The Free State High doubles tandems of sophomore Ian Pultz-Earle/freshman Erik Czapinski and sophomores Jonah Pester/Seamus Ryan earned bids to the Class 6A boys tennis state tournament when they powered the Firebirds to a third-place finish at Monday’s regional at Rock Chalk Park.

Pultz-Earle and Czapinski teamed to take third place, while Pester and Ryan followed in fifth.

“It’s exciting to have four out of the six guys qualify, especially since all four are first-time state qualifiers,” FSHS coach Oather Strawderman said.

The Firebirds scored nine points, trailing only champion Shawnee Mission East (23) and SM Northwest (11).

Each of the FSHS doubles pairings went 3-1 on the day and dealt with plenty of adversity. Pultz-Earle and Czapinski won their opening match, 6-1, 6-0, over Lawrence High’s Chanse Bowie/Sam Allen and then earned a spot in the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over SM West’s Kyle Sawatzky and Christopher Holcomb, but then they ran out of gas against SMNW’s Nathan Schmidt and Reagan Walsh. The FSHS No. 1 doubles team won the first set against the Cougars duo on a tiebreak, but dropped the next two to lose the match.

“Getting third is tough because you lose one and then you have to be in the next match ready to play,” Pultz-Earle said.

That experience paid off as the Firebirds dispatched SM East’s Barrett Cooper/Lane Anderson, 6-3, 6-4.

FSHS’ No. 2 doubles team’s path to secure a berth to state was a bit more difficult. Ryan and Pester coasted past LHS’ Jonathon Kinder/Michael Braman, 6-1, 6-0, but ran into the SM East dynamic duo of eventual champion Jeff Larrabee and Elliott Renft in the second round.

That meant that Ryan and Pester would have to win their next match against Topeka High’s Michael Joens/Chris Gernon to stay alive. After the Trojans pushed the match to a third set, the Firebirds had a chance to close out the match, leading 5-4 in the third.

However, Joens and Gernon jumped to a 40-30 advantage in the 10th game and had Ryan and Pester on their heels. The seasoned sophomores put Topeka away with three straight points.

“Those are the moments you always train for,” Ryan said. “It’s those kind of pressure situations that you just have to go for it.”

Ryan and Pester followed that up with another three-set win over Sawatzky and Holcomb to cap their fifth-place finish.

Lawrence High finished seventh overall and got a state qualifier of its own in No. 1 singles player Elliott Abromeit.

The Lawrence High junior went 2-2 on the day to earn a sixth-place finish and reached the goal he has been trying to attain since he arrived at LHS.

“This is all I’ve wanted since my freshman year,” Abromeit said. “I’ve worked pretty hard to get here.”

Abromeit ousted SM South’s Nick Fowler in straight sets before getting shut out by eventual runner-up Matthew Gonzales of Topeka.

Next was a matchup against SM North’s Anthony Giambalvo, with a trip to state on the line. Abromeit rose to the occasion and knocked out Giambalvo, 6-0, 6-1.

LHS coach Chris Marshall could not stop raving about Abromeit’s continued improvement as the Lions’ top player.

“He’s developed into a leader. As a freshman, he was kind of a goofy kid,” Marshall said. “He has stepped into the leadership role, and he cares about the game of tennis and cares about his teammates and wants to get better at the sport.”

Throughout the day, Abromeit’s character showed, whether it was offering a bandage to Fowler or complementing his last opponent on an ace.

“Sportsmanship is kind of a no-brainer to me. I see a lot of kids out here who aren’t as nice,” Abromeit said. “It’s such a competitive sport, and there’s always so much pressure on the individual. Friendliness is just what it needs to be.”

Although Abromeit went on to lose to Claerhout in three sets, Marshall said that the LHS junior played some of the best tennis in his career in the middle of the match.

Abromeit and the four FSHS state qualifiers will be competing at Friday and Saturday’s tournament in Olathe for the first time.

“I’m just going to play my best, and if I play my best and lose, that’s fine,” Abromeit said. “I played my best, and that’s all I can really ask for.”

Monday at Rock Chalk Park

Team Scores: Shawnee Mission East 23, Shawnee Mission Northwest 11, Free State 9, Topeka High 7, Shawnee Mission South 3, Shawnee Mission West 3, Lawrence High 2, Shawnee Mission North 1.

Free State Results

No. 1 singles: Zane Andruss (SMNW) def. David Naff (FSHS), 6-3, 4-6 (15-13).

No. 2 singles: Matthew Gonzales (Topeka) def. Declan Forth (FSHS), 6-0, 6-0.

No. 1 doubles: Ian Pultz-Earle/Erik Czapinski (FSHS) def. Chanse Bowie/Sam Allen (LHS), 6-1, 6-0; Ian Pultz-Earle/Erik Czapinski (FSHS) def. Kyle Sawatzky/Christopher Holcomb (SMW), 6-0, 6-0; Nathan Schmidt/Reagan Walsh def. Ian Pultz-Earle/Erik Czapinski (FSHS), 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, 6-1; Ian Pultz-Earle/Erik Czapinski (FSHS) def. Barrett Cooper/Lane Anderson (SME), 6-3, 6-4.

No. 2 doubles: Seamus Ryan/Jonah Pester (FSHS) def. Jonathon Kinder/Michael Braman (LHS), 6-1, 6-0; Jeff Larrabee/Elliott Renft (SME) def. Seamus Ryan/Jonah Pester (FSHS), 6-0, 6-1; Seamus Ryan/Jonah Pester (FSHS) def. Michael Joens/Chris Gernon (Topeka), 6-2, 5-7, 6-4; Seamus Ryan/Jonah Pester (FSHS) def. Kyle Sawatzky/Christopher Holcomb (SMW), 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Lawrence High Results

No. 1 singles: Elliott Abromeit (LHS) def. Nick Fowler (SMS), 6-1, 6-2; Matthew Gonzales (Topeka) def. Elliott Abromeit (LHS), 6-0, 6-0; Elliott Abromeit (LHS) def. Anthony Giambalvo (SMN), 6-0, 6-1; Nick Claerhout (SMS) def. Elliott Abromeit (LHS), 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.

No. 2 singles: Nick Claerhout (SMS) def. Zach Bowie (LHS), 6-2, 6-1.

No. 1 doubles: Ian Pultz-Earle/Erik Czapinski (FSHS) def. Chanse Bowie/Sam Allen (LHS), 6-1, 6-0.

No. 2 doubles: Seamus Ryan/Jonah Pester (FSHS) def. Jonathon Kinder/Michael Braman (LHS), 6-1, 6-0.

State qualifers

Ian Pultz-Earle/Erik Czapinski (FSHS), third place doubles; Seamus Ryan/Jonah Pester (FSHS), fifth place doubles; Elliott Abromeit (LHS) sixth place singles.