Grand Forks Central’s Ling and Spicer take state doubles title, Sheyenne’s Heick wins singles

Oct. 11—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks Central’s Jason Ling and Rylan Spicer were tied with Jamestown’s Luke LeFevre and Braxton Burkett when the crowd began to grow.

All of the other matches at the North Dakota boys tennis individual state tournament had wrapped up. Spectators and players began to gravitate toward the day’s final contest: the doubles championship.

Ling and Spicer, the No. 1 seed out of the East, had started strong with a 6-1 win in the first set.

LeFevre and Burkett, the West’s No. 1 seed, rallied for a 6-4 victory in the second set to force a decisive third.

“We just had to get refocused after that second,” Spicer said. “It just started with getting the feet moving, getting mentally back into it.”

In a back-and-forth third set featuring loud applause and cheers from the gathered crowd, Ling and Spicer pulled away for a 6-4 win to capture the state championship.

“I felt like a dream had come true,” Ling said. “I felt like all the chains upon me broke, and I was finally free. … I just kept believing, I thought I could do it, and I just had hope in my partner.”

“It feels amazing to finally get it done,” Spicer said. “We worked all the last couple of months for this, so it feels really good.”

Ling qualified for state last season as an individual, finishing fifth. Spicer qualified in doubles. Their pairing together in doubles this season was mostly new.

Ling and Spicer lost their first match of the year but turned it around immediately, developing and improving the on-court chemistry that crescendoed at the championship.

“It was really good to see them win,” Central head coach Tom Wynne said. “Jason has almost got a cult following amongst the other players, so I think they were wanting to see him win. And Rylan’s just one of the best athletes in the state.”

The duo cruised through their first three matches to earn the championship berth, winning each in two sets.

“I feel like they were the best team in the state, but it’s always hard to tell, in doubles especially — things can turn on a whim,” Wynne said. “They make that really good combination, because you have a tennis kid and an all-around athlete together, and they get along great.”

The boys team dual state champions, West Fargo Sheyenne, managed to earn some hardware in the individual tournament.

No. 3 seed Leighton Heick put on a show in the singles championship against No. 1 Jared Christen of Mandan, winning in two sets by scores of 6-2 and 6-1.

“It feels amazing,” Heick said. “The past two years I’ve kind of had some injuries going on, and this year I’m fresh and I feel good. … It’s been clicking this whole weekend. I guess all the hard work that I’ve done has paid off.”

To get to the championship, Heick had to pull off an upset.

Heick took on Grand Forks Red River’s Julian Mallory, the No. 1 seed and boys tennis Senior Athlete of the Year, in the semifinals.

Heick took the first set 6-3. During an intense second set, however, Mallory was forced to retire from the match due to injury.

“It gave me some confidence, but I also definitely felt really bad for him,” Heick said. “That’s not exactly how I wanted it to end.”

With Mallory out for the day, Sheyenne’s Brandt Aslakson took third place in singles due to withdrawal.

Fargo North’s Arnav Panwalkar and Drew Burris bested Nolan Moore and Oliver Thompson of Minot for third place in doubles.