West Iron County boys tennis eyes third straight U.P. title

Jim Anderson and a deepening West Iron County boys tennis roster are spending the spring with a target on a third straight Upper Peninsula Division 2 championship. The Wykons are also fighting the weather, with ice storms and snow leaving the courts in poor shape, but 18 boys have still been showing up at West Iron County High School in Iron River as the team prepares for its home opener against Escanaba on Tuesday, April 21.

That kind of turnout matters in a small-school program chasing a dynasty. West Iron won the U.P. title in 2024 with 14 points, edging Iron Mountain by one point and finishing ahead of Ishpeming in a finish decided at Kingsford High School. The Wykons followed that by repeating in 2025 with 17 points, three clear of Munising, and the MHSAA noted that West Iron had not finished first or second in the 2022 and 2023 finals before climbing back to the top two in consecutive years. In 2025, the program also captured four flight championships, a sign that its margin was built on more than one or two standout results.

Anderson, entering his fourth year at the helm, has seen the title runs come from consistency as much as talent. That is why the current roster shape matters so much. Junior Dante White is one of the most important pieces, even while running track this spring, because tennis is his primary sport and his competitiveness is expected to help set the tone for younger players. The program also leans on assistant John Spelgatti, whose decades of support have given both the boys and girls teams a steady source of experience.

The returning core gives West Iron a real chance to keep the run going. Previous title teams featured players such as Zander Birmingham at No. 2 singles and the No. 3 doubles pairing of Ethan Isaacson and Keenan Dobson-Donati, the kind of depth that can decide tight matches when every point counts. That is the pressure of a threepeat at a school district that stretches across more than 560 square miles in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: there is no room for a thin roster, and no way to hide when the weather or the schedule turns against you.

Escanaba provides the first measuring stick. West Iron opened the 2024 season with a 5-3 win over the Eskymos, and another strong result in the rematch would reinforce what Anderson already knows, that this team has enough returning talent and enough numbers to chase one more title before the spring ends.