By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor

INDIANAPOLIS – Not surprisingly, the Oct. 9 championship match of the North Central (Indianapolis) Regional ended up with a 3-2 score. What was surprising in this battle between long-time rivals Carmel and host North Central, however, was that the team with the 3 was not Carmel.

In a showdown between the state’s top-ranked team – undefeated five-time state champion Carmel – and Indiana’s No. 2-ranked school – 17-time and defending state champ North Central – the result turned on the clash at No. 1 singles between a pair of youngsters, Carmel freshman Mihir Kumar and North Central sophomore Nick Chappell.

After dropping an especially even first set 7-2 in a tiebreaker, Chappell (21-0) fed off a rowdy Panther cheering section to rally to win 12 of the next 13 games in closing out a 6-7 (7-2), 6-1, 6-0 victory.

The team title for North Central (18-1) ruined a perfect season for unbeaten Carmel and reversed the outcome of a Sept. 4 match won – surprise! – 3-2 by the Greyhounds. The victorious Panthers now move on to the North Central Semistate Oct. 11, where they will face Batesville (23-1) in a semifinal.

The winner will challenge either sixth-ranked Brebeuf (16-4) or No. 3 Center Grove (17-2) for a trip to the Oct. 18 team state finals, also at North Central.

We had all sorts of video highlights and post-match interviews, but the darned camera stopped working correctly. Our apologies!

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