The 2014-2015 season of the boy’s table tennis team has been one nobody will soon forget. Recently, the BSM boy’s table tennis team exceeded expectations at the state championship, setting the bar high for future seasons.

In previous years, the boy’s table tennis team has been a strong contender in their section, making it to the semifinals both of the past two seasons. This year however, they were able to step up their game and earn a state tournament berth, where they finished in third place. “I thought we had a strong team going into the tournament this year,” junior Macartan Commers said. “My main goal for the team this season was to make it back to the semifinals like we have the past two years, but as the season progressed I realized we had a chance to do better than that.”

This year at the state tournament there were a grand total of 18 teams competing for the first place title. “The state tournament is different for table tennis than many other sports,” Commers said. “All of the teams who want to compete at state are welcome to come, as there’s no qualifying matches.” BSM was granted a bye in the first round due to their impressive performance in sections. The preliminary round consisted of six groups of three teams in group play with one another. The top two teams from each of these groups advanced to the next round where BSM and three other teams entered play.

The combined effort of everyone on the team that led the Red Knights to the third place title this season. “The team exceeded expectations in the tournament this year,” junior Will Rosengren said. “We ended up playing well against Mounds View, which has won back to back state championships, ultimately helping us take home third.”

As for the seasons to come, Commers and Rosengren hold high expectations for the team. “We’re really looking forward to next season and beyond,” Commers said. “We’ve seen vast improvements across the team this season, and we’re hoping these players will give us more depth next season.”