Fountain Central will play for a fourth-straight IHSAA Sectional title on Saturday against Covington.
The Mustangs advanced to Saturday’s final with a dominating 5-0 win over Seeger in the semifinals on Friday.
Winning in straight sets at all five spots, Fountain Central dropped just 12 games to the Patriots.
“I think that’s an advantage of having some guys with some experience,” Fountain Central coach Chris Webb said. “They understand the magnitude of the situation, and they understand that you have to focus one point at a time. Ultimately you want to play your best and execute your game plan and that’s what they did tonight. Very proud of the effort and performance.”
The Mustangs returned six of seven starters from their 2019 sectional title team and with the win on Friday moved to 12-2 in 2020.
Senior and All-WRC No. 1 singles player Carson Eberly defeated Christian Holland 6-0, 6-0, while Cody Linville blanked Thomas Lemming 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles. Sawyer Keeling completed the singles sweep with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Nick Turner in the No. 3 spot.
The duo of Jacob Keeling and CJ Yager defeated Drew Holland and Logan McFatridge 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 doubles, while Brent Myers and Brayden Prickett beat Shawn Grady and Kaiden Peterson 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 doubles.
Covington defeated Attica 4-1 in the other semifinal on Friday and will meet the Mustangs on Saturday in the championship match at 10 a.m. Fountain Central defeated the Trojans 4-1 during the regular season, but Webb knows that the final between two great teams will be a dog fight until the very end.
And he believes in his players.
“I think it’s a focus,” Webb said. “They’ve decided they want another shot at a title. I think it’s always in their mind that this is where it’s at. This is what we are going to push toward all season long, and then when it’s here they also understand that it’s not time to freeze up. Experience tells them it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. They pulled out some gut-wrenching victories in the past and they understand that on any given night they might not be able to get it done, but on the court next to them they’ve got somebody that can. It’s not just on their shoulders individually, it’s a team effort. The key is to get three spots and that’s what we are going to try and do tomorrow.”
