Humbled by Fayetteville-Manlius the week before, the West Genesee boys tennis team found far more success during the April school break.
Play opened for the Wildcats last Monday afternoon against Liverpool, but what seemed like a tough match turned into a raging success for WG as it rolled past the Warriors by a score of 6-1.
Connor McGuigan, in first singles, won a 6-3, 6-4 decision over Evan Maestri. Though Alex Argiro lost, 6-0, 6-2, to Evan Vogue, Chris Upwood grabbed the other singles point during a tough 6-1, 7-5 decision over Aleksandar Dzodic.
On the doubles side, WG claimed all four points. It included Pat Copeland and James Plunkett sweeping Adam Donle and Mike Fensken 6-2, 6-2, with Nick Bentley and Stefan Atanasov topping the Munski brothers 6-3, 6-4. Jimmy Harter and John Northrop won, 6-3, 6-3, over Doddi and Matt Renk.
WG had a tough match on hand Wednesday when it visited Baldwinsville, where three of the four doubles matches went to three sets and the Wildcats only won one of them, a key factor in a 4-3 defeat to the Bees.
McGuigan, in first singles, shut out Alex Shaban 6-0, 6-0, and Bentley handled David Rush 6-2, 6-3, only to see Joey Francisco lose to Eric Herman by those same 6-2, 6-3 scores, meaning the Wildcats needed a doubles split, something it couldn’t quite pull off.
Ryan Joyce and Brandon Hale trailed early before pulling out a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Chris Alfonson and Beckett Plumley. Also going to three sets, Plunkett and Copeland fell to Mason Soeder and Scott Ferrari 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, while Atanasov and Northrop could not hold an early lead in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Isaiah Demoski and Ryan Shirk. Argiro and Harter fell to Nick Walker and Dan Watkins 6-1, 6-2.
Mason Soeder and Scott Ferrari got past James Plunkett and Pat Copeland 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, while Isaiah Demoski and Ryan Shirk rallied for the clinching point in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Stefan Atanasov and John Northrop.
The Wildcats would rebound Friday and take down Auburn 6-1, yet even this win required WG claiming three different matches over the Maroons that went the full three sets.
It was Atanasov earning the pivotal point, losing his opening set 6-4 to Trevor Bohannon, but sweeping the second set 6-0 and then, two games from defeat, pulling out the third set 7-5 to complement another three-set battle where Upwood beat Connor Davia 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Argiro lost, 6-0, 6-0, to Auburn singles star Scott Minnoe.
In doubles, it proved a bit easier. McGuigan paired with Plunkett to rout Jack Farrington and Luke Parker 6-1, 6-1, while Copeland and Bentley stopped Shalil Patel and Jake Wansor 6-0, 6-1. Harter and Northrop had a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Henry Foresman and Austin Duger, but Joyce and Hale needed all three sets to get past Nate Wawro and Quinn Hukee 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-1.
