Posts tagged Central
Central tennis teams dominate Franklin Co.
Mar 16th
Shelbyville Central’s tennis team opened up its season by slamming District 8-AAA opponent Franklin County in Winchester on a gloomy Tuesday.
The Eagles lost just nine games in their sweep of all seven matches. The Eaglettes dropped the hammer on the Rebelettes 7-0.
Jonathan Smotherman, Kasondra Johnson and the doubles team of Kishan Patel/Zach Nichols all won with a shutout.
Central gets a look at the other side of Region 4-AAA when it trips up to Murfreesboro to battle Oakland on Thursday.
Boys Singles
Kishan Patel (S) d. Hunter Isbell 8-1.
Zach Nichols (S) d. Jonathan McBee 8-1.
Chris Castelow (S) d. Zach Garner 8-3.
Carlos Delgado (S) d. Jesse Castillo 8-2.
Jonathan Smotherman (S) d. Eric Martin 8-0.
Boys Doubles
Patel/Nichols (S) d. Isbell/McBee 8-0.
Castelow/Delgado (S) d. Garner/Castillo 8-2.
Girls Singles
Victoria Dugan (S) d. Alyssa Martin 8-4.
Kasondra Johnson (S) d. Miko Bloom 8-0.
Amy Neese (S) d. Taylor Young 8-1.
Christie Tran (S) d. Sara Wilkerson 8-3.
Kenzie George (S) d. Claire Garner 8-3.
Girls Doubles
Dugan/Johnson (S) d. Martin/Young 8-2.
Neese/George (S) d. Bloom/Wilkerson 8-2.
From www.t-g.com
Thurs. Pa. girls’ roundup: Central wins girls’ tennis title
Oct 22nd
Central earned a hat trick over Washington this season and took its second straight Public League tennis title Thursday at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center.
The Lancers clinched the match at No. 2 doubles and edged the Eagles, 3-2. They had beaten Washington twice this season by identical 4-1 scores.
Lan Nguyen and Kathy Do gave Central the title with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) win over Ortel Intelman and Tamare Tatesosian at No. 2 doubles.
District 1 Class AAA. West Chester Henderson swept the doubles competition and edged Radnor, 3-2, to win the district title at Downingtown West.
The Warriors got a win from Becca Rodgers and Lumin Shen over Hannah Rose Nussbaum and Lizzie Curley at No. 1 doubles, 6-4, 6-1, and from Emily Evans and Emily Aaldenberg over Alyssa Norton and Erin Reid at No. 2 doubles, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3. Corinne Fleet beat Emily Lu at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-1.
Lauren Banner won at No. 3 singles and helped Conestoga beat Wissahickon, 4-1, in the third-place match at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Banner beat Anne Marie Devlin, 6-0, 5-7, 7-5.
Cross-Country
Only two Christopher Dock runners were able to slip into the top 10, but the Pioneers had enough to take the Bicentennial League title at Tyler State Park.
Christopher Dock scored 53 points, three points better than Springfield (Montgomery County).
Erin Moss of New Hope-Solebury won the individual title with a time of 19:42. Emily Lambright was second for the Pioneers in 20:00 and teammate Carrie Gehman was fifth in 20:28.
Public. Central took three of the top four places and five of the top 10 to run away with the league title at Belmont Plateau.
The Lancers scored 24 points and were led by Lucy VanKleunen who won with a time of 20 minutes, 15 seconds over the 3.1-mile course. She was followed by teammates Jai Franks (2d, 20:53), Jasmyne Duffy (4th, 20:55), Rose Morace (9th, 22:04) and Meghan Wadlinger (10th, 22:05).
Ches-Mont. Janie Augustyn of West Chester Henderson grabbed individual honors and led her team to the championship with 37 points at Westtown.
Augustyn was clocked with a winning time of 18:38 and was joined in the top 10 by teammates Amanda Eisman (4th, 19:09) and Leigh Manning-Smith (9th, 19:49).
Soccer
Carley Neal accumulated four goals and an assist to give Delco Christian a 6-2 win over visiting Phil-Mont Christian and the Bicentennial League title.
