HERSHEY – To kick off the closing day of the PIAA Class AA team tournament, the Jersey Shore boys tennis team faced District 7 third-place finisher East Pennsboro.

A 2-0 finish in singles and three-set win from No. 1 doubles duo Abram Paulhamus and Luke Sarge propelled it to a 3-1 victory, advancing it to the state championship final scheduled for 6 p.m. There, the Bulldogs will face District 10 champ Cathedral Prep for a shot at securing their first state title in program history.

Following straight-set singles wins from Shore’s Ryder Fink and Ezra Paulhamus, it was up to either Paulhamus and Sarge or No. 3 singles player Saul Hensler to finish the job. Each held leads late in their third sets, with the doubles duo ultimately getting the job done.

After dropping a hard-fought first set 6-4, the Bulldog pairing battled back, first scraping out the second set, 6-4, before taking it to East Pennsboro’s Connor Hacker and Jackson Carchidi through the third. There, they won six of eight, winning the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to send Jersey Shore to the state final.

With the win, the Bulldogs (22-0) won their 22nd match in a row to reach their first state final. They’ll look to close out the run on the highest note possible at 6 p.m. at the Hershey Racquet Club, facing a tough, 17-3 Cathedral Prep.

PIAA CLASS AA BOYS TENNIS TEAM SEMIFINALS

Jersey Shore 3, East Pennsboro 1

SINGLES

1. Ryder Fink (JS) won by forfeit over Ian Aunkst (EP), 6-1, 5-0. 2. Ezra Paulhamus def. Blake Pasda (EP), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). 3. Saul Hensler (JS) led Brogan Barlup (EP), 5-7, 6-3, 4-3.

DOUBLES

1. Abram Paulhamus/Luke Sarge (JS) def. Connor Hacker/Jackson Carchidi (EP), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. 2. Elliot Bruhn/Tyler Nematka (EP) def. Dillon Harsanyi/Dylan Hensler (JS), 6-0, 7-6 (7-3).