The competitor in Henry Paiste wasn't going to be satisfied leaving the Hershey Racquet Club with anything less than the ultimate prize.

But the realist in Henry Paiste knew that the ultimate prize isn't necessarily the only prize.

"The goal is to win every match you play," said Paiste just moments after playing his final high school match. "Sure, I would have liked to win gold. That was my ultimate goal.

"But even though I fell short, I'll leave here happy with my effort and pleased with how I competed and carried myself."

Paiste's final day as a high school tennis player ended Saturday afternoon with a pair of losses and a fourth-place finish in the PIAA Class AA Singles Tennis Tournament.

It ended a brilliant scholastic career during which the Northwestern School District athlete became just the second four-time singles champion in District 11 history, earned four trips to the PIAA Tournament and captured a pair of state fourth-place medals.

"It's been four great years," said Paiste. "As sad as I want to be, I can't be. I have so many great memories."

Despite falling to eventual state champion Andre Fick of Wyomissing in the semifinals, Paiste might have played his best match of the two-day tournament.

The only service break of the first set helped Fick pull out a 6-4 win. He added a pair of service breaks in the second set to win that one, 6-3.

"Andre played extremely well," said Paiste. "I think his 6-0, 6-0 win in the final speaks for itself. He just played out of his mind today.

"His game is perfectly suited for these courts. He is such a great athlete and these courts are very fast. That combination was tough to overcome."

Despite the sweep, Paiste gave the undefeated Fick (31-0) all he could handle. During the first set, Fick won 37 points to Paiste's 35. In that set, Paiste had three deuce points during Fick's serves but could never get a break.

Fick's second set was a little more dominating, but Paiste still hung tough, jumping out to a 2-1 lead. He was in the match trailing 4-3 and down just one break before Fick won the final two games.

"Andre and I have been playing each other in USTA tournaments since we were about 12 years old," said Paiste. "We've probably been pretty even in matches against each other over the years, but he's beaten me the last two seasons in the state tournament, so I guess that gives him the edge in our battles."

In the consolation match, Paiste faced another highly touted opponent in Lancaster County Day's Blaise Casselbury. Casselbury, a junior, hasn't lost a regular season match in his high school career. He finished second to Fick in the District 3 tournament.

Casselbury defeated Paiste is a lengthy match, 6-4, 7-5.

"I knew taking the court that it was obviously going to be my final high school match," said Paiste. "So I tried to take everything in and enjoy it.

"I thought I played pretty well, but Blaise was a little better. "

Although Paiste mentioned a couple of times that losing is never fun, he said that competing to be the best is.

"I've enjoyed my high school career so much," Paiste said. "I have had so much help and support that has allowed me to accomplish what I have.

"My coaches, my family and my friends have all pushed me to become the best I could be. It's been truly an amazing four years."

While the second day of the tournament saw Paiste battle some of the other top high school players in the state, the first day say him fight to stay alive in the tournament.

With his high school tennis career slipping dangerously close to extinction, he showed the heart of a champion.

Locked in an intense quartefinal match with freshman Luke Phillips of Carlynton, Paiste reeled off the final six points of a third set tie-breaker to pull out a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) victory.

Paiste's quarterfinal round win came on the heels of an opening round straight set victory earlier in the day.

"It crossed my mind in the beginning of the tie-breaker that this could be the end of my high school tennis career," said Paiste. "Obviously, I didn't want that to happen and I tried to dig down deep and give it everything I had to make sure it didn't.

"He (Phillips) was a great player. I didn't know a lot about him, but I could tell right from the get-go that he was a strong player. Until the very last point, the match could have went either way."

After the players split a pair of 6-4 wins in the opening two sets, the third set provided edge of the seat drama, that drew spectators from throughout the complex to peer in on the match. The ever-growing crowd included almost the entire District 11 delegation as players, coaches and fans from Pleasant Valley, Moravian Academy and Freedom watched the action.

"There is definitely a special vibe you get playing in the state championships," said Paiste. "You're playing in front of bigger crowds than in any other tournament you've ever played in and that creates a great atmosphere.

"This is my fourth state tournament and it never gets old. It is still such an exciting feeling to play out here. In that third set I was able to feed off the energy of all the people pulling for me."

Neither player led by more than a game in the deciding set as momentum swung back-and-forth on almost a point-by-point basis.

Paiste was a game away from victory at both 5-4 and 6-5 but both times Phillips held serve and extended the match.

In the tiebreaker, Phillips led 3-1 before Paiste fought back.

He started the rally with a beautiful volley at the net and eventually took a 4-3 lead when Phillips double faulted for one of the few times in the match. A baseline winner and a service winner followed to put Paiste ahead 6-3 and give him a triple-match point. He needed just one of them when a Phillips drop shot floated into the net.

"This was the most hard fought match I've had in my four years at States," said Paiste about the two hour and 24 minute marathon. "I've never had another match at states - whether it was a win or a loss - that went three sets.

"I don't know how well I played, but I do know that I left my heart out on the court. I wasn't walking off the court knowing that I didn't give everything I had."

Paiste opened his day with an incredibly efficient, 6-0, 6-0 victory over District 9 champ Alan Brennan of Elk County Catholic.

Paiste lost a total of just seven points in the entire match and Brennan never won more than a point in any game. The match lasted just 34 minutes.

"I wanted to concentrate on playing well early because I knew if I was fortunate enough to be playing later in the tournament, the matches would be tougher and longer," said Paiste following his opening win.