Doubles final will determine if Avon claims a fourth straight state championship

NEW HAVEN – The Avon High boys tennis team quest for a fourth straight Class M championship is still alive. With just the championship match in singles and doubles remaining, Avon trails Guilford by just one point, 20-19. 

The doubles team of Mike Arciero and Mike Thramann will take on top-seeded Luke Lemieux and Matthew Murphy of Guilford in the doubles final on Wednesday at Yale University in New Haven at 4 p.m. The winner of the match will give their respective team the state championship. 

Avon has won the last three Class M titles. A year ago, they outlasted Guilford by two points, 20-18, in the tightest of the three championship runs. 

Arciero and Thramann are the No. 3 seeded team in the tournament and have won four straight matches including a hard-fought three-set victory in the quarterfinals over No. 2 seed Joseph Boughton and Niall Kneerim of Brookfield, 6-7 (3-6), 7-6 (8-6), 6-2. 

Arciero and Thramann have received plenty of help from their Falcon teammates. Doubles teammates Andre Wang/Chris Haynes and Austin Chen/Alex Herz each won a pair of matches. 

In singles, Riley Van Dusen went 1-1 while No. 4 seed John Burdick and No. 7 seed Eric Selzer each went 3-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Burdick dropped only three games in his first three victories. In a quarterfinal loss to No. 5 Evan Powell of Guilford, Burdick was beaten in a tiebreaker in the first set and was dispatched in the second set, 7-6 (6-3), 6-2. 

Selzer had a tough start but outlasted Stratford’s Alex Masi in the first round, 7-5, 6-2 before rolling to a pair of wins. Berlin’s Dan Rombola, the No. 2 seed, beat Selzer in the quarterfinal, 6-2, 6-1. 

At the Class S championship meet, Canton’s Eric Scott won two matches in singles before losing to No. 5 seed Oscar Morris of Weston. The doubles team of Jonas Real and Jon Smith also won a match for the Warriors. 

Granby’s Chandler Libby advanced to the finals for the third straight year and will try to win his third Class S championship. Weston has clinched the Class S title with 22 points with East Catholic taking second with 21 points. Old Saybrook is currently third with 15 points with Granby fourth with 14 points.