Emily Evans added a goal and two assists, Rachel Bernard contributed a goal and an assist and Jamie Barr stopped five shots to earn the win in goal for the Knights.
Catholic. Courtney O’Kane scored twice and Kelsey O’Kane chipped with a goal and two assists for Cardinal O’Hara in a 4-1 win over visiting Archbishop Carroll.
Central. Katrina Geiger picked up a goal and two assists as Haverford High handled visiting Upper Darby, 5-1.
Jesse Cunilio accounted for two goals and an assist and helped Radnor beat visiting Springfield (Delaware County), 5-0.
Ches-Mont. Morgan Staley scored five minutes into the second half and Kennett held on to beat visiting Sun Valley, 1-0.
Friends Schools. Iris Williams scored in the second half and pulled Germantown Friends into a 1-1 double-overtime tie with visiting Shipley.
Penn-Jersey. Ali Sutch scored two of her three goals in the second half and led Solebury School to a 4-0 win over visiting Girard College in a quarterfinal playoff game.
The Spartans will meet Life Center in a semifinal game on Tuesday.
Detroit Catholic Central wins first boys state tennis title since 1986
Oct 16th
Detroit Catholic Central wins first boys state tennis title since 1986 David Goricki / The Detroit News
Midland — Eric Guindi was understandably proud of himself when he won the No. 3 singles championship Saturday afternoon at the Division 1 State Tennis Finals at the Midland Community Tennis Center.
But Guindi was most proud of the fact his win clinched Detroit Catholic Central’s first state championship since 1986. The Shamrocks, ranked No. 1, finished with 32 points, two more than Ann Arbor Pioneer.
Guindi, the No. 1 seed, defeated No. 2 seed Jack Hamaty of Birmingham Brother Rice in the final, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. It was the second time this month he had beaten Hamaty after losing to him earlier in the season.
“I knew I had to get it done for my team and that motivated me throughout the match,” said Guindi, a junior. “I was aggressive and that really helped me out.
“We know Coach (Jim) Zapton is looking down right now,” said Guindi of the longtime Catholic Central coach who died of a heart attack two weeks before the season began. “CC tennis meant everything to him. Before every match we said a prayer for Coach Z to look down on us and help us get through it. He certainly did today.”
Catholic Central was led by its singles players, receiving 19 of 20 possible points, including championships from freshman Michael Dube at No. 2, Guindi at No. 3 and sophomore Michael Trupiano at No. 4. All three were No. 1 seeds.
“Our singles gave us 19 points, but everyone contributed throughout the lineup,” Catholic Central coach Joe Stafford said. “We won it together as a team and most of all we won it for Coach Z. He graduated from CC in 1965. He always preached teamwork and putting the team ahead of yourself. We dedicated this season to his memory.”
Catholic Central senior Joe Dube lost to top-seeded Brett Forman of Troy at No. 1 singles, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Joe Dube, who won the No. 2 singles championship his freshman year, lost in the title match the last three years at No. 1. Still, he was thrilled ending his career with a team title.
“I won an individual title my freshman year, but this feeling is so much more amazing,” he said. “I’ve always played for the team and that’s why this is so special.”
Forman, a sophomore, showed poise to come back from the one-set deficit to finish 27-1.
“This was the most difficult match of the year because of the circumstances of where it was at,” said Forman who lost to Dube in a three-set semifinal last year, but avenged the loss with a three-set win in the opening week of the season. “I really stepped up during the last two sets. He played great. It was high quality tennis all around.
“When I got the (service) break to go up 3-1 (in third set) I started going for my shots more and things went really well from there.”
Catholic Central and Ann Arbor Pioneer entered the day tied for the top spot with 23 points, with each team advancing players to semifinals in seven of the eight flights.
Catholic Central took command early in the day, winning all four of its semifinal matches in singles while Pioneer dropped two of its three singles matches. In all, the Shamrocks advanced players to the finals in six flights with Pioneer moving on to title matches in four.
