Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

The Forest Lake boysí tennis team came up short in its Section 7 AA semifinal match against Hibbing 3-4 on May 31, but the day still ended on a good note for seniors Luke Odegaard and Dan Cromwell.

The morning didnít start very bright for both players as No. 1 seed Odegaard may have let one slip away against Dillon Sterle 6-4, 5-7, 2-6, after being up 4-2 in the second set. Cromwellís luck as the No. 2 seed didnít fare much better, losing 1-6, 4-6, to Tom Bymark.

ìIt was a little disappointing as a coach,î head coach Greg Patchin noted afterwards, ìbut when you witnessed the effort, the heart, and drive the kids put forth, itís okay. Itís what high school sports is all about.î

Patchinís disappointment did not last long, however, as Odegaard and Cromwell paired up for a history-making run in doubles competition. They defeated Aaron Johnson and Diego Hael, 6-2, 6-4, for a spot in the state tournament on Thursday, June 8 at 10 a.m. at Northwest Athletic Club in Bloomington.

According to Patchin this is the first ever doubles section championship in school history.

ìItís always nice to qualify someone for the state tourney,î he shared. ìLuke and Dan had to work their way through a draw of 28 teams to earn the right to represent Forest Lake.î

The two young men looked relaxed during practice leading up to the event, and felt they had nothing to lose at this point.

ìWeíve only lost one match together all season,î Odegaard said. ìWe won the section without dropping a set so we got to be coming in pretty confident.î

In other sectional team action, No. 3 singles seed Jeff Kohler won, as did the doubles teams of Sammy Steiner and Spence Conrad and Rob Gavanda/Cal Kerkhoff. Josh Magistad lost his singles match.

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