SPRINGFIELD -- State tennis singles qualifier Marc Leible fell just shy of a state medal.
Leible, a Sikeston High School senior, advanced to the consolation semifinals and finished seventh at the 77th MSHSAA Boys Tennis Championships at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.
Leible opened the tournament on Thursday with a first-round, three-set (6-2, 1-6, 6-3) win over Ozark's Justin Peppmeier.
In the ensuing quarterfinal round, Leible lost (6-0, 6-1) to eventual singles runner-up Teddy White of John Burroughs.
Now in the consolation bracket, Leible battled back from a first-set loss to eliminate Josh Ross of Ozark with another three-set (2-6, 6-3, 6-1) win to move into the consolation semifinals.
In the semifinals, Leible, needing a victory to advance to the fifth-place match which would guarantee a state medal, fell to Graydon Klassen of Priory, 6-1, 6-0.
Leible concluded a stellar season with a 24-4 record.
Josh Goldstein of Clayton, the defending singles champion, repeated with a 6-1, 6-0 win over White in the final.
The talented Goldstein lost only five games in four straight-set wins en route to the championship.
In doubles competition, Charleston's junior duo of Blake Branum and Derek Hoppe was eliminated with consecutive first-round and consolation-round losses.
Hoppe and Branum lost to Marshall's Hunter Hsu and Jesse Murphy 7-6 (7-4 tiebreaker), 6-2, in their opening match, then were eliminated in three sets (6-0, 4-6, 6-4) by Brandon Blase and Zach Merkle in a first-round match in the consolation bracket.
Hoppe and Branum finished the season with a 12-2 mark.
Matt Bleakley and Sam Keeton of Pembroke Hill defeated Jonathan Pang and Max Shapiro (6-2, 7-5) for the doubles title.