Joe Dube, the second seed at No. 1 singles, defeated No. 3 seed Andrew Cahn of West Bloomfield 6-3, 7-5 in one semifinal.
Catholic Central and Pioneer went head-to-head in the semifinal match at No. 2 singles with Michael Dube, Joe’s younger brother, defeating fourth-seeded Matt Hing, 6-0, 6-4.
“We seized the momentum at singles early on,” Stafford said.
Said Pioneer coach Tom Pullen: “We’re pleased with the kids. We knew the odds were against us. Everybody played hard and when we got beat, we got beat by good players who played hard.”
Division 1:
1. Detroit Catholic Central 32
2. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 30
3. Birmingham Brother Rice 22
4. Ann Arbor Huron 19
5. Troy 17
(tie) Novi 17
Championship Flights:
No. 1 singles: Brett Forman, Troy (1) defeated Joe Dube, Detroit Catholic Central (2), 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 singles: Michael Dube, Detroit Catholic Central (1) defeated Matt Keane, Grosse Pointe South (3), 6-0, 6-1
No. 3 singles: Eric Guindi, Detroit Catholic Central (1) defeated Jack Hamaty, Birmingham Brother Rice (2), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
No. 4 singles: Michael Trupiano, Detroit Catholic Central (1) defeated Will Russell, Ann Arbor Pioneer (3), 6-1, 6-1
No. 1 doubles: Hunter St. Pierre/Taylor Zdanowski, Ann Arbor Pioneer (2) defeated Willy Willson/Kevin Hodges, Detroit Catholic Central (1), 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
No. 2 doubles: Charlie Dillon/Ryan O’Connor, Birmingham Brother Rice (2) defeated Bill Bell/Alex Brizard, Novi (1), 6-3, 7-5
No. 3 doubles: Henry Belden/Mac Moore, Ann Arbor Pioneer (1) defeated Brandon Kosinski/Derek Mumaw, Detroit Catholic Central (2), 6-2, 6-4
No. 4 doubles: Taylor Bradford/Dan Jiang, Ann Arbor Pioneer (3) defeated Yeon-Woo Chung/Colin Williams, Ann Arbor Huron (1), 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Division 3:
Jeff Etterbeek was an assistant coach last year when Birmingham Brother Rice won the Division 1 state championship.
Etterbeek moved on and became the head coach at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood. And, he was celebrating another state title, this time in Division 3.
Cranbrook dominated play Saturday, winning championships in six of eight flights to finish with 36 points, eight more than runnerup Detroit Country Day. The teams entered the day tied with 24 points, but Cranbrook won head-to-head matches at No. 2 and 4 singles and at No. 3 and 4 doubles in title matches.
“We’re very happy with how we played,” Etterbeek said. “I’m very proud of our guys. They worked hard all year. All of our doubles came through for us.”
Matthew McCormick (No. 2) and Michael Kaye (No. 4) won singles titles for Cranbrook with the teams of George Orley/Max Manley (No. 1), Corey Goodstein/Andrew Georgeson (No. 2), Daniel and Matthew Gold (No. 3) and Alex David/Brady Sheehan (No. 4) earning titles in doubles.
Central downs AHS in key 3-5A tennis dual
Oct 13th
Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News Abilene High’s Erin Walker returns a shot during her singles match against San Angelo Central’s Claire Williams on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010, at the AHS tennis courts.
Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News Abilene High’s Brandon McCarty chases down a ball at the net during his singles match against San Angelo Central’s Nick Melott on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010, at the AHS tennis courts.
The San Angelo Central Bobcats lived up to their billing Tuesday, downing the Abilene High Eagles 12-7 in a District 3-5A team tennis dual that matched state-ranked opponents.
Central, ranked No, 3 by the Texas Tennis Coaches Association, won seven of nine boys matches and took the top three singles spots on both boys and girls sides to beat the 11th-ranked Eagles. It was Central’s second victory of the season over AHS, following a 10-7 decision Aug. 28 in the championship match of the Petroplex Invitational in Midland.
