletic director Cal Stone is “extremely into” tennis and trusting and supportive of him. Reinartz was not hired until late in the spring after graduating from Grace College.

“I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into when I accepted (the job), but now I do, and I’m more than happy to keep going because I enjoyed this year, and I enjoyed the season,” Reinartz said. “I’m pretty happy with how we finished, quite honestly. … We’re graduating six guys total, so it will be a lot of rebuilding, you know. … I didn’t see myself coaching tennis right out of college, but here I am. But you know, I don’t know it all, and I look to Cal for some advice.”

Results: Peru 5, Rochester 0

Singles

Wade Bowers (RHS) lost 6-0, 6-1.

Jackson Frounfelter (RHS) lost 6-1, 6-1.

Camden Zink (RHS) lost 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles

Harrison Dunwoody-Ashton Musselman (RHS) lost 6-2, 6-3.

Hunter Kamp-Carter Merideth (RHS) lost 6-4, 6-1.