West Iron boys tennis rolls through strong spring run

West Iron County’s boys tennis team is peaking at the right time, stacking two 8-0 shutouts and a strong invitational finish as it heads toward the Upper Peninsula Division 2 finals in Kingsford. The Wykons blanked Gwinn on May 7 and Ishpeming on May 11, then tied for third at the Kingsford Invitational on May 8, a fast stretch that has sharpened the roster for postseason play.

Coach Jim Anderson said the team was in the busiest part of the schedule, when matches come almost every day and multi-school invitationals leave little room for practice. That pace has forced the Wykons to rely on conditioning and quick adjustments, and the results have been there against Division 2 competition. In a May 19 update, West Iron had already beaten every Division 2 opponent it had faced, a strong marker with the UP finals set for Wednesday, May 27.

The Ishpeming match stood out as more than another clean sweep. It was the last Division 2 opponent West Iron needed to see before the stretch run to the finals, giving the Wykons another chance to measure themselves against the bracket they are likely to matter most in. With a third straight Upper Peninsula title in view, the current run has started to look less like a short burst and more like another chapter in a sustained program standard.

That standard has been high for several seasons. West Iron won the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 2 championship in 2024 and repeated in 2025, when the Wykons finished with 17 points and beat runner-up Munising by three. Anderson, in his fourth year leading the program, has also had longtime assistant John Spelgatti beside him for a team that brought 18 boys to practice this spring to defend the title.

The roster has also been shaped by depth and crossover talent. Junior Dante White chose tennis as his primary spring sport even while also running track, part of a group that has kept the program stocked with match-ready players. For Iron County, the question now is whether West Iron’s latest surge becomes the basis for another championship or simply another hot streak that keeps the Wykons among the Upper Peninsula’s most reliable contenders.