“It’s disappointing,” AHS coach Fred Scott said. “We were right there in several matches. I thought we had plenty of chances to actually win the match, but they were a little bit better than us in those spots. They’re not ranked No. 3 for nothing. They’ve got the kids and they know how to win when it comes down to it.”
Central (11-1 overall, 4-0 district) maintained sole possession of first place in the 3-5A standings in hopes of winning its first title in 21 years.
“It’s a big moment for our kids,” Bobcats coach Matt Rutherford said. “It’s been a long time since a San Angelo team has come to Abilene and defeated Abilene High. That’s a great moment for us.
“We still have a lot of unfinished business in district, but it should put us in position to be a contender at regional.”
Abilene High (15-5, 2-1) trailed 4-3 after the doubles matches, dropping the No. 1 boys and girls matches as well as mixed doubles. Steven Baker clinched the outcome for Central by beating Antonio Rodriguez at No. 5 boys singles.
“I thought we were really in it, especially after the doubles,” Scott said. “We almost won another won of those doubles. If we get the No. 1 girls doubles, which we were leading in, or get the mixed, it’s a different story.
“They did a good job of getting some kids on and off quick in their strengths. Those people played well. They got on, got off and got them those points and put a lot of pressure on our lower kids.”
Abilene High picked up wins in girls singles from Emily Funk, Marlee Cutbirth and Caroline Morris and from Bryson Beckham in boys singles. Chris Reed and Harrison Graham won the No. 3 boys doubles for AHS with Morris and Erin Walker winning at No. 2 girls doubles and Cutbirth and Aradine Stephenson winning at No. 3 girls doubles.
“I was real proud of our kids,” Scott said. “After getting beat by them last time by the same score, we could have just folded our tents, but we came out and got after them.”
San Angelo Central 12, Abilene High 7
BOYS
Singles — Jared Johnson, Central, def. Kirby Kidd 6-3, 6-1; Nick Melott, Central, def. Brandon McCarty 6-1, 6-2; Ruben Dominguez, Central, def. Chris Reed 6-1, 6-3; Bryson Beckham, AHS, def. Preston Gideon 7-5, 0-6, 6-3; Steven Baker, Central, def. Antonio Rodriguez 6-2. 6-1; Josh Ramirez, Central, def. Justin Fry 7-5, 7-5
Doubles — Jared Johnson-Ruben Dominguez, Central, def. Brandon McCarty-Bryson Beckham 6-2. 6-2; Nick Melott-Preston Gideon, Central, def. Justin Fry-Antonio Rodriguez 6-1, 6-0; Chris Reed-Harrison Graham. AHS, def. Josh Ramirez-Gavin Juarez 6-0, 6-2
GIRLS
Singles — Claire Williams, Central, def. Erin Walker 7-6, 7-5; Jamie Lee Denton, Central, def. Claire Taylor 6-0, 6-0; Katy Collins, Central, def. Megan Taubert 5-7, 6-1, 6-4; Emily Funk, AHS, def, Erin Bynum 1-6, 6-4, 6-1; Marlee Cutbirth, AHS, def. Cheyenne Duncan 2-6, 6-0, 10-5; Caroline Morris, AHS, def. Natalie Nehls 7-6, 6-0
Doubles — Katy Collins-Jamie Lee Denton, Central, def. Megan Taubert-Claire Taylor 6-4, 6-1; Erin Walker-Caroline Morris, AHS, def. Cheyenne Duncan-Natalie Nehls 6-3, 6-0; Aradine Stephenson-Marlee Cutbirth, AHS, def. Erin Bynum-Alejandra Perales 6-0, 6-2
MIXED DOUBLES
Steven Baker-Claire Williams, Central, def. Kirby Kidd-Emily Funk 6-2, 6-2
SECTIONAL ROUNDUP: Central, Winchester tennis to meet for title; more
Sep 30th
Central’s boys tennis team began sectional play in much the same way it has the past seven years: with a victory.
The Bearcats breezed by Southside 5-0 in the opening round of the Central Sectional on Wednesday, setting up today’s championship match against Winchester at 4:30 p.m. The Golden Falcons defeated Union City 4-1 on the other side of the bracket.
