Bloomfield Hills HS boys tennis team wins Division 1 State Title
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Congratulations to the Bloomfield Hills Black Hawks boys tennis team on winning the High School Division 1 State Title!聽 This winning team was coached by Greg Burks who 18 brings years of coaching experience to the team.聽 Burks has been the boys Black Hawks tennis coach for 10 of those years.聽 Under his leadership, Burks led the team to 4 State Titles including this one to add to his Hall of Fame coaching career. The boys love playing for Burks who is a superb match strategist and relates well to the teens.聽 The Black Hawks traveled the beautiful Hope College varsity tennis courts in Holland, Michigan for the Division One State Tournament. The team won 5 of the 8 Flights and seven of the 8 Flights made the finals. The Black Hawks scored the second most points ever recorded at a state tournament.聽 The boys continued to set records as for the first time in state history there were three sets of two siblings that were on a state champion tennis team.
The three sets of brothers that helped the Black Hawks clinch the State Title are:
- The Rose Brothers (twins), Aaron and Ryan are in the 11th grade.
- The Chernett brothers, Merrick is in 11th grade and Jonah is in 9th grade
- The Shaya brothers, Pierce is in 10th grade and and Connor is in 9th grade
These six boys made up 6 of the 12 starters on one of the most dominant tennis teams in Michigan high school tennis history. All six boys grew up playing competitive tennis together and in all three families there has been one brother that was a little more accomplished or 鈥渂etter鈥� player.聽 The interesting thing about this year鈥檚 tennis season is that the less accomplished brother won their individual State Flight Title this year. Congratulations to Ryan, Merrick, Connor and Pierce for bringing home the State Flight Titles! These brothers, along with their team members, racked up several awards this season including Regional Champions and undefeated league records.
Ryan Rose won the 2 Doubles Title with teammate Michael Dillon to finish the season聽 28-1. The two boys lost a thrilling heartbreak match last year to Brother Rice at the State tournament in Stowe Stadium at Kalamazoo College.聽 The dynamic duo was determined to return this season together and win the two doubles championship. They did just that.
Pierce Shaya and Merrick Chernett won the One Doubles Title. Pierce is an elite college prospect and a Three Singles State Champion winner from 2021.聽 Pierce also added the title of prestigious One Doubles Crown to his already impressive tennis resume.
Connor Shaya, the younger brother of Pierce, is a top Freshman in Michigan, and won the Four Singles Flight going undefeated on the season.
Aaron Rose, an elite left-handed Junior with a killer forehand, has played and won matches at National Level USTA junior tennis tournaments, won the 4 Singles Flight Title last year and was a finalist in the 3 Singles Flight this year. Aaron was thrilled to see his twin Ryan win the Two Doubles Title with Michael Dillon.
Jonah Chernett, a Freshman with an amazing work ethic, has won matches at the highest level USTA junior national tournaments. He is a Blue Chip recruit for his young age of 15.聽 Jonah had an excellent season with a winning record.聽 He was also a quarterfinalist in the One Singles draw at the State Tournament. Jonah was thrilled to see his brother Merrick win.
Senior Daniel Stoyjanov won the Two Singles Flight for the second year in a row. He had an impressive two year record of 54-2 at the Two Singles position.
Kierth Lingam and Dominic Pascarrella won the 4 Doubles Flight going undefeated in the Season, an impressive 28-0. Dominic is a two year winner at the Four Doubles Flight winning in 2021 with Ethan Endelman.
Team Captains Drew Davis and Tony Vascile, both four year Varsity Letterman, were finalists of the Three Doubles Flight and exuded excellent senior leadership all season.
The brothers and all the Black Hawks tennis players put their egos aside and came together as a team. Before each match, the Black Hawks would pump themselves up by reciting their team chant, 鈥淎ll work Easy. Work Hard. Work All Day. We are Black Hawks”. Throughout the entire season, team captains Stoyjanov, Davis, Vascile, and Sam Basil, along with all the players, had a winning mindset.聽 The team did not lose a dual match all year including dominant wins over Cranbrook, Groves, Brother Rice and Seaholm. The coach, players, and parents all agree that this winning season will be remembered for years to come.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.