Mike Weil and Tyler Deatherage weren’t adjusting well to the consolation bracket.

The Benton duo committed error after error, both shouting in frustration as they rapidly fell into a 6-2 hole against Grain Valley. They certainly didn’t look like comeback candidates.

“We were kind of getting down on ourselves. One mistake turned into another and another,” Weil said. “Once we got rolling, we couldn’t really stop after that.”

Their dramatic doubles turnaround — a 9-7 win — reflected their own team’s resurgence. After its numbers dwindled to seven just two years ago, Benton won Friday’s Class 1 District 8 meet by 3 1/2 points at Noyes Tennis Complex.

Luke Talbot won the singles crown, Deatherage and Weil came back to finish fifth, and each Cardinal entry won at least three matches to give the team its first district title since 1993.

“That right there shows the epitome of the whole day. Nobody quit today,” Benton coach Bob Nash said of his No. 1 doubles team.

“It’s been an exciting run — this whole year.”

Talbot paced the Cardinals’ big day with his first district championship against Bishop LeBlond’s Ryan Walker, 6-1, 6-0. After finishing second in last year’s event, Talbot only dropped five games all day — three to Maryville’s Anthony Groumoutis — and knocked off Walker for the second time this year.

In just his third year of competition, Talbot will make his second trip to state with the goal of earning his first medal with a top-six finish.

“It just knew I had to stay focused, keep myself mentally strong,” Talbot said.

When he wasn’t pounding cross-court winners, Talbot cheered No. 2 singles player Brandon Richey to three wins and No. 2 doubles team Ryan Miller and Casey Moeck to four.

Nash said Talbot’s infectious enthusiasm and winning attitude have trickled down through the rest of the team in the past three years.

“The things that happened this year, a lot of it is because of him and getting kids out to play,” Nash said. “It’s been a lot of fun to sit back and watch.”

After upending the Golden Eagles during the regular season, Benton will host LeBlond in Tuesday’s sectional at Noyes at 3:30 p.m.

Despite a frustrating day, LeBlond finished fourth behind Excelsior Springs and Kearney to qualify for sectional play.

One step away from a state berth, Alex Bridges and Mike Lierz dropped a crushing two-set match to top-seeded duo Eric Dailey and Thilo Mehlin. After falling behind 5-0 in the first set, the Eagle tandem forced a tie-breaker in the second set and held the set point.

The pair couldn’t find the crucial winner they needed, however, and saw their state aspirations evaporate with a 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) loss.

“That second game, they really played well and showed how strong they are,” LeBlond coach Wes Sanger said. “That tie-breaker was a tough one to lose. It would have been a lot of momentum.”

Walker, only a sophomore, will make his first appearance at state after earning the second seed and beating Kearney’s Paul Nurse, 7-6 — 6-4 — in the semifinals.

Dailey and Mehlin went on to claim the doubles title in a come-from-behind thriller against Chillicothe’s Cody Greenlaw and Morgan Saunders, who also finished as runner-ups in 2007.

The pair of Hornets won the first set and had a match point in the second but couldn’t seal the deal and failed to recapture their early form down the stretch.

“We thought we could pull it out,” Greenlaw said. “They just played a little better, but I couldn’t be more proud with the way we played today.”

A day earlier, a last minute shuffle worked out in Central’s favor.

After placing third in doubles at conference, Andrew Ellis made a late switch to singles, earned the top seed at the Class 2 District 8 tournament at Oak Park High School and ran the table to get down to state.

Ellis will make his second trip to state after getting down in doubles with Alex Dobyan as a sophomore.

“It was kind of surprising, actually, but it ended up working out pretty well,” Ellis said. “It was a big disappointment not making it down last year. It’s pretty exciting to get to go again.”

The Indians also will compete in sectionals for the second year in a row after placing fourth by half a point over Liberty.

A sixth-place showing in the doubles bracket from Sirish Veligati and Vick Singh provided Central with enough points to keep their season alive and play district winner Park Hill next week.

Sports reporter Andy Meyer can be reached at

andymeyer@npgco.com