“They’re focused,” Central coach Don Wafer said. “Ever since we finished that Delta Invite, that’s what they’ve been talking about is sectional.”
Central’s No. 1 singles player Isaiah Ogasawara won his match 6-0, 6-2 in what proved to be the only singles match in which Southside picked up a game.
The Bearcats’ Nathan Smith and Jordan Clohessy each shut out their opponent at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively.
Monling Ho and Patrick Hall won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1 doubles for the Bearcats, and Randy Ruble and Maneesh Tiwari cruised 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles.
With a victory today, Central (11-9) would capture its eighth consecutive sectional championship. During the regular season, Central topped Winchester 4-1.
Delta Sectional
Yorktown needed a freshman and a senior with a broken hand to do it, but the Tigers sprung the upset on Wednesday, defeating Alexandria 3-2 to advance to the championship match of the Delta Sectional.
Yorktown will face the winner of today’s Burris-Delta match at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Tigers — who went winless last year — picked up their third victory this season thanks in large part to the efforts of their No. 2 doubles tandem. Yorktown’s Quinn Hurley and Quincey Hickock battled back from a one-set deficit to overtake Kevin Shettle and Brock Hunter 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the decisive match. They were the only players left on the court, as the team score stood at 2-2.
Hurley, a freshman, was paired with Hickock, who broke his left hand in practice three weeks ago. According to Yorktown coach Jini Morgan, the pairing was accidental. Morgan turned in the wrong lineup for the start of sectional play, handing over a lineup meant for earlier in the season. Hickock had been playing No. 3 singles the second half of the season, wearing a protective cast the past few weeks.
“He had always had a two-handed backhand, so he quickly learned how to slice,” Morgan said of Hickock. “Quincey didn’t start playing tennis until around his sophomore year. He’s been trying really hard, taking extra lessons, so I’m very happy.”
Yorktown also picked up victories from No. 3 singles player Ian Helfert and the No. 1 doubles team of Hogan Crenshaw and Alex Elias.
New Castle Sectional
Shenandoah defeated Hagerstown 4-1 to advance to today’s semifinal match against Knightstown.
The Raiders’ Jacob Moistner picked up a 6-1, 7-5 victory at No. 1 singles.
New Castle’s season came to an end with a 4-1 loss to Tri.
Marion Sectional
Jay County lost 5-0 against Mississinewa in the opening round of sectional play. The Patriots closed their year at 3-15.
Loy Norrix junior Bo Hudson leads Knights boys tennis team past Kalamazoo Central
Sep 14th
On a team with just one senior, and a first-year player at that, Loy Norrix junior Bo Hudson has helped fill the leadership void for the Knights.
Hudson and the Norrix boys tennis team rolled over crosstown rival Kalamazoo Central Monday by a 6-2 margin.
The win moves the Knights to 1-2 in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference Central Division. Their two losses have been to Portage Northern and Portage Central.
“It’s been an up-and-down season,” Norrix coach Art Williams said. “We have a very young team, but our goal is to just keep improving. The kids have been awesome to work with.”
Hudson easily defeated K-Central freshman Nick Nacci at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 6-1, and leads the young Knights as a role model.
“The team has a lot of respect for him,” Williams said. “He always gives 100 percent in practice, and I don’t have to tell him to do anything. He just does it.”
Another bright spot for Norrix has been the emergence of freshmen Davis Crocker and Jake Gumbelton. Crocker, who dominated the Maroon Giants’ Hub Humphrey 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, has played in junior tournaments across the United States. Gumbelton, who defeated Tyler Ryder, 6-1, 6-0 at 3 singles, improved his record to 10-1 on the season — his only loss coming in a three-setter against Portage Central.
“Both (Crocker and Gumbelton) are experienced junior tournament players,” Williams said. “They are excellent athletes and excellent young men.”
Robbie Scheck picked up the only victory in singles for K-Central with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Sam Caramagno at 4 singles. The Knights took three out of four doubles matches — their only loss coming at No. 3 doubles.
Tennis royalty holds court in Central Park
Sep 3rd
By Bill Dwyre
Los Angeles Times
(MCT)
NEW YORK — Thursday morning, well before summer in the city got dirty and gritty, dozens of young girls gathered at the Central Park public tennis courts to await visiting royalty.
Around 8:30 a.m., the two queens arrived, first Billie Jean King and then Steffi Graf.
Make that Stefanie Graf, who, the program director/master of ceremonies explained to the gathering, “does not like to be called Steffi. Other people put that on her.”
Like the Wizard of Westwood who didn’t want to be a wizard but could never quite shed the label, Stefanie Graf will never quite stop being Steffi. Millions of mentions in the media over the last 30 years have burned “Steffi” into our consciousness like we were compact discs.
This is not the U.S. Open, which was taking place miles away. But it was happening because of it. Big events draw big names, and some big names are willing to leave the luxury suites and the cocktail parties to spread tennis gospel to the masses. Thursday, Graf and King did so.
A group of top players, girls from about ages 7 to 17, were chosen for a clinic. The watchmaker Longines sponsored the day, a few cameras showed up and tennis was preached. That happens all over the country, but not often in the presence of, and with the help of, the likes of Graf and King.
The master of ceremonies introduced them as “two of the greatest tennis players on the planet.”
Hard to argue.
When King stepped away from the game in 1983, with a few stop-and-start appearances after that, she had won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam doubles titles and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She is 66 now, coming back strong from double knee transplant surgery in February and still championing every cause she deems worthy and can fit into a nonstop schedule.
When Graf called it quits in 1999, there were no later starts and stops. She laughs about calling boyfriend — now husband — Andre Agassi after leaving the San Diego tournament that year and saying she was stopping.
“I told him, ‘That’s it,’ ” she said Thursday. Agassi thought she meant she was going to stop playing for a while and rehab her injuries. “I said, ‘No, that’s it.’ “
And so it was, Graf, now 41, retiring with 22 Grand Slam singles titles and a Joe DiMaggio-like 376 weeks as the No. 1 player in the world. In 1988, she won all four majors, plus the gold medal in women’s singles in the Seoul Olympics. Nobody else has done that. Only one other person has won all four majors at least once — but not in the same year — plus an Olympic gold medal in singles. That would be her husband.
Graf told the lucky attendees that she started playing when she was about 6 but didn’t really like it until later.
“I lost the first match I played in a tournament,” she said. “I didn’t want to play until later. When I got to be 13, I realized I was good at it.”
King had a similar message.
“The first summer I played in tournaments,” she said, “I won only one match. But the more I lost, the more fired up I got.”
Graf said she sometimes misses the closer connections to tennis.
“It has given me great memories,” she said. “It has also given me a great life. Because of tennis, I met my husband and have my two children. And I also have my foundation (Children for Tomorrow).”
King’s main message to the girls was that “champions adjust.” She said you can go one of two ways when you are about to receive serve on break point.
“You can say, ‘Please, God, make them double fault.’ Or, you can want the ball.”
She said that wanting the ball carries over into real life.
Soon, it was time to go to work.
Graf, who stayed for several hours as the heat began to sizzle, went to the baseline and did what every club pro has done thousands of times. She hit balls. And hit and hit, as the girls chased and returned. It was unmistakable, even with this sort of pitty-pat tennis. Fraulein Forehand, as tennis media legend Bud Collins christened her years ago, still had it, looking as if she could still make the quarterfinals of that big tournament out in Flushing Meadows.
King stuck around for a while, too, signing every autograph and chatting with anybody not too shy to approach.
One young man, 6-year-old Donovan, short, bristly dark hair and wide, dark eyes, waited patiently for an autograph. King responded with a flourish, writing her advice above the BJK autograph: “GO FOR IT!!!”
It was that sort of triple-exclamation-point day for all, courtesy of Graf and King.
___
(c) 2010, Los Angeles Times.
Visit the Los Angeles Times on the Internet at http://www.latimes.com/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
