Perham doubles teams win two in close loss to East Grand Forks

Perham found a bright spot in a 0-3 loss to East Grand Forks: the Yellowjackets’ doubles teams won two of three third-set tiebreakers, a sign the matchup stayed tight deep into the evening against an 8A rival.

That mattered because the loss was Perham’s second straight, but it was not a one-sided night. In a match that came down to third-set pressure, the doubles results suggested the Yellowjackets had at least one pairing, and maybe more, capable of holding up against stronger section competition as the season moved toward its final stretch.

The classification numbers add context to the result. Perham High School boys tennis is listed by the Minnesota State High School League as Class 8A with an enrollment of 473, while East Grand Forks High School is also in 8A with an enrollment of 534. That made the meeting a matchup of similarly sized programs, and the close third-set finishes showed Perham was able to make East Grand Forks work for its points even in defeat.

Perham’s schedule placed East Grand Forks on April 23, and the Yellowjackets also had a triangular listed for April 27 at Courts Plus Fitness Center. That late-April stretch came as teams across Class 8A were shaping their lineups for the postseason, with the 2026 boys tennis 8A team section tournament set for May 16-19 and the individual section tournament scheduled for May 19-20.

For Perham, the result pointed to a team still searching for its best overall form, but not short on fight. The doubles teams’ two tiebreaker wins were the kind of detail that can matter most once sections begin, when one point, one pairing or one steady set can decide whether a season keeps going.