Sean Williams/MDN Minot High head coach Scott DeLorme and the boys’ tennis team get together before a meet at Hammond Park earlier this season.

Ending the regular season with a 15-2 overall record and a perfect 6-0 in conference play, the Minot High boys’ tennis team embarked on postseason play on Thursday, as the West Region Boys’ Tennis Tournament began in Minot.

Hoping to sharpen their skills and benefit from tournament style play before the state tournament begins, the Magicians successfully secured a bye in the opening round and would begin their play starting in the semifinals.

The Magicians drew No. 4 seeded Mandan, who topped No. 5 seeded Williston 4-1 to advance in the tournament. Giving Mandan a taste of their own medicine, the Magi would take them down 4-1 to advance to the team championship round.

On the singles side of the semifinal matchup, Hunter Rice of Minot beat Karter Hatzenbuhler (6-4, 3-6, 10-5). Following in the footsteps of his teammate, Aidan Diehl would beat Brady Helbling (6-3, 7-5). Lastly, Jared Christen of Mandan would secure the lone win for his team by beating Josh Hegstad (6-4, 6-4).

Moving over to the doubles side, the Magi would once again rise to the occasion. The duo of Samuel Griffith and Grayson Schaeffer would secure a win for Minot, as they took down Bradyn Bentz and Rylan Bechtel (6-2, 6-0). Brayden McLean and Nolan Callahan would bring home a doubles sweep for Minot, as they topped Anton Kozojed and Dominic Kautzman (6-1, 6-0).

With the win over Mandan, the Magi drew No. 2 seeded Legacy in the championship, who beat Jamestown (4-1) and Century (3-2) to make it there. These two teams met twice in the regular season, where Minot won 6-1 and 6-3.

Rolling with the same lineup for the singles round of the championship, Rice would drop his match to Anthony James of Legacy (6-2, 6-2), but the Magi would not give up. Diehl would defeat Caleb Johnson (5-7, 6-0. 6-1) and Hegstad would top Joe Kalb (6-0, 6-2) as the Magi came out victorious 2-1 over Legacy in singles.

Showing similar results as the semifinal matchup, the Magi would once again put together a sweep in doubles. Schaeffer and Griffith took down Braydan Ruff and Nathan Mathern (6-0, 6-3) while McLean and Callahan also took care of business versus Drew Beasley and Cooper Miller (6-1, 7-6) helping Minot secure a 4-1 championship win over Legacy.

With the team win, that marks back-to-back WDA team titles for Minot High and qualifies the Magi for the state tournament. The individual portion of the WDA tournament will begin today and conclude on Saturday.