SALINA – Evan Goates wasn’t ready to concede anything. 

After the Maize South junior controlled the first set of Saturday’s Class 5A singles semifinal with Bishop Carroll star freshman Brandon Steven, Goates quickly lost the momentum when Steven jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set.

A decisive third set seemed inevitable, but Goates had other ideas. 

“I didn’t get down on myself. I could’ve easily just tanked the rest of the second set and gone to the third,” Goates said. “But I just kept fighting and trying to find my way back.”

What followed was some of the best tennis of Goates’ career. 

Goates stormed back to take the second set in a dramatic tiebreaker, sealing a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win to avenge his loss to Steven in the regional final. 

A refreshed Goates then delivered an exceptional performance in the title match. He beat Arkansas City’s Dawson O’Donnell 6-1, 6-2 to clinch the championship at Salina Tennis Center, earning redemption after losing in the finals as a sophomore. 

“Going into this tournament, I really didn’t think I had it in me,” Goates said. “As I was playing more and more matches, I was gaining more and more confidence.”

“In the final, it was just fantastic to watch,” Maize South coach Frank Reyes said. “It was probably my least stressful match of the year because he came out there and dominated. 

“It definitely meant a lot to see him come back and win (after taking second) last year.”
 

O’Donnell, a 2024 state doubles champion with his older brother Oakley, knocked off reigning state champion Sanjay Rajkumar from Blue Valley Southwest in the other semifinal, but expended a ton of energy. His 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes.

He struggled to generate any momentum against Goates in the title match.

“Evan just played amazing,” O’Donnell said. “I tried to find some energy, but all the credit to him. It’s not like I played awful. I don’t think I played my best, but he played some of the best tennis I’ve seen.”

A master at adapting to his opponent, Goates (29-2) had plenty of time to refocus on O’Donnell after the semis. 

“I knew that I would be more rested than he was, and I think that helped me more mentally than it did physically,” Goates said. “(The opponents) in the semifinals and finals were two different game styles. Just being able to change up what I did really helped.”

Stoic for most of the tournament, Goates finally let out a big celebration after the winning point. 

“I was getting nervous, I couldn’t finish it for two or three points, but to finally get it at the end was just such a relief,” Goates said. 

Steven (25-2) rebounded from the semifinal loss to beat Rajkumar 6-0, 6-3 in the third-place match. His only other loss came against Rajkumar early in the season. 

“Steven’s a fantastic player. He has a great game,” Reyes said. “(The semifinal) was one where he wasn’t giving up anything, so Evan had to win every single point. Mentally, he just stays in it.”

“(The regional final loss to Steven) was really just motivational,” Goates said. “I knew how he played. He’s very grindy from the baseline, he gets to everything. I knew I just had to tighten up some things and figure out a way to beat him.”

O’Donnell was on the ropes in his semifinal match before forcing a tiebreaker in the second set and then taking the match to a third set, which he controlled against Rajukumar, who finished his senior season with a 25-7 record. 

“Key was just flipping the momentum,” O’Donnell said. “I came out pretty bad, losing the first set in like 30 minutes. But I just had to come to the net and find new things to do to flip the script. I got it back, but it took a lot out of me.”

He finished his senior season with a 21-4 record. 

“I’m proud of my career,” O’Donnell said. “I had a good showing and I held my head high.”
 

CLASS 5A STATE TENNIS 

At Salina Tennis Center 

TEAM SCORES

Andover 33, Bishop Carroll 23, Andover Central 21, St. James 20, Blue Valley Southwest 20, St. Thomas Aquinas 17, Maize South 16, Arkansas City 14, Kapaun Mt. Carmel 14, Newton 11, Valley Center 11, Piper 8, Eisenhower 7, Seaman 5, Lansing 3, Hays 2, Shawnee Heights 1, Topeka West 1. 

SINGLES 

Championship – Evan Goates, Maize South def. Dawson O’Donnell, Arkansas City, 6-1, 6-2. Third place – Brandon Steven, Bishop Carroll def. Sanjay Ranjkumar, Blue Valley Southwest, 6-0, 6-3. Fifth place – Eli Donaldson, St. James def. Henry Walker, Andover Central, 8-1. Seventh place – Lad Oborny, Andover def. Kyle King, Eisenhower, inj. def. Ninth place – Patrick Lacy, St. Thomas Aquinas def. Emilio Ormaza Cantos, Newton, 8-2. 11th place – Hudson Lawrence, Valley Center def. Brett Seal, St. Thomas Aquinas, 8-1. 

DOUBLES 

Championship – Andrew Chan/Isaac Homan, Andover, def. John Korfhage/Trey Lacy, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 6-3, 6-4. Third place – Jaxon Post/Elias Kachelmeier, Andover Central def. Gabe Weber/Braeden Dugan, Bishop Carroll, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4. Fifth place – Luke Niesen/Sam Niesen, St. James Academy def. John Rather/Pierce Anderson, Andover, 8-2. Seventh place – John Vogel/Baird Greenamyre, KC Piper def. Braxton Nicholson/Gabriel Shaffer, Valley Center, 8-6. Ninth place – Will Felski/Will Nash, St. Thomas Aquinas def. Saket Jagannath/Vidhu Reddy, Blue Valley Southwest, 8-6. 11th place – Jacob Cook/Nidhish Padmanaban, Blue Valley Southwest, def. Ike Christopher, Jacob Dennis, Lansing, 8-1.