Courtesy photo Pictured are the Escanaba boys tennis team members who earned first place finishes at the Great Northern Conference match in Marquette Thursday. From left: Isaac Maki, Tanner McDonald, Jordan Nance, Viktor Pospisil, Ryan Moreau, Dawson Williams and Connor Smale.

MARQUETTE — The Escanaba boys tennis team earned its first Great Northern Conference title in 18 years in Marquette Thursday.

“We did take first,” Esky coach Tom Penegor said. “We were in six of the eight finals and won four of them.”

In the final tally, the Eskymos (34) finished three points ahead of West Iron County (31). Marquette took third with 24, and Menominee (16), Gladstone (8) and Kingsford (7) followed.

“Even with these results, to only win by three, it just shows you need every point,” Penegor said. “We won the U.P. Finals in 2007, which will be going on after next week. The only difference in that is that Negaunee is in that and WIC is not.”

The six finals the Eskymos participated in were at No. 1 singles, No. 4 singles, No. 1 doubles, No. 2 doubles, No. 3 doubles and No. 4 doubles, and they earned the victory at No. 4 singles, No. 1 doubles, No. 2 doubles and No. 3 doubles.

“We played well,” Penegor said. “I was really proud of the guys. They really did a good job. We’ve been stressing all year to have fun and get better, and we did today. We had some outstanding performances under pressure today.

“Today, we were in six and won four. We went out there and got it, which is what we had to do. If we didn’t, WIC would have beaten us. Our guys performed today. We got points to form everybody that played — truly team effort.”

At No. 1 singles, Esky’s Connor Smale drew a bye in the first round to face Menominee’s Danny Birch in the semifinal, but Smale made quick work of the match, finishing it in two sets, 6-2, 6-1. He then finished Marquette’s Jason Andery in two sets as well, 6-4, 6-1.

“Number one performance was at No. 4 singles, Connor Smale,” Penegor said. “He won the No. 4 singles championship. He played the best tennis I’ve ever seen him play. A few weeks ago, I was down on him, and over the last ten days, he’s really turned it around and put in a real gutsy performance today. (He also) beat number one seeded Marquette … Really dug deep. Can’t say enough about how he played in the conditions against two tough players. I was really proud of him.”

At No. 1 doubles, the Esky duo of Viktor Pospisil and Ryan Moreau also drew a first-round bye to face Menominee in the semifinal. Against the Maroons duo of Aidan Bellisile and Brady Schultz, the Eskymos lost a close first set 6-7 but recovered to win it in the final two, 6-2, 6-2. Pospisil and Moreau were then challenged by Kingsford’s Caleb Boone and Isaac Nash in the finals, but the Eskymos obtained the title in two sets, 6-2, 6-1.

“Those guys (doubles players) have been steady all year,” Penegor said. “Today, the kids really performed.”

For No. 2 doubles, Isaac Maki and Dawson Williams enjoyed another first-round bye for the Eskymos and continued on to battle Menominee. Maki and Williams finished the Maroons’ Aden Laurin and Trevor Theuerkauk in two, 6-2, 6-2.

It was a three-set affair in the finals, however. The Eskymos dropped the first set 3-6 but recovered to win two in a row 6-1, 6-2 against WIC’s Lucas Isaacson and Cole Alexa.

“No. 2 doubles was the last match in the finals,” Penegor said. “Isaac Maki and Dawson Williams played against two outstanding seniors. Gracious, good kids. They were just outstanding people. It was just a great match. Everyone was cheering on every point. Both teams were just so close.”

Tanner McDonald and Jordan Nance picked up the Eskymos’ final win at No. 3 doubles. After a first-round bye, McDonald and Nance faced off against Gladstone’s Isaac Berthaume and Zach Brazeau, emerging victorious, 6-1, 6-1.

The Esky duo then finished the finals against Marquette in two, 6-2, 7-5.

For the Braves, Rane Castor at No. 1 singles and Peter Noblet at No. 2 singles were the others that managed to push through the opening round.

Castor defeated Menominee’s Felope Zamora in three, 6-0, 6-7(7), 6-4, but fell to Marquette’s Nick Olivier just after, 6-1, 6-0.

At No. 2, Noblet overcame Menominee’s Jason Bowers in three, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 but fell against WIC’s Mitch Ballinger, 6-0, 6-0.