As Peter Kinnaman prepared for the District 4 Tennis Doubles Championships he received a text from an old friend giving him some quick advice.

The text told Kinnaman to stay aggressive and charge the net throughout the final match of the tournament. Kinnaman, with his partner Drew King, charged the net, stayed aggressive, and gave Lewisburg it’s second tennis championship of the season with a 6-1 6-1 win over Central Columbia’s Avery Pruden and Andrew Tuchman.

Kinnaman and King entered the tournament as the No. 4 seeded team and notched wins over No. 1 Mifflinburg and No. 3 Central Columbia to win the title. They also qualified for the PIAA Tennis Doubles Championships.

“Our No. 1 last year texted me right before the match and told me to serve and volley,” Kinnaman said. “Just coming to the net you can cut down on a lot angles and set it up for the put away shot. It can be really intimidating for opponents to deal with. They feel like they have to hit that perfect shot.”

The text came from Tim Sprunt, who made a district run of his own last year. His run also ended in District gold, which helped Kinnaman prepare for his championship match. The current pair of top Lewisburg doubles players were outstanding throughout the two-day tournament, but really turned it on at the end to closeout with a win over the top team in the semifinals.

“I’ve been keeping in touch with Tim for awhile and I was really looking forward to giving him the good news,” Kinnaman said of winning the tournament.

King was especially passionate in the second match, letting out screams after good points. Both teammates did a good job of supporting each other throughout the match.

The energy helped during the second set when a long group of points appeared to allude Lewisburg. The pair eventually dropped game, but quickly bounced back. It appeared Central, which cut into Lewisburg’s lead, would gain some momentum, but it failed to carry over as King and Kinnaman went back up 3-1.

“It really helped us stay focused in the match,” Kinnaman said of the cheers. “That was especially important in the second set against Central. If we didn’t dig in there and break them it could have been a different match. Keeping that energy going was important for each match and every point.”

The Dragons charged the net, but were able to make up ground and get to pop shots over their heads. They moved in and out of the front. Kinnaman was especially good at cutting across the net and earning points.

“Peter and I kind of went into the day thinking we would be intense inward, but stay calm and collected on the outside,” King said. “It came into my head that maybe if I started cheering it would help Peter and it would help myself. It really helped.”

District 4 Tennis Doubles Championships Results: 

Semifinals: No. 4 Drew King and Peter Kinnaman (Lewisburg) defeated No. 1 Nolan Beck and Tom Lichtel (Mifflinburg), 6-3 6-1. No. 3 Avery Pruden and Connor Ryan (Central Columbia) defeated No. 2 Dhruv Kotru and Andrew Tuchman (Danville), 6-3 6-4.

Finals: No. 4 Drew King and Peter Kinnaman (Lewisburg) defeated No. 3 Avery Pruden and Andrew Tuchman, 6-1 6-1.