It was post-season time and that meant, for the Cazenovia boys tennis team, it was ready to rule at the Section III Class C-1 championships at SUNY-Cortland, claiming three of the five divisions.
Whether it was Nate and Mitch Romig in singles, or the duo Aidan Katleski and Griffin Monahan in doubles, the Lakers found their way to the top of the ranks, and their combined efforts helped Cazenovia capture the team championship, too.
Nate Romig had a bye straight to the semifinals in first singles, where he beat Cooperstown’s Will Weldon 6-2, 6-4. Then, in the championship round two days later, Romig claimed a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Sauquoit Valley’s Chris Mazza.
As for Mitch Romig, he had to win twice to get to the finals in second singles, but swept Antonio Fermia (Clinton) 6-0, 6-2 and Dan Judge (Skaneateles) 6-2, 6-1 to get to a title match against Cooperstown’s John Kelley.
And this proved far tougher than the previous two matches. Romig won the first set 6-4, only to have Kelley claim the second set 6-3 to set up a final set that was close – but like his brother, Romig won it, again topping Kelley 6-4.
In second doubles, Katleski and Monahan rallied past Holland Patent’s Derrick Harter and Vincent Klein 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, and never was threatened again.
Katleski and Monahan blanked Lowville’s Connor Nicol and Hugo Zabielowicz 6-0, 6-0. The final, against Cooperstown’s Dori Csendes and Reed Porter, proved just as lopsided as Katleski and Monahan won another 6-0, 6-0 romp.
In first doubles, Teddy Coughlin and Dan Gavilondo survived a 7-6, 4-6, 6-0 match with Tucker Garrett and Alec Helmer (Holland Patent) plus a semifinal with Nate Fouts and Andrew Neumann (Skaneateles) 6-3, 6-4, but lost in the final to Cooperstown’s Noah Lifgren and Pierce Snyder 6-0, 7-6. Liam Flannery, in third singles, lost in the opening round to Sauquoit Valley’s Luke Stayton 6-3, 6-0.
Chittenango would compete in the sectional Class B tournament at Utica Parkway, where Zach Falkenburg and Matt Lanphear won twice, topping Zach Eaton and Jarrett Murray (Camden) 6-1, 6-2 and then topped Homer’s Adam Brown and Sean Powers 6-4, 6-3. Falkenburg and Lanphear lost in the semifinals to Westhill’s Conor Mahoney and Nick Sauro 6-1, 6-4.
Over in first doubles, Sean Austin and Ben Cyr beat Nate Potter and Spencer Rusnyiak (Homer) 7-5, 6-3 and then rallied past New Hartford’s Matt Cioni and Dave Mathews 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 before a 6-1, 6-1 semifinals loss to Oneida’s Aidan and Ajay Hicks. Anthony Roberts lost his singles match to Carthage’s Lelan O’Brien 6-1, 6-0.
