Grand Forks Central Claims Doubles Championship
GRAND FORKS — During the North Dakota boys tennis individual state tournament, Grand Forks Central’s Jason Ling and Rylan Spicer found themselves in a tight match against Jamestown’s Luke LeFevre and Braxton Burkett. As the match progressed, a growing audience gathered to witness the final event of the day: the doubles championship.
Being the top seed from the East, Ling and Spicer kicked off strongly, winning the first set 6-1.
However, LeFevre and Burkett, representing the West as the No. 1 seed, made a comeback, claiming a 6-4 victory in the second set, which pushed the match into a decisive third set. “We just had to refocus after that second set,” Spicer recalled. “It began with getting our feet moving and getting back mentally into the game.”
The third set was a thrilling exchange, filled with loud cheers and applause from the crowd. Ultimately, Ling and Spicer pulled ahead to win 6-4, securing the state championship. Ling expressed his elation, stating, “I felt like a dream had come true. It was like breaking free. I just kept believing, held hope for my partner, and knew we could do it.”
Spicer shared in the joy, stating, “It feels fantastic to finally achieve this. We’ve put in a lot of hard work over the last few months, so this feels really rewarding.” This year marked a new partnership between Ling and Spicer, as they previously competed individually, with Ling finishing fifth last season and Spicer qualifying in doubles.
The duo had faced an early-season hurdle, losing their first match, but they quickly regained composure and improved their on-court chemistry leading up to the championship. Central’s head coach, Tom Wynne, praised their teamwork, saying, “I believe they are the best team in the state; it’s always unpredictable in doubles, but their combination of tennis skills and athleticism really shines.”
The tournament also highlighted individual performances, such as West Fargo Sheyenne’s Leighton Heick winning the singles championship against Mandan’s Jared Christen in two sets, and showing resilience after previous injuries. Heick stated, “It feels amazing. The hard work has finally paid off.”
