In order to complete an undefeated regular season, the Westhill boys tennis team had to get through long-time OHSL Liberty division stalwart Christian Brothers Academy last Monday afternoon.
And though it entered that match with a 10-0 record, the Warriors lost, 3-2, to the Brothers, unable to win any of the three singles matches.
Tom Chaddock and Ryan Rolince, in first doubles, had defeated Will Holstein and Ayo Oguntola 6-1, 6-2, with Conor Mahoney and Nick Sauro just as strong in a 6-1, 6-1 win over Hunter Burton and Max Lewis.
However, CBA’s singles players proved too tough. Neither Jackson Bradley nor Mike Ferrara could earn a game against the brother tandem of Dean Vlassis (who beat Bradley) and Ben Vlassis (who beat Ferrara), while David Bleskoski did get some games, but still lost, 6-2, 6-3, to Shivam Nanavati.
West Genesee played both of its matches against powerful Fayetteville-Manlius last Wednesday afternoon, but only managed a single point out of the 14 that were at stake.
It came from the Wildcats’ doubles team of Greg Fey and Robert Jocz, who got together to rally from an early deficit to beat the Hornets’ Matt Montes and Cole Wang 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
F-M won all but one of its 13 points in straight sets, the lone exception a singles classic where Matt Mannara nearly toppled Michael Miller, but lost 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.
Before this, WG claimed a non-league match over Homer 6-1 last Monday, only dropping a point in singles, where Noah Ruston ran into Alex Cottrell and took a 7-5, 6-4 defeat.
Otherwise, James Plunkett handled Ben Herman 6-1, 6-3, as Matt Mannara blanked Vince Saraceno 6-0, 6-0. In doubles, the closest match came from Ryan Joyce and Erik Shanahan, who beat Adam Brown and Sean Powers 7-5, 6-3.
Stefan Atanasov paired with Max Mekker to beat Nate Potter and Spencer Rusyniak 6-4, 6-1, while Jackson Craig and Michael White got a 6-3, 6-0 win over Tommy Britt and Conner Lake. Anthony DiLorenzo and Carter McCrea routed Ryan Cough and Kyle Ryan 6-0, 6-1.
WG met up with Baldwinsville on Thursday afternoon and lost a tough 4-3 decision, though in doubles it pulled out two points with comebacks.
Two games from defeat, Joyce and Mekker rallied past Diego Aguirre and Eric Smith 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, while Atanasov and Mannara paired up to beat Anthony Pompo and Alex Taylor 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Northrop and Plunkett worked together to handle Sam Damato and Alex Shaban 6-2, 6-2, but B’ville won all the singles matches, the key blow a second singles battle where, in three sets, Ruston lost, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, to Nick Licciardello.
Marcellus played last Monday against Onondaga and prevailed, 4-1, over the Tigers, sweeping both doubles matches. Justin Costa and Dan Wrona beat Michael Germain and Paul Okhman 6-1, 6-1, with Quinne Clarke and Shawn Manke getting a 6-1, 6-0 win over Sophia Featherstone and Jon Massaro.
In singles, Dakota Dunbar lost, 6-3, 6-2, to Jake Massaro, but the Mustangs earned the other points as Noah LeFever beat Taylor Featherstone 6-1, 6-1, with Andrew Kammer blanking Adam Wood 6-0, 6-0.
Marcellus beat Phoenix by that same 4-1 margin to get to the .500 mark overall at 5-5. In single-set matches to eight games, Kammer beat David Burgess 8-2, with Chris Barbaro topping Ryan Lange 8-4. The doubles teams of Manke-LeFever and Justin Costa-Matt Vitale also prevailed.
Then the Mustangs had its own match with CBA on Wednesday and lost, 5-0. Kammer, Guerrina and LeFever lost in singles, while Costa and Wrona paired up, falling to Lewis and Oguntola 6-4, 6-1 as Barbaro and Vitale fell to Hunter Burton and Will Holstein 6-2, 6-3.
A day later, Marcellus lost, 3-2, to Homer. Though Kammer beat Herman 6-3, 6-2 and LeFever topped Cottrell 6-4, 6-1, the Trojans earned the other three points in straight sets, with Barbaro and Vitale taking a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Adam Brown and Sean Powers.
