The Westminster boys tennis team claimed the Class 2 District 3 Championship on May 7, avenging last season's title match loss to Parkway West and continuing an outstanding spring season.
Entering the postseason as the #2 seed after a strong 10-2 regular season, the Wildcats rolled through the opening rounds of the tournament with dominant 5-0 victories over both De Smet and Parkway Central to advance to the championship match.
The district title showdown featured a rematch with the Parkway West Longhorns, who defeated Westminster in last year's championship. This year, the Wildcats flipped the script in dramatic fashion.
Westminster gained early momentum during doubles play. The senior-junior pairing of Noah Suthar and Caleb Pederson earned the Wildcats' first point of the match, while freshman Parker Breithaupt and sophomore Sam Bedenbaugh secured another doubles victory to give Westminster a 2-1 advantage heading into singles competition.
In singles play, junior Henry Schloss extended the lead with a straight-set victory. Parkway West responded with a singles win of their own, narrowing the team score to 3-2.
After helping secure a doubles point earlier in the afternoon, Sam Bedenbaugh delivered one of the biggest performances of the match. Following a narrow first-set loss, Bedenbaugh battled back to win the second set and force a 10-point tiebreaker. In a back-and-forth finish, Sam captured the final two points to clinch the Wildcats' fourth team point and move Westminster within one win of the championship.
That final point came from senior captain Noah Suthar on Court #1. After winning the opening set convincingly, Suthar rolled his ankle while leading 3-2 in the second set. Despite the setback, he continued to battle through the pain and won three more games to secure the decisive fifth point and bring home the district championship for Westminster.
The Wildcats now advance to the Class 2 State Sectional round, where they will host the Ladue Rams on Monday, May 11 at 3:45 p.m.
