By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
WILKES-BARRE – Periodic updates from Thursday’s action in the District 2 boys tennis team championships, which are being conducted at Kirby Park:
SEVENTH UPDATE
The perfect Dallas boys tennis season continues in every sense of the word.
The Mountaineers remained unbeaten, adding the District 2 Class 2A title to their Wyoming Valley Conference championship, when they defeated Scranton Prep, 3-0, in the final after downing Dunmore, 3-0, in the semifinals earlier today.
Dallas is 12-0 without losing a team point this season – nine 5-0 wins in the WVC and three 3-0 shutouts in the district tournament where matches are halted once the team outcome is assured.
Not only have the Dallas singles and doubles teams won 54 matches without dropping one, the top-ranked team in the Riverfront Sports Boys Tennis Power Rankings has done it without losing a set all season.
Freshman Tucker Chesman and Dan Flynn provided points at first and second singles in both rounds today, dropping just four games in eight sets.
The second doubles team provided the other point each time with Lucas Carver-Andrew Gryzkevicz losing only two games in four sets.
Singles player Dan Dudick and the doubles team of Jason Joshi-Jon Florencio complete the Dallas lineup.
“Dan Flynn and Dan Dudick were our number-two doubles players for two years,” Dallas coach Joe Pugliese said. “This was their first year playing singles and they really stepped up and did a good job for us.”
Will Aldrich-Gavin Bednarz won a first-set tiebreaker at first doubles for the only Scranton Prep lead in the final.
Scranton Prep, the Lackawanna League champion, brought an unbeaten record into the final after defeating Wyoming Seminary, 3-0, in the semifinal.
Aldrich-Bednarz joined the first two singles players, Matt Tressler and Ethan Borick, in providing the points.
SIXTH UPDATE
Depth proved to be the key for Abington Heights in claiming the District 2 Class 3A championship.
Abington Heights defeated Crestwood, 3-0, in the championship match.
It was the second 3-0 win of the day for Abington Heights, with the second and third singles and second doubles teams providing all the points.
Adam Vale defeated Kurt Grenzberg, 6-1, 6-1, at third singles and Luke Morgan-Quinn Hamilton topped Ