Aberdeen’s Mitchell Hofer has grown accustomed to facing older players.

The 14-year-old won a C.C. Lee Open Junior Tennis Tournament singles title on Tuesday despite playing up several age divisions.

Hofer, who played number one singles for Aberdeen Central as an eighth-grader this past spring, defeated Palmer Johnson of Aberdeen for the 18-and-under singles championship. Hofer says playing against boys a few years older than him was a challenge.

“It’s a challenge for sure because a lot of times they’re a little stronger than me and have a little more power,” Hofer said, “but I found a way to get it done today.”

Hofer and Johnson have met before, playing close matches in the past.

“I played him a couple of weeks ago in a league match and it was pretty close,” Hofer said. “I think the first time it was a tiebreak and then I think it was 6-4 in the second match, so yeah, we have some good battles.”

Hofer, who won the 16-and-under singles title last season at the age of 13 and was runner-up in that division two years ago, appreciates the opportunity to compete in a tournament like the C.C. Lee.

“It’s really nice, especially with people from out of town, to win it,” Hofer said. “I love these tournaments. They’re really fun because you get to see people that you know from your high school teams and other cities as well.”

This fall, Hofer will be transferring to Sioux Falls Christian to begin his high school academic and athletic career, and says he will miss the people he has made connections with in Aberdeen.

However, he is excited for the new challenge.

“It’ll be a lot different,” Hofer said. “I’m going to miss everyone here, and I don’t know how the tennis team is going to look and who I’ll be playing doubles with and stuff, but it’s exciting. A new challenge. It’ll be fun.”

Alice Vogel and Emily Ringgenberg capped off their tennis careers at the C.C. Lee Tennis Tournament with first place trophies after they won the girls’ 18-and-under doubles championship.

Vogel said the championship match provided a different pace than what they have been used to this summer.

“It was a really fun match, actually,” Vogel said. “It was the first very fast-paced match we’ve played since the season this summer, so that was really fun.”

Ringgenberg said the duo has “good communication,” while Vogel said the pair has had good chemistry on the court.

“Good chemistry,” Vogel said. “I feel like we keep each other positive.”

With the championship match, their careers finished where they started.

“Just kind of a very full circle, I guess,” Vogel said. “This is our last year of playing in some of these tournaments together. After we’ve played many years, probably like five years of playing tennis every summer, and then in season we were partners too, so it’s just really nice.”

Vogel and Ringgenberg are both recent Aberdeen Central graduates. Vogel will be attending Minnesota State University-Moorhead to study Film Production, while Ringgenberg will be attending South Dakota State University to study Pharmacy. Both say it feels surreal knowing it will be the last time they play in the tournament together.

“I feel like growing up, playing together, we’ve played in this tournament for so long,” Vogel said. “It’s just been a very positive community to play here in Aberdeen, also, with this tournament.”

Sanders Anshutz was excited to be a champion. The Brandon native came to Aberdeen with his dad to compete in the C.C. Lee Tennis Tournament and came away with the 12-and-under singles title. Anshutz described his performance in the championship match.

“I was just remembering always to hit the shots in, and trying to rally with him and then hit my angles and hit a hard serve,” Anshutz said.

Anshutz said he had never played against his championship opponent, Christian Schuler, but said it was a fun match to play in.

“He’s a good player,” Anshutz said. “He rallies good, and I was hitting some good shots and he was hitting good shots, too.”

Anshutz participates in the Match Pointe and Great Life tennis programs back home and says a tournament like this is helpful in gaining experience.

“I just use this and find different kids to play, and then just see those kids and then I can remember them when I play them next and see what their shots are and stuff like that,” Anshutz said.

This year’s C.C. Lee Tournament featured a lot of close matches in a variety of divisions.

“It went really well,” said Tournament Director Trent Kurtz. “Had a lot of good, quality tennis, a lot of good matches, a lot of tiebreaks, and got done on time on Tuesday, so we’ll take it.”

It looked as if the tournament would be behind schedule on Tuesday due to the weather, but the event dodged the precipitation.

“We got lucky today. It looked like there was going to be rain multiple times and somehow it just stayed away and broke up before it got here,” Kurtz said. “The kids were really good. The weather helped. It was nice and cool today, so we were able to kind of push some matches up where we took away some rest time from kids. It wasn’t too hot, so it wasn’t that bad.”

Kurtz said many of the matches were entertaining to watch, especially with super tiebreakers in lieu of a full third set.

“All the tournaments don’t play that third set anymore. They just play that super tiebreak, so first one to win 10 points, and it makes it really exciting,” Kurtz said. “There’s a lot of matches that come down to two points. It comes down to a break here or there or a point here or there. It brings a lot of excitement to the end of the match. Matches literally turn on one or two points, so it’s a lot of fun.”

