Norwalk's Colahan and Coe win sectional title

PORT CLINTON — As Huron's final shot sailed wide, Norwalk's Ashton Coe unleashed one last scream of "Let's go!" Almost as much as Carson Colahan's strong serve or Coe's skilled net play, the Truckers drew attention Saturday for Coe's shouts. And since the yells coincided with big points, Coe made plenty of noise. "Usually when he's getting excited, that means he's playing better," Norwalk coach Chris Higgins said. "I enjoy that part of it." Coe and Colahan teamed up to win a Division II sectional title at Port Clinton High School. The Norwalk pair beat Huron's Joey Lenczyk and JT Murray in the final, 6-0, 6-0. The victory secured the Truckers a No. 1 seed at next week's district tournament, also being held at Port Clinton, creating a potentially easier path toward a run to a trip to state. "They played pretty tough," Higgins said, "especially in that second match." Norwalk knew for most of the season it'd pair Colahan and Coe together for the postseason. Despite being strong singles players, Coe and Colahan's best chance at a deep playoff run would come in doubles, Colahan said. That meant that Higgins looked for chances to play the duo together occasionally — in matches against powerhouse programs such as Lexington and Ottawa Hills, along with a doubles tournament in Fremont. Instead of having to find chemistry this late in the season, Colahan and Coe already had it. "A lot of people think that when you switch to doubles, you've gotta play the net a lot better," Higgins said. "Really, if you have strokes, you're gonna be able to adjust, and if you have a high enough level of play, you'll be able to handle it." Colahan, a senior, and Coe, a sophomore, advanced to Saturday's final with a three-set win in the semifinal round against Perkins' Ian Hemphill and T.J. Blue. The Truckers won the first set 6-2, then dropped the second 2-6 before bouncing back with a 6-3 clincher. In the final, the power of Colahan and Coe was too much for the Huron duo. The lanky Colahan often hammered fast, cutting serves that were tough to return, setting up Coe at the net for easy smashes to be followed with a shout. "From basketball, we like to bring the energy a lot," Coe said, "and I was always the energy guy, so I love bringing it out here on the tennis court." Coe's serves may have lacked velocity in comparison to Colahan but still featured plenty of pace. And when it was Colahan's length at the net, Huron had a tough time sending the ball deeper into the court. "Really just focusing on cross-court shots, being consistent and then playing that net game is really where we succeed," Colahan said. As the Norwalk pair breezed to a two-set victory, the only question was how the Truckers would finish the match. It was Colahan's turn to serve up 5-0, exactly the closer Norwalk wanted. Coe tried to slice a shot on the Truckers' first match point, but he hit the net. Colahan's hooking serve on match point number two did the trick, though, as it jammed Murray and led to a ball out of play. After Coe yelled once more, he and Colahan embraced, champions for the moment but thinking of more. "Great feeling," Colahan said. "Almost got here my sophomore year, but it's great to get it this year." Coe added: "But we have a lot more to do than just sectionals." Also advancing to next week as singles competitors was Edison's Lincoln Meredith and Norwalk's Bryan Sommers. Both players lost their respective semifinal matches on Saturday, then met head-to-head to determine third and fourth place. Sommers was swept by top-seeded Brenen Ish of Oak Harbor, while Meredith fell to Port Clinton's Elliot Auxter (6-2, 6-0). In the third-place match, Meredith then topped Sommers by scores of 6-0, 6-1. Division II district qualifiers Singles 1. Elliot Auxter, Port Clinton 2. Brenen Ish, Oak Harbor 3. Lincoln Meredith, Edison 4. Bryan Sommers, Norwalk Doubles 1. Carson Colahan/Ashton Coe, Norwalk 2. Joey Lenczyk/JT Murray, Huron 3. Ian Hemphill/T.J. Blue, Perkins 4. Noah Shaw/Owen Auxter, Port Clinton