Trojans win fourth sectional title in five years, taking down host Valparaiso, 4-1, led by Luke Sorgic, ‘best player to come through Chesterton ever, by far’

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Chesterton won its 10th boys tennis sectional in school history and fourth in five years Wednesday, defeating host Valparaiso in the final, 4-1.
Naturally, No. 1 singles player Luke Sorgic again led the way.
So big and powerful, so graceful with his movements and forever playing with a classy demeanor, Sorgic wins so regularly that it’s easy to take him for granted.
But his coaches aren’t guilty of that and are extremely proud of what he has accomplished for his high school.
“Luke’s the best player to come through Chesterton ever, by far,” Chesterton head coach Tom Bour said. Assistant coach Scott Garrison nodded agreement.
Sorgic defeated his Valpo opponent in signature dominant fashion 6-0, 6-2. In doing so, he kept intact his record of never losing so much as a set on Valpo’s tennis courts.
And that wasn’t the only record he kept spotless. He finished the DAC portion of his career last week with a 28-0 record and his sectional career with an 8-0 record. Sorgic played No. 1 doubles his freshman season and has been the No. 1 singles player since, earning his third consecutive DAC MVP honor.
Trojans junior Peytan Belegal, a lefty, has been close to as dominant facing opposing school’s No. 2 players as Sorgic has been taking on everyone’s top player. As a freshman, Belgal went 6-1 in the DAC at No. 1 doubles and is 14-0 at No. 2 singles. In sectional play, Belegal is 2-0 in doubles and 4-0 in singles.
So, combined DAC and sectionals, Sorgic went 36-0 and Belegal is 26-1 with one year remaining.
“Those two,” Bour said of Sorgic and Belegal, “I can’t think of a better 1-2 punch in the history of Chesterton.”
Sorgic played for three sectional champions, last season being the lone exception.
Just as they did Wednesday, Sorgic and Belegal won their singles matches in straight sets a year ago and the Trojans needed just one point from the remaining three matches to advance to the regional. The third point never arrived.
“I did not want that to be repeated at all,” Belegal said. “That was a terrible feeling for all of us. We were all crying, but that only made us stronger for today.”
Per usual, Sorgic wrapped up his match first Wednesday, winning 6-0, 6-3. Belegal was next to the finish line, winning 6-2, 6-2. No. 2 doubles Brady McWhirter and Ryland Tolton delivered the clinching point, winning their match 6-4, 6-3, and No. 1 doubles Jake Bell and Shane Henry accounted for the fourth point with a 7-5, 6-4 win.
“Both doubles teams did a great job of overcoming the runs Valpo put out,” Bour said. “Both Valpo teams went out to leads and both our doubles teams overcame it, grabbed the lead and never relinquished it after that.”
When both Chesterton doubles teams fell behind early, it had to be difficult for some in the bleachers to keep an unpleasant flashback from invading their thoughts.
“You know what happened last year, and all the boys know what happened,” Bour said. “That’s what put us a little on edge today. I told the boys in our huddle we need to be playing with a little chip on our shoulders, we need to play with an edge, not an attitude, but a hey, we want it more attitude.”
Chesterton and Valpo both won their semifinals 5-0 on Tuesday. No. 3 singles player Jack Ciupak furnished the Trojans’ fifth point, winning his match 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.
When Chesterton hired Bour in 2009 to head the boys and girls tennis programs, the Trojans had won just one boys sectional title. That was in 1969, just 10 weeks or so after Neil Armstrong took one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, which depending on your level of paranoia took place either on the moon or in a TV studio.
Under the direction of Bour, a certified tennis teaching professional, Chesterton won boys sectionals in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025.
Chesterton never has won a regional and will try again next week in Laporte at Kesling Park. The Trojans play the host Slicers in the first round Tuesday. The winner advances to a title match vs. the winner of the Hobart-South Bend St. Joseph semifinal (read: South Bend St. Joseph).