By Mr. Ping Pong (aka Max Yurko)
On a sunny afternoon in early November, two doubles teams faced off to win one of the most coveted titles in all of sports: St. Paul’s Advisory Doubles Champions. The stage was set, the stakes were high, and the glory would last a lifetime. But first, what led to this grand finale?
In 2024, the St. Paul’s Ping Pong Club introduced the 1st ever Advisory Doubles Fall Classic. This event would consist of doubles teams competing from each advisory in a single elimination, month-long tournament, with the winner earning a dress down day and the advisory doubles trophy for their advisory. In its inaugural year, the tournament featured 28 teams from 23 separate advisories. The Kanther Advisory team of Sam Reno (‘27) and Colin Faulkner MacDonagh (‘27) took home the trophy, prevailing over the Stamper Advisory pairing of Trevor Miller (‘26) and Gledi Mulla (‘26) in a 3-1 domination.
The tournament returned with a bang in 2025, garnering 38 teams from 29 advisories. Reigning champ Sam Reno (‘27) looked to reclaim the throne with a new advisory in the Zimmerman advisory and a new partner in Max Yurko (‘27). Fellow junior Andrew Jacobs (‘27) and the other half of last year’s championship pairing, Colin Faulkner-MacDonagh (‘27) sought to contend for the prize as well.
With the first matches on September 30th, the tournament was off and running. In the Round of 32, the Bateman Advisory of Nathan Crouse (‘27) and Andrew Breslin (‘27) knocked off the Hawley Advisory of Brendan Ball (‘29) and Nick Marcantonio (‘29) in a three-set, come-back thriller. Seniors from the Ashford Advisory, Will Rentschler (‘26) and Hayden West (‘26), were also among those to advance, featuring their signature “skadoosh!” celebration. Others moving on included the Ram Advisory (Tommy Cheswick (‘28) and Charles Sticka (‘28)), Marban Advisory (Thomas Millis (‘26) and Ryan Graham (‘26)), and Ford Advisory (Tony Amos (‘27) and Mr. Ford).
With the Round of 16, the level of competition began to increase, and the contenders were separated from the pretenders. In a battle with the Marban Advisory, the Stamper Advisory team of Trevor Miller (‘26) and Jackson Angulo-Bartlett (‘26) managed to pull off the victory and advance to the quarterfinals. Loyal fans came out to support their seniors, starting several chants while enjoying the matches from the stands. An underdog began to emerge as well as the 37th seeded Arner Advisory of William Lamon (‘29) and Kash Crites (‘29) defeated the Ford advisory to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the 3rd seeded Julian Advisory of Copper Hessen (‘28) and Kaiden Ulmer (‘28) suffered a major upset to the upstart freshmen Tommy Zink and Hunter Bailey out of the Williams Advisory. Also, in the mix with their karate kid celebration, the Barnhardt Advisory of Wood Keough (‘26) and Bronson Burger (‘26) managed to crane-kick their way into the quarters. Elsewhere, for the first time in the illustrious two-year Advisory Doubles quarterfinals history, the Julian Advisory managed to place two teams in the quarterfinals. Others advancing included the Zimmerman Advisory and Broadnax Advisory.
In the quarterfinals, multiple Cinderella stories came to an end. The Zimmerman Advisory took care of business versus the Jansen Advisory of Hayden Demattos (‘27) and Alex Cheek (‘27), achieving their third win in a row in straight sets. Another top seed in the Broadnax Advisory looked strong with a 2-0 domination of the underdog Arner Advisory. On the other side of the bracket, the Williams Advisory continued to show that they were not a one-time wonder, topping former Advisory Doubles finalist Trevor Miller (‘26) and his partner Jackson Angulo-Barlett (‘26). After dropping the first set, Miller and Angulo-Barlett managed to fight back and win the second, but their comeback push faltered in the third and they fell 1-2. In the final match of the round, the fan-favorite Barnhardt Advisory’s time ran out, and they were karate-chopped out of the tournament by the Jansen Advisory of Andrew Jacobs (‘27) and Colin Faulkner-MacDonagh (‘27).
The first semifinal of the Fall Classic took place on a slightly breezy, but otherwise beautiful day in late October. The Zimmerman Advisory prepared to take on former singles finalist Alton Bowser (‘28) and his partner Nigel Wilson-Phillipi (‘28) representing the Broadnax Advisory. Advisors, advisees, and dedicated classmates were all in attendance. The Broadnax Advisory got off to a good start, winning the first set 11-6. They then managed to take the second as well 11-9. With their backs up against the wall, Reno and Yurko looked to launch a comeback. In taking the third set 11-7 and getting a commanding lead in the fourth, 6-2, it appeared as if they could do just that. But the Broadnax bunch would have none of it, ripping off seven straight points to take the lead and eventually win the set. This marked the first time No. 1 ranked Sam Reno (‘27) had dropped a match in over a year and a half.
Meanwhile, in the second match of the round, the 2nd seeded Jansen Advisory sought to keep up their momentum against the young up and comers of the Willams Advisory. The Williams Advisory came out strong, though, showing confidence and consistency. They managed to out-rally the Jansen Advisory throughout the match, taking the lead early and never looking back. In coming out on top 11-6, 11-7, 11-4, they punched their ticket to the finale to face off against the Broadnax Advisory.
On November 7th, 2025, the 2nd Annual Advisory Doubles Ping Pong Tournament held its finale. All roads led up to this moment. With the pressure of the finals on both teams, it would come down to who could handle it the best. Whoever could strive under the spotlight and overcome the weight of the match would manage to come out on top.
Alton Bowser (’28) hits a backhand shot in the tournament finals. Photo by Ms. Broadnax
The match began, and one could quickly see that it would not be won on the defensive side, with both teams displaying great consistency. In order to take home the crown, someone would need to step up and show some power and offensive strategy. The Broadnax pair would take the first set, winning in a close 11-7. After this set, Bowser began to unleash the offensive side of his game, hitting several forehand winners. This allowed the Broadnax advisory to begin to pull away, taking the second set 11-4. The Williams Advisory needed to regroup and win a set to keep the match going. In managing to piece together a few good points, they came out on top in the third set, 11-8. But, at the end of the day, it seemed that the confidence and all-around game of the Broadnax advisory would allow them to claim the title as they dominated in the fourth set, emerging victorious. The two showed great chemistry throughout the tournament and played very well together. Their combination of defensive strategy and power allowed them to take home the trophy.
Alton Bowser (’28) and Nigel Wilson-Phillippi (’28) celebrate with the Advisory Doubles Trophy after their 3-1 victory. Photo by Ms. Broadnax
Now, St. Paul’s School must wait until next year to see where the trophy will go next!
Hope to see you in the spring for singles!
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