Junior Brad Boll — the Elks’ No. 1 singles player — edged teammate and fellow junior Ruben Geeraert 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 for the championship. Boll, the Greater Western Ohio Conference’s Central Division player of the year, had won 48 of his 50 sectional games entering the final.
Geeraert, who held Centerville’s No. 1 spot to start the season, gave Boll his toughest challenge.
“I felt like going into the tiebreaker we were both getting tired,” Boll said. “I knew if I was going to win I had to be a little more steady.”
Boll is Centerville’s first sectional champion since Justin Kronauge, a current Ohio State standout, in 2004.
“Brad had a little power and he was able to put his shots where he wanted them,” said Long, who in order to not show favoritism called both players over to the fence at the same time when offering coaching advice. “(Geeraert) is by far the second best kid in the area. He proved it again by going toe-to-toe with Brad. Next year they will both battle it out again.”
The duo advance to the district final on Thursday at Mason High School.
Springboro’s doubles team of senior Michael O’Gara and freshman Phillip Gruber won the D-I title 6-2, 6-4 over Centerville seniors Jared Lonsbury and Stuart Schneiderman.
“For the doubles team to finish second, that was an accomplishment,” Long said. “This is probably the heaviest the doubles tournament has been in the last three years.”
• Troy junior Raja Gupta won the D-I singles title and Tippecanoe freshman James Trevino won the D-II title at the Troy sectional.