When someone wins more than 220 consecutive matches, as the Fayeteville-Manlius boys tennis team has done, any threat to that autonomy is big news.
And West Genesee provided a major threat Wednesday afternoon, sweeping all of the singles matches and nearly getting the point in doubles it needed to end that Hornets 25-year win streak – but F-M got it, and held on for a tense 4-3 victory, having still not lost a match since 1989.
F-M quickly conceded two of the singles points as Ryan Jones and Richard Wang could not earn any games against the Wildcats’ talented brother tandem of Garrett and Brent Boleslav. Jeremy Zhang led Connor Smith early in third singles, but could not hang on in a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 defeat.
So it came down to doubles, and three of those points were easily attained. Josh Druger and Dan Miron, in first doubles, rolled past Alex Fox and Justin Taylor 6-1, 6-0, while Chris Lansing and Brooks Nagle got a 6-0, 6-3 sweep over Billy Viau and Aaron Wierbinski.
When, in fourth doubles, Richard Wang and Thomas Wong worked past Nolan Ferris and Ian Swete 6-2, 6-1, it all hinged on the third doubles match, where James DeSorbo and Ravi Dhwan were in trouble against WG’s tandem of Connor McGuigan and Anthony Stracqualursi.
Having lost the first set 6-4, DeSorbo and Dhwan realized the danger and, over the next two sets, dominated proceedings, beating McGuigan and Stracqualursi 6-1 and 6-1 to get the clinching point.
