West Iron County boys tennis stays in chase after split matches

West Iron County did not lose its place in the title race, but the split against Iron Mountain and Kingsford made the road clearer. The Wykons beat Iron Mountain 7-1 on May 4 in their first road match of the season, then fell 7-1 to Kingsford on May 5, leaving their bid for a third Upper Peninsula championship still alive and still dependent on tightening up before the postseason.

The Iron Mountain win showed what West Iron can look like when its practice work carries over to match day. The Wykons said, “The guys showed good improvement in the last couple of weeks of practice,” and the 7-1 result backed that up. In a small-school program where the season can turn quickly from week to week, that kind of progress matters because one strong road performance can keep a team in position for the matches that decide a title run.

Kingsford, though, exposed the gap West Iron still has to close. The Flivvers took the dual 7-1 and got singles wins from Landon Adam, Issaac Lebouef and Evan Grymes, while West Iron’s only point came at No. 4 singles from Nathan Camps. Kingsford improved to 5-0-1 after the result, a reminder that the Wykons were facing one of the strongest teams in the area, not a soft landing spot on the schedule.

That makes the next stretch more important for West Iron County. The Wykons are the defending MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 2 champions after winning the 2024 finals with 14 points, one ahead of Iron Mountain’s 13 and two ahead of Ishpeming’s 12. The finals are set for May 27 at Kingsford High School, and the same tight scoring that decided last year’s title could again shape the bracket. For West Iron, the lesson from the split is simple: the championship path is still open, but it will require more depth than one point at No. 4 singles and more consistency across the lineup if the Wykons are going to stay on course.