Newton head boys tennis coach Jared Gerber knew his team was up against it during its matchup with Class 1A No. 1 Pella.
The Cardinals faced the favorite to win the 1A state title on Tuesday and lost 11-0 during a Little Hawkeye Conference matchup at Aurora Heights Park.
“Pella is a great team and is the favorite to win state this year,” Gerber said. “We played well for the competition. The highlight was River (Meyer) and Keary (Sanger) playing an awesome match at No. 5 doubles and playing two close sets.”
The Dutch won all 11 matches in straight sets. The closest singles match came from Seth Adams. He lost 6-2, 6-0 at No. 3 singles.
The No. 5 doubles team of River Meyer and Keary Sanger had the best match of the day for the Cardinals. They were defeated 6-3, 6-3.
Notes: The Cardinals did not have No. 4 singles player Collin Buchli. He was at the Newton coed track and field meet in Grinnell. … The matchup with Pella was moved to Newton because the Dutch’s new tennis facility is not yet finished.