Kurtz noted that he does not see any future changes being made to the tournament, although he would like to see one aspect improve.

“Our numbers were good this year. They were quite a bit up,” Kurtz said. “We’ve got to find a way to get more of the young kids. Maybe try to recruit our kids in our Parks and Rec lessons so we get more 12-and 14-year-old kids. But overall, numbers were really good. Everything went really well. Liked what we had.”

Kurtz was quick to thank the community and the Parks and Rec workers for helping make the tournament possible.

“Aberdeen’s always been a really good tennis community. You have great fans. We’ve got a nice little setup here at Northern,” Kurtz said. “I want to give credit to our Parks and Rec workers. We have all these high school kids and one in college that teach tennis every day of the week, and then they help run this tournament, and they make my job really easy. They do a great job. Couldn’t do it without them.”

GIRLS’ DIVISION

12-and-Under Singles

Championship: Estelle Riggs def. Sarah Knie, 6-2, 6-1.

Consolation championship: Penelope Vogel def. Rhapsody Lunsetter, 10-3.

14-and-Under Singles

Jenny Pitcher def. Ava Schuler, 6-0, 6-3; Catherine Jerstad def. Tylie Borge, 6-0, 6-0.

Championship: Jerstad def. Pitcher, 6-0, 6-4.

Consolation: Hannah Moderow def. Ravyn Skundberg, 10-7.

Consolation Championship: Addison Hed def. Hannah Moderow, 10-9 (7-0).

14-and-Under Doubles

Championship: Jerstad-Moderow def. Lunsetter-Pitcher, 6-4, 6-3.

16-and-Under Singles

Brenna Erdman def. Avery Tennant, 4-6, 6-2, 10-5; Riley O’Keefe def. Chloe Ladner, 3-6, 6-3, 10-

5.

Championship: Erdman def. O’Keefe, 6-1, 4-6, 10-6.

Consolation: Elizabeth Schuh def. Taela Bauer, 10-9 (7-5); Addison O’Keefe def. Sierra DeWitt, 10-3.

Consolation Championship: O’Keefe def. Schuh, 10-5.

16-and-Under Doubles

(Round Robin)

First Place: Ladner-Holman. Second Place: Haskell-Haskell.

Ladner-Holman def. DeWitt-Bauer, 6-3, 6-3; Ladner-Holman def. Haskell-Haskell, 6-4, 3-6, 11-9.

18-and-Under Singles

Elizabeth Comings def. Reese Comstock, 6-2, 6-2; Julia Knie def. Jessica Schuh, 6-1, 6-3.

Championship: Comings def. Knie, 6-0, 6-2.

Consolation: Jessica Schuh def. Madison Schmahl, 10-3.

Consolation Championship: Liv Douglas def. Schuh, 10-7.

18-and-Under Doubles

Vogel-Ringgenberg def. O’Keefe-Douglas, 6-3, 6-1; Erdmann-Comings def. Joachim-Tennant, 6-

0, 7-5.

Championship: Vogel-Ringgenberg def. Erdmann-Comings, 6-4, 6-2.

BOYS’ DIVISION

12-and-Under Singles

Sanders Anshutz def. Shiv Sharma, 6-0, 6-0; Christian Schuler def. Theodore Steinberger, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

Championship: Anshutz def. Shuler, 6-0, 6-0.

Consolation Championship: Sharma def. Schuler, 10-5.

14-and-Under Singles

Elijah Lindgren def. Braxton Burkett, 4-6, 6-3, 12; Aric Tennant def. Dawson Pederson, 6-4, 4-6,

10-8.

Championship: Tennant def. Lindgren, 6-4, 6-2.

Consolation: Zayne Fast Horse def. Zachary Comings, 10-5.

Consolation Championship: Fast Horse def. Caleb Stoks, 10-5.

14-and-Under Doubles

Championship: Ligon-Tennant def. Pederson-Pederson, 6-1, 2-6, (10-4).

16-and-Under Singles

Mason Ligon def. Garnett Anderson, 6-2, 6-4; Gannon Pederson def. Conner Miller, 6-1, 6-2.

Championship: Ligon def. Pederson, 4-6, 6-3, 10-3.

Consolation: Anderson def. Cowboy Haskell, 10-3.

Consolation Championship: Anderson def. Miller, 10-2.

18-and-Under Singles

Palmer Johnson def. A.J. Prehn, 6-3, 6-4; Mitchell Hofer def. Matthew Comings, 6-0, 6-2.

Championship: Hofer def. Johnson, 6-0, 6-4.

Consolation: Cason Hellwig def. Grady Anderson, 10-1.

Consolation Championship: Alexander Comings def. Hellwig, 10-0.

18-and-Under Doubles

Championship: Hofer-Prehn def. Comings-Comings, 6-4, 6-0.