Jasper wins sixth straight semi-state title, advances to state finals

Jasper’s girls tennis team kept its streak alive with a 5-0 sweep of Plainfield at the Ed Yarbrough Tennis Complex in Jasper, claiming its sixth consecutive semi-state championship and advancing to the IHSAA state tournament in Indianapolis.

The Wildcats handled Plainfield in the semifinal round on Saturday, May 30, and Jasper High School Athletics said the program was “state bound” after the result. The state finals are scheduled for June 5-6 at North Central High School in Indianapolis, with the quarterfinals set for Friday and the semifinals and championship matches on Saturday.

The win showed why Jasper has become one of Indiana’s most durable public-school tennis powers. The streak has been built on continuity at the top, with coach Ed Yarbrough credited in a previous feature with nearly 900 career wins, six girls state-title appearances and a 1999 boys state championship. That kind of résumé helps explain how Jasper keeps reloading instead of rebuilding, year after year.

Jasper Athletics said this year’s State Finals berth would be the girls program’s 21st trip to the finals, which would tie the all-time record for most appearances. In a tournament round where Memorial also won 5-0 and advanced, Jasper’s result came against a strong field and with no margin for error, yet the Wildcats still finished with a clean sweep.

For Dubois County, the run has become more than a single-season surge. Jasper’s sixth straight semi-state title reflects a program culture that has made winning expectations routine, from player development to postseason poise. The Wildcats will now carry that standard to North Central, where another deep run would add to a record of sustained success that has become part of Jasper tennis itself.