Correction: This story has been updated from its original version to clarify the Western doubles team's point in the Kokomo Sectional final.
The doubles portion of the IHSAA Boys Tennis Individual State Tournament is down to seven teams -- and two of them are from the KT area.
The Western doubles team of juniors Aidan Mawbey and Kaleb York and the Peru team of senior Gavin Eldridge and junior Jackson Boswell will play in quarterfinals at 2 p.m. today at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis. The semifinals and final are Saturday.
Mawbey and York own a 21-2 record, which includes a 5-0 record in the postseason. They helped the Panthers win the Kokomo Sectional and Kokomo Regional titles.
"I'm super proud of Kaleb and Aidan for making it to this stage," Western coach Judson Quinn said. "They've always played their best when it's mattered the most this year."
As examples, Quinn cited their play in the Hoosier Conference tournament and in the Panthers' 3-2 victory over Kokomo in the Kokomo Sectional final. In the former, they came through with a win to clinch the team title. In the latter, they won a pivotal point.
He also pointed to their play against No. 14-ranked South Bend St. Joseph in a Culver Academies Semistate championship. Western dropped a 3-2 decision, but Mawbey and York won 6-2, 7-5 to advance to the State Finals of the Individual State Tournament.
"I don't think they had seen competition to that level before and they really rose to that challenge," Quinn said.
Mawbey and York are matched against Hamilton Southeastern's team of senior Tyler Rich and junior Landon Osswald in today's quarterfinals. They are 20-7, including 6-0 in the postseason.
Peru's Eldridge and Boswell are 27-1 overall including 7-0 in the postseason. They are matched against Brownsburg sophomores Ethan Cougill and Skyler Rose (23-5, 7-0) in the quarterfinals.
Quinn said Mawbey and York are "hard workers" whose success is rooted in their offseason practice and conditioning. He said their team chemistry is another key.
"This is their second year playing together. They have like 40-50 doubles matches under their belts as teammates. I think that's something that is super helpful," Quinn said. "They've had epic comebacks, they've been up and had teams come back on them before, and they know how they're going to respond in those situations."
Peru's Eldridge and Boswell are the opposite in that they are first-year partners. Eldridge sat out last season to focus on preparing for basketball.
"They've been together from the beginning of the season and just been a real treat," longtime Peru coach Michael Saine said. "They beat Homestead straight sets, that got a lot of people's attention. In the district meeting, when they determine who makes all-district, there was a lot of discussion that they weren't sure [Eldridge and Boswell] could beat Warsaw and that turned out to be almost a blowout. Those couple matches showed the level we can play."
Saine said Eldridge and Boswell complement one another well.
"Gavin Eldridge gives us an unbelievable athletic presence. He didn't play tennis last year and asked about playing this year and said he was interested in doubles. We said, 'We can probably make that work.' It's more than worked," Saine said with a laugh. "He can really pop a first serve. He's probably averaging three or four aces a match.
"We have a set of twins. Jacob Boswell played 1 singles and Jackson Boswell has been playing 1 doubles with Gavin. When he is on the block to serve, he is not powerful, he is really consistent with pretty deep serves. You're not able to tee off, but Gavin is so quick and active at the net, he can take advantage of returns that aren't solid."
For Western, the No. 1 doubles team's state appearance is a cherry on the top of a sundae. Team-wise, the Panthers finished with a 19-3 record, repeated as HC and sectional champions and won the Kokomo Regional for just the second regional title in program history.
"This whole group that's been together for several years is very close and I know they're all excited for each other," Quinn said. "Like I told the guys at our awards banquet, it's definitely Kaleb and Aidan playing, but they should have some ownership of it too because the people who practice with them and play with them have helped them get to where they're at."