Wabash High School

Wabash Tops Manchester 5-0 In their third match of the week, the Wabash Apaches traveled north to face Manchester in a TRC matchup. The Squires played hard at the three positions they were able to field, but the Apaches ultimately earned a 5-0 victory over the shorthanded squad. Manchester was forced to forfeit No. 2 doubles (awarded to Noah White and Eli Dafoe) as well as No. 3 singles (awarded to Dylan Pence), giving Wabash an early advantage. The first match to finish on court was No. 1 doubles, where Karson McKenzie and TJ Tracy secured the Apaches’ third point. Playing steady and patient, the duo controlled the rallies and closed out a 6-1, 6-2 win. At No. 2 singles, Cooper Long battled Manchester’s Mugford in a hard-hitting contest. Both players relied on powerful flat groundstrokes to pressure their opponent into errors. After a tight start, Long led 3-2 in the opening set before raising his level, improving his movement, and limiting mistakes. He dropped only two more games the rest of the way, earning a 6-3, 6-1 victory. Rounding out the sweep, senior Eli Mattern added to his season win total with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Caleb Struble-Hedstrom at No. 1 singles. Mattern built an early 3-0 lead in the first set before Struble-Hedstrom fought back with a service break to make things interesting. Mattern steadied himself to close out the set 6-4, then carried the momentum into a commanding second set to seal the win. Coach Mattern reflected afterward: “Tonight was a tough match, tougher than the scores might indicate. The boys were tired from playing three matches this week, plus the return of the heat added another challenge. Talking with Christianisn, we both agreed the singles matches felt like the third match of a Saturday tournament—fatigue set in, leading to some uncharacteristic decision-making and a real test of wills. I was proud of our team’s mental toughness to push through and find success.”