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For the first time ever, a Decorah High School tennis player has won the Class 1A boys' state tennis singles title. And for only the second time since 1995, Decorah had both a singles player and a doubles team make it to the final round at State.In singles, junior Caden Branum, the returning runner-up and top seed, had a tough draw in the first round against a three-time State participant from Shenandoah. After working through some nerves Branum's power took over for a first-round win. In the second round, Branum beat an experienced Cedar Rapids Xavier player, earning him a spot in the semi-finals. On Wednesday, Branum faced a strong freshman player from North Polk and a battle ensued. Branum's experience helped him after going to a tie-breaker to eventually win the match.In the finals, Branum ran up against another freshman from Cedar Rapids Xavier. Both players had some nerves to start but both settled down and some high-quality tennis ensued. Coach Anderson shares, "At 3-4 down in the first set, we talked about slowing down, hitting big targets, and playing with high energy, and Caden went on to win 9 of the next 10 games to secure Decorah's first-ever Singles Championship."Decorah's district runner-up doubles team of Daniel Skrade and Landon Baker had tempered expectations going into the tournament, but the results didn't show it. On day one, Baker and Skrade beat third-seeded Spencer before defeating Glenwood in the second round to earn a trip to the semi-finals on Wednesday. Coach Anderson says, "On Wednesday we knew our opponents from Dubuque Wahlert well, having met them numerous times the last few years, always coming up a bit short...but on this day Daniel and Landon brought their best and earned a tough victory to make the finals. In the finals against Pella, they played another good match but eventually had to tip their hats to a team that was hot and had lots of prior experience. I couldn't be any prouder of how the pair represented Decorah tennis the last two days, especially during the finals against tough opponents by fighting to the end." This was the first doubles finals appearance for Decorah since 1999. Coach Anderson says of the day, "I'm just thrilled to see all of the hard work pay off for all these boys, I think it will take a few days for it to sink in fully. It was great to see all of the support from fans young to old cheering on Decorah for an incredible 2 days. Thank you all!"

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Decorah High School's Caden Branum claims the Class 1A boys' State tennis singles title; Landon Baker and Daniel Skrade finish 2nd in doubles