DELASANTA

Despite missing the first half of the season with an injured collarbone from skiing, Jasper Delasanta still qualified for the state tennis tournament.

“I felt like I worked hard for what was left (of the season), so I felt that’s what got me through,” the North senior said.

Delasanta beat Jacob Stinski of Oshkosh West, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round.

“He was really good at getting to every ball, so it was just being patient and grinding it out,” he said.

In the second round, Delasanta lost to top-seeded Tyler Nelson of Waunakee, 6-0, 6-0. Nelson went on to finish third in the tournament.

“Yeah, that definitely made me feel better,” Delasanta said. “My first round, there was a kid playing next to me that was really good. And after I lost to the No. 1 seed, I saw (Nelson) beat up on the other kid, too. I was like, ‘if he’s handling that kid, then I don’t feel bad to losing to such a good kid.”

Delasanta, who finishes with a 9-5 record, played doubles last season and made it to the third round at state.

He says it was fun to ‘mix things up’ by switching to singles.

“I missed doubles a little bit, but it was definitely a lot of fun,” Delasanta said.