This year’s Maryland State Doubles marked a notable return for indoor tournament handball in the region, as it was the first 4-wall event we have hosted since February 2020. After a long stretch without an indoor tournament, the event brought players back together for a full day of competitive matches and served as a strong return for 4-wall handball in the Maryland/Virginia area.
The Open division delivered a competitive day of play. Vincent Yam and Carlos Chavez opened with a 21-9, 21-16 win over father-son duo Alan and Nate Frank. Adam Zimet and Carter Kounovsky battled past Jay Cattron and Joshua Osburn in a tiebreaker, 21-15, 9-21, 11-9, in a match that truly could have gone either way.
Zimet and Kounovsky then stayed in control with a 21-7, 21-5 win over Alan and Nate Frank to move to 2-0. Yam and Chavez did the same with a 21-9, 21-13 win over Cattron and Osburn. In the next round, Jay Cattron and Joshua Osburn earned a win to solidify third place in the division with a 21-15, 21-10 victory over the Franks.
That set up the division’s final match, with first place on the line. Zimet and Kounovsky finished the job with a 21-15, 21-9 win over Yam and Chavez to cap off an unbeaten run and claim the Open title.
The Contender division delivered a strong day of round robin play, with every team battling through three matches and the title ultimately coming down to the final contest of the day. Entering that last match, the top two seeds had both put together impressive performances, setting up a fitting finish between the No. 1 seed, Candido Rivera and Jimmy Page, and the No. 2 seed, Milton Terrazas and Larry Defauw.
Terrazas and Defauw had been sharp throughout the day, opening with a 21-9, 21-5 win over Rhys Cohen and David Botero before following it up with a 21-9, 21-15 victory over Dan Ho and Daryl Fryer. Rivera and Page were equally impressive early, earning wins over Ho and Fryer, 21-11, 21-0, and over Cohen and Botero, 21-11, 21-12, to set the stage for a true winner-take-all final.
The last match did not disappoint. In one of the best battles of the tournament, the No. 2 seed, Terrazas and Defauw, knocked off the top-seeded Rivera and Page in a thrilling three-game match, 21-16, 14-21, 11-6. After taking the opening game, Terrazas and Defauw saw Rivera and Page answer back in the second to force a tiebreaker, but the 2 seed held steady in the decider to close out the win and capture first place in the division.
It was a fitting ending to a full day of handball, with the championship decided on the court in the final match and the Contender division producing one of the most exciting finishes of the event.
The Legends division featured a strong showing from a veteran group, with the title ultimately coming down to the final match of the day between the top two seeds. Roger Berry and Bob Bardwell opened play in dominant fashion, rolling past Jed Alexander and Keith Neihart, 21-0, 21-7, before surviving a tougher test against Peter Peart and Bob Humphreys, winning 17-21, 21-13, 11-9 in a hard-fought tiebreaker.
Bruce Cohen and Stephen Bossung were just as impressive on the other side of the draw. They opened with a convincing 21-8, 21-2 win over Peart and Humphreys, then followed it up with another comfortable victory over Alexander and Neihart, 21-7, 21-7, to set up an unbeaten showdown with Berry and Bardwell in the final round.
With first place on the line, Cohen and Bossung rose to the occasion. The No. 2 seed closed out the day with a 21-20, 21-10 win over the No. 1 seed, claiming the Legends title with a perfect 3-0 record. The opening game of the final proved to be the turning point, as Cohen and Bossung staged a great comeback and fought off game point while receiving serve before rallying to steal it 21-20. After surviving that battle, they took control in the second game to seal the championship.
Peart and Humphreys finished in third place after earning a win over Alexander and Neihart in the final round, while Alexander and Neihart battled through a tough field. Overall, the division delivered a competitive day and a fitting finish, with the championship decided in the last match on the schedule.
