Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette Quaker Valley's Annie Houghton returns a shot against Bishop Canevin's Peter Kaczmarek in the WPIAL Class AA boys' singles tennis championship yesterday at Shady Side Academy. Houghton won, 6-1, 6-0. Click photo for larger image.

They settled the WPIAL Class AA boys' tennis championship yesterday, but there was no king to be crowned. The one who sat on this boys' throne was a queen.

Quaker Valley's Annie Houghton never seemed like just one of the guys in this two-day event. She was a lot better than all of them. Houghton made history, becoming the first girl to win a WPIAL boys' tennis title, and she put an exclamation point on it.

Houghton, a junior, dominated Bishop Canevin's Peter Kaczmarek in the title match at Shady Side Academy, breezing to a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

Kaczmarek left quickly after the match, but he wasn't bitter. He was in a hurry to head to Hershey for a school trip. As he stuffed equipment in a bag near his parents' car, he answered questions politely about what it was like to lose to a girl.

"I'm not upset, I'm disappointed I didn't win," Kaczmarek said. "You could say I was the last man standing. So I'll take that, I guess."

This year's boys' champion played in pink Nikes and with her hair tied back in a ponytail. This champion stood only 5 feet 3¹/₂ inches. Houghton has the look of a girl you'd want your son to take to the prom.

But she can be menacing on the court. She powered her way through the tournament, losing only seven games in four matches.

Houghton, a Quaker Valley junior, had won WPIAL girls' championships as a freshman and sophomore. But she didn't play on the girls' team this past fall because she was still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. The injury occurred last March.

There are no WPIAL and PIAA rules that prohibit a girl from playing on the boys' tennis team in the spring if she didn't play on the girls' team in the fall.

"This feels so good because doctors said I might not be as good as I used to be," Houghton said. "But I'm playing the best tennis I've ever played."

Just don't call her a trailblazer or a trendsetter. She'd rather be just Annie the tennis player.

"If people want to say I'm a trendsetter, that's great," Houghton said. "But I didn't do this just to start a girl thing. ... I just took this opportunity to play because I was injured. It was just a situation I took advantage of."

Kaczmarek could never get an advantage against Houghton. She hit shots as hard, if not harder than Kaczmarek. She was patient and let Kaczmarek make mistakes. She got to shots all over the court. But she also used power when needed.

"I used to train with Annie, so I knew of her game," Kaczmarek said. "She's just a good, solid, all-around player."

Houghton's story brought attention to WPIAL tennis. Besides newspaper reporters and two announcers for www.msasports.net, a television crew from KDKA was on hand.

Lane Stoner, director of the WPIAL tennis committee, could never remember a TV station filming a tennis championship.

Also, a number of Shady Side Academy students kept stopping at the tennis courts to watch Houghton. They watched history. Two female Shady Side students stopped near the fence that enclosed the court.

"Wow. She's really good," one said.

Houghton said, "Playing with boys has never been intimidating. I've trained with boys my whole life. I grew up with two brothers."

Next up for Houghton is the PIAA tournament next month. It is believed Houghton will be the first girl to play in the boys' tournament, just like she was believed to be the first female to play in the WPIAL boys' tournament.

"If I play my game, I think I can give some pretty hard matches," Houghton said.

Skorupka wins Class AAA

North Allegheny's Zach Skorupka won the Class AAA championship with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory against Jon Spero of Shady Side Academy.

Skorupka is a unique player because he has won two championships in two different classifications at two different schools.

Skorupka, a senior, won the Class AA title two years ago at Sewickley Academy before transferring to North Allegheny.

"I think this one means more, just because this is my last year," Skorupka said.

Skorupka sometimes trains with Houghton at the Windwood Health and Sports Club in Bradford Woods. When asked how Houghton would fare in Class AAA, Skorupka said, "It would definitely be harder for her. But she'd be competitive."