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Covenant’s boys tennis team didn’t really know what to do with itself after a loss in the VISAA state tournament.

Which is understandable. The last time they lost in a VISAA clash was seven years ago, when even the teams’ seniors were just entering middle school.

The Eagles’ incredible run of six-straight titles came to an end Friday afternoon at the hands of archrival North Cross as Covenant fell 6-3 to the Raiders at Collegiate School’s Robbins campus in Richmond in the VISAA Division 2 title.

The Eagles’ Sam Adamson and Matthew Rose fell at the top of the lineup but William Rose, Kevin Coleman and Roger Wang helped give Covenant a split going into doubles. The Eagles nearly pulled out a 4-2 lead as No. 6 Noah Harris battled North Cross’ Nishanta Jha before relenting 11-10.

With the strength of North Cross’ doubles tandems, a split was trouble for the Eagles.

“Over the course of the last two years, we’ve played them five times and we beat them three times last year and this year they got us 2-to-1,” said Covenant coach Patrick Kearns. “They came out ready to play doubles and took it to us.”

The loss ends a particularly incredible run by Adamson, Coleman and William Rose who all three joined the Covenant varsity as eighth graders. That trio won four straight state titles and five conference championships during that four-year span, an unprecedented run for any local tennis squad.

“They’ve won a lot of matches for us,” Kearns said. “I know they would’ve liked to win today and it just didn’t happen.”

North Cross will face Highland Saturday in the state championship.

North Cross 6, Covenant 3

Singles

1. Joseph Cartledge (NC) def. Sam Adamson 10-6

2. Michael Fleming (NC) def. Matthew Rose 10-6

3. William Rose (TCS) def. Miguel Garcia 10-3

4. Kevin Coleman (TCS) def. Jack Fishwick 10-3

5. Roger Wang (TCS) def. Zander Theoharris 10-1

6. Nishanta Jha (NC) def. Noah Harris 11-10

Doubles

1. Adamson/W. Rose (NC) def. Cartledge/Theoharris 10-3

2. Fleming/Fishwich (NC) def. Coleman/M. Rose 10-7

3. Garcia/Jha (NC) def. Wang/Boland 10-8

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