Luverne tennis reaches state tournament for 11th straight season

A dynasty is defined as a line of hereditary rulers of a country.
The Luverne boys’ tennis team is not the Ming Dynasty, but the Cardinals have ruled over the Big South Conference and Section 3A for the past 11 years.
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Lucas Larson, the Cardinals made their 11th straight Class A State Tournament appearance in 2021.
The Cardinals were ousted in the opening round of the state tournament by Mounds Park Academy 5-2.
Pierce Cunningham qualified for the individual state tournament for the Cardinals after winning the individual Section 3A Tournament.
Cunningham lost in the opening round of the state tournament to Minnehaha Academy’s Lincoln Reichenau 2-1.
Cunningham lost the opening set 7-5. The Luverne junior answered back to win the second set 7-5. In the third set it was Reichenau defeating Cunningham 6-1.
The Luverne doubles team of Ben Jarchow and Blake Frahm qualified for the Doubles State Tournament after winning the Section 3A Doubles Tournament.
In the doubles state tournament, the Luverne duo of Jarchow and Frahm fell in the first round to Hermantown’s team of Zam Plante and Aaron Evjen in straight sets.
The Hermantown duo won the first set 6-1 and then knocked the Luverne duo out of the tournament by defeating them in the second set 6-2.
 
Road to state tourney
The Luverne tennis team opened the season on Friday, April 9, in Luverne with a 6-1 win, setting the stage for a successful season that led to the state tournament.
 
LHS 6, Fairmont 1
Luverne’s No. 1 singles player Pierce Cunningham kicked off his season in impressive fashion on April 9.
Cunningham defeated Ameya Komaragiri 6-0 in the first set and 6-0 in the second set.
Griffen Jarchow won his match in three sets. Jarchow won the first set 6-3, and then dropped the second set 6-3. Jarchow won the third set 10-3 to pick up the victory.
Chance Tunnissen won his match in two sets. Tunnissen won the first set 6-4, and then won the second set 6-1 to pick up the victory for the Cardinals.
Blake Frahm and Ben Jarchow, Luverrne’s top doubles team, won their opening match of the season.
The duo won the first set 6-4 and then took the second set 6-2 to pick up the victory.
Ethan Nath and Logan Ommen won their match 2-0. They won the first set 6-0 and then took the second set 6-1.
Jayson Rops and Kyle Ferguson won their match in straight sets. The duo won the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-0.
 
LHS 3, St. James 2
Griffen Jarchow and Cunningham defeated their opponents in straight sets April 10. The duo won the first set 6-0 and the second set by the same score.
Ben Jarchow and Frahm won their match 2-0. They won the first set 7-5 and the second set 6-3.
Rops and Miller won a back-and-forth match 2-1. The Cardinals duo dropped the first set of the match 6-4.
Rops and Miller bounced back to win the second set 6-2, and it was Rops and Miller coming out on top, winning the pivotal third set 10-7.
 
LHS 7, Blue Earth 2
Pierce Cunningham won the first set of his match 6-1. He then picked up the win with a 6-1 second set victory.
Griffen Jarchow won the first set of his match 6-2. He then won the second set 6-0.
Blake Frahm and Ben Jarchow won the first set of their match 6-3. The duo then won the second set 6-4.
Ethan Nath and Logan Ommen won a back and forth first set 7-5. They then won the second set 6-2.
Jayson Rops and John Miller won their match in straight sets. The duo won the first set 6-0. They then took the second set 6-3 to pick up the 2-0 victory.
 
LHS 4, YME 3
The Cardinals edged the Sting tennis team 4-3.
Griffen Jarchow won his match in straight sets. Jarchow won the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-0 to pick up the victory.
Miller won his match in straight sets. Miller won his first set 6-0 and the second set 6-2.
Frahm and Ben Jarchow won the first set of their match 6-4. The Luverne duo won the second set 6-0 to pick up the victory for the Cardinals.
Nath and Ommen won the first set of their match 6-0. The duo won the second set 6-2 to pick up the victory.
 
LHS 7, Montevideo 0
The Cardinals didn’t lose a match against Montevideo on Saturday.
Cunningham won his match 2-0. Cunningham won the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-0.
Griffen Jarchow won his match in straight sets. Jarchow won the first set 6-0 and the second set 6-1.
Miller won the first set of his match 6-3 and the second set 6-4.
Ferguson won his match in straight sets. Ferguson won the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-0.
Frahm and Ben Jarchow won their doubles match in straight sets. They won the first set 6-2 and the second set 6-2.
 Nath and Ommen won their match in straight sets. They won the first set 6-2 and the second set 6-2.
Spencer and Caleb Kracht won the first set of their match 6-4. They then took the second set 6-3.
 
LHS 5, Worthington 2
Cunningham, Luverne’s No. 1 singles player didn’t lose a set in his match. He defeated Alec Langerud 6-0, and 6-0.
Griffen Jarchow defeated Benjamin Schrieber 6-1 in the first set. Jarchow won the second set 6-0 to pick up the match victory.
In doubles action Blake Frahm and Ben Jarchow defeated David Sternke and  Devin Kaddee in straight sets.
The duo of Jayson Rops and John Miller defeated Tyson Henkels and Quinten Burns. Rops and Miller won the first set 7-5 and then won the second set 6-0 to pick up the match victory.
Ethan Nath and Logan Ommen defeated Alex Mazariegos and Kevin Le in the first set 6-0. The duo then won the second set 7-6.
 
LHS 7, RV 0
In singles competition, Pierce Cunningham defeated Redwood Valley’s Andrew Muetzel in straight sets. Cunningham won the first set of the match 6-1 and then took the second set 6-2.
Griffen Jarchow also won his match in straight sets for the Cardinals. Jarchow won the first set in convincing fashion, 6-0. He then won the second set 6-1.
Chance Tunnissen won a competitive match 2-0. Tunnissen defeated Laiten Goodthunder 6-2 in the first set and 7-5 in the second set.
Kyle Ferguson won the first set of his match over Cole Johnson, 6-4. Ferguson then won the second set 6-2 to pick up the match victory for the Cardinals.
The only doubles match that wasn’t a forfeit was between Luverne’s Blake Frahm and Ben Jarchow and Redwood Valley’s Levi Stoneberg and Noah U'Ren. Luverne’s duo defeated Redwood’s 6-0 and 6-2.
 
LHS 6, DB 1
It was all Cunningham, all the time in his match against Dawson Boyd’s Gavin Stulz on Saturday, May 1.
Luverne’s No. 1 singles competitor defeated Stulz 6-0 and 6-0 to pick up the match victory for the Cardinals.
It was the same result in the No. 2 singles matchup. Griffen Jarchow defeated his counterpart, 6-0 and 6-0.
Ferguson also made quick work of Jordon Perkins in singles competition. Ferguson won the first set 6-0 and the second set 6-0.
No. 4 Kyle Ferguson, Ben Jarchow and Blake Frahm were pushed to the brink against Wylie Wiebe and Jackson Buer.
The Cardinals duo dropped the first set 6-4. They bounced back to win the second set 6-4 to force a third and final set.
In the final set it was Ben Jarchow and Frahm coming out on top with a 10-7 set victory.
Jayson Rops and John Miller defeated Dawson-Boyd’s team of Matthew Martinson and Wyatt Wiebe 6-0 in the first set and 6-0 in the second set.
Luverne’s Ethan Nath and Logan Ommen defeated Dawson-Boyd’s Justin Perkins and Nate Gruwell 6-0 and 6-0.
 
LHS 4, PAS 3
The Luverne Cardinals’ tennis team improved to 9-0 with a 4-3 victory over Pipestone Area on Thursday, May 6, in Pipestone.
Luverne’s top singles player, Pierce Cunningham, defeated Tony Wacker in straight sets. Cunningham won the first set 6-0 and then picked up a 6-1 second-set victory to win the match.
Griffen Jarchow defeated Will Rops in a back and forth first set 6-4. The second set was all Jarchow, who picked up a 6-0 victory to win the match for the Cardinals.
Luverne’s Chance Tunnissen and Lucas Zupp played a competitive three-set match.
Tunnissen won the first set 7-6. Zupp answered back by winning the second set 6-2. Zupp edged Tunnissen in the third set 11-9.
In doubles action, the duo of Blake Frahm and Ben Jarchow defeated Pipestone’s Cole Paulson and Issac Stilas 6-4 and 6-1.
Luverne’s Jayson Rops and John Miller won their match in straight sets. The Cardinal duo defeated Pipestone’s Cody Norberg and Chase Wilson 6-1 and 6-2 to help the Cardinals pick up the 4-3 victory.
 
LHS 4, St. James 3
The Luverne Cardinals’ tennis team continued its dominance on Monday, May 10. The Cardinals defeated St. James 4-3 in Luverne to remain undefeated and improve to 10-0 overall.
Luverne’s Pierce Cunningham defeated Marco Hernandez in straight sets. Cunningham won the first set 6-0 and took the second set 6-2 to pick up the match victory.
Griffen Jarchow won his match in straight sets for the Cardinals. Jarchow defeated Payton Brown in the first set 6-0. Jarchow then took the second set 6-1 to pick up the victory.
Kyle Ferguson lost a hard-fought match to St. James’ Preston Wegner.
Wegner won the first set 7-5 and then took the second set 6-0.
Brennan Kern defeated Luverne’s Chance Tunnissen in straight sets. Kern won the first set 7-6 and took the second set 6-2.
Luverne’s Blake Frahm and Ben Jarchow defeated the duo of Caleb Rivera and James Gutierrez in a thrilling three-set match.
The Cardinal duo won the first set 6-1. Rivera and Gutierrez bounced back to win the second set 6-3. The Cardinal duo won the third set 6-4 to pick up the 2-1 victory.
Luverne’s Jayson Rops and John Miller won a back and forth match over Rudolfo Arreola and Andrel Rivera. Rops and Miller won the first set 7-5 and then took the second set 7-6.
 
New Ulm 4, LHS 3
It took until the end of the season, but the Luverne Cardinals’ tennis team suffered its first match loss of the season on Tuesday, May 18.
Playing for the Big South Conference Championship, the Cardinals fell to New Ulm 4-3 in Luverne.
New Ulm’s Isaac Bluemhoefer defeated Luverne’s Pierce Cunningham in a three-set match.
Bluemhoefer bested Cunningham in the first set 6-0. Cunningham answered back to win the second set 6-2. In the third and final set, Bluemhoefer edged Cunningham 6-4.
Luverne’s Griffen Jarchow defeated New Ulm’s Max Gieske in a thrilling three set match.
Jarchow took the first set in convincing fashion 6-0.
Gieske battled back to win the second set 7-6 to force a third set. In the third set it was Jarchow coming out on top with a 6-3 set victory.
Luverne’s Chance Tunnissen and Kyle Ferguson both lost their respective matches in straight sets.
The duo of Blake Frahm and Ben Jarchow picked up the match victory for the Cardinals over Nathaniel Janssen and Leo Waloch. Frahm and Jarchow won both sets by the score of 6-1.
The doubles team of Jayson Rops and John Miller defeated New Ulm’s duo of Cody Gilman and Tate Trullinger in straight sets. The Luverne duo won both sets by the score of 6-3.
Luverne’s Ethan Nath and Logan Ommen lost their doubles match to Isaac Davis and Dylen Carreon in three sets.
Ommen and Nath took the first set by the score of 6-2.
Davis and Carreon answered back by winning the second set 6-3. In the third set it was Davis and Carreon coming out on the winning end 7-6.
 
LHS 6, RV 1
The Cardinals opened the section tournament on Monday, May 24, with a 6-1 victory over Redwood Valley in Luverne.
With the win the Cardinals advanced to the semifinals where they’ll play either Pipestone Area or Lac Qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd on Tuesday, May 25, in Redwood Falls.
Cunningham defeated Redwood Valley’s Andrew Muetzel in straight sets. Cunningham won the first set 6-1 and then took the second set 6-0.
Griffen Jarchow won his match against Jacob Zollner in quick fashion. Jarchow won both sets by the score of 6-0 to pick up the victory for Luverne.
Tunnissen won his match against Laiten Goodthunder in straight sets. Tunnissen won the first set of the match 6-2 and took the second set 6-0.
Frahm and Ben Jarchow won their match against Levi Stoneberg and Noah U’Ren in straight sets. The Cardinal duo won the first and second set by the score of 6-0.
 
Section Championship
For the 11th straight season the Cardinals won the right to participate at the state tournament after winning the Class 3A Section Championship on Tuesday, May 25, in Redwood Falls.
 
LHS 4, Pipestone 3
Luverne’s Pierce Cunningham defeated Pipestone’s Tony Wacker in straight sets. Cunningham won the first set of the match 6-0. Cunningham then won the second set 6-2 to pick up the match point for the Cardinals.
Griffen Jarchow won his individual match against Pipestone’s Will Rops. Jarchow won the first set 6-0 and the second set 6-1.
Chance Tunnissen won a three-set match over Pipestone’s Lucas Zupp.
Tunnissen lost the first set of the match 6-2. He then bounced back to win the second set 6-4 and the third set 6-2 to pick up the victory for the Cardinals.
The Luverne duo of Jayson Rops and John Miller defeated Pipestone’s team of Cody Norberg and Chase Wilson in straight sets. Rops and Miller won both sets of the match by the score of 6-0.
 
LHS 6, YME 1
The duo of Rops and Miller kept chugging along against Granite Falls Yellow Medicine East (YME). The Luverne tandem defeated YME’s Mason Rhode and Gage Corner by the score of 6-0 in both sets.
The team of Logan Ommen and Ethan Nath won a three-set match over YME’s Austin Canatsey and Ryan Syring.
Canatsey and Syring won the first set of the match 6-3. Nath and Ommen bounced back to win the second set 6-1. The Luverne duo won the third set 6-2 to pick up the match point victory for the Cardinals.
Luverne’s Blake Frahm and Ben Jarchow defeated YME’s Derrick Lien and Isaac Olveson in straight sets. Frahm and Jarchow won both sets by the score of 6-1.
Tunnissen defeated YME’s Brandon Beyer in a thrilling three-set match.
Beyer won the first set 6-4. Tunnissen answered back by winning the second set 7-5. In the third set it was Tunnissen coming out on top with a 10-1 victory.
YME’s Jackson Torgerson defeated Kyle Ferguson in a back and forth three-set match.
Torgerson defeated Ferguson in the first set 6-3. Ferguson forced a third set by winning the second set 7-5. In the third set Torgerson came out on top with a 11-9 victory.
Griffen Jarchow defeated YME’s Tyler Syring in straight sets. Jarchow won the first set 6-3 and the second set 6-1.
Cunningham won his match against YME’s Ean Clark in straight sets. Cunningham won the first set 6-3 and the second set 6-1.