ONONDAGA COUNTY – Having won its first five matches of the season, the Cicero-North Syracuse boys tennis team now would test itself against the top two sides in the Salt City Athletic Conference, with a rematch against Liverpool in between.
The Liverpool part went well last Friday afternoon, with the Northstars able to claim a 6-1 decision, more lopsided than when it beat LHS 5-2 the first time they met April 13.
Matt Jordan, in second singles, handled Mason Pinchin 6-1, 7-5, with Brandon Nguyen beating Kaesy Maher 6-3, 6-3 as Justin Barrett beat Ryan Kiel 6-1, 6-0 for Liverpool’s lone point.
To key a doubles sweep, Wyatt Dupell and Brady Petranchuk paired up, blanking Aiden Hunter and Andrew Wade 6-0, 6-0 as, by those same scores, Alex Cao and Mike DeGroat beat Greyson Valente and Raury Bienkowski.
Peter Gill and Andrew George won, 6-2, 6-0, over James Welch and Andrew Caimano, with Tim Mai and Joe DeGroat working together to beat John Ioannidis and Aydan Presley 6-0, 6-4.
First for the Northstars was a visit to Baldwinsville, where it had great chances to win enough matches for a victory, but only got a single point in a 6-1 loss to the Bees.
As Dupell was beating Mason Doan 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 in first singles, three other matches stretched out to three sets, but C-NS was unable to win any of them.
Petranchuk extended his match with Zach Treichler, only to lose 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, while two doubles matches also featured comebacks that were thwarted.
Mai and Joe DeGroat took a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 defeat to Nathan Smith and Eric Ventura, while Cao and Mike DeGroat lost to Zach Pendergast and Ethon Haahr 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Elsewhere in doubles, DeGroat and George fell to Leonardo Vona and Connor Tutor 6-0, 6-2, with Jordan and Kiel falling to Nick Helbig and Andrew Jung 6-4, 6-4. Nguyen lost his singles match 6-1, 6-3 to Aidan Delaney.
When Liverpool had its own match against B’ville on Wednesday afternoon, it also ended 6-1 in the Bees’ favor, the lone LHS point coming when Justin Bartlett routed Jung 6-0, 6-1 in first singles.
Pinchin and Maher took singles’ defeats, while in doubles B’ville won every match in two sets, the closest of them when Ioannids and Presley lost to Ventura and Smith 6-0, 6-3.
C-NS dominated Central Square on Thursday, blanking the Redhawks 7-0 as Dupell, Petranchuk and Nguyen all won singles matches in two sets, Nguyen in the closest of them when he topped Akira Kuratate 6-3, 6-1.
Gill and George had to got a bit longer in doubles, but still handled Shaun Sanders and Vincent Bardoun 6-4, 6-2 as the teams of Mai-Joe DeGroat and Alex Cao-Mike DeGroat each won in two sets.
Liverpool returned to action last Thursday, taking on West Genesee and prevailing 6-1 over the Wildcats.
With Barrett and Maher having already won singles matches in straight sets, LHS watched as Pinchin was pushed to a third set by Ty’san Scott, but won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Three other points were gained in doubles as the teams of Hunder-Andrew Wadie, Caimano-Welch and Valente- Bienkowski each won in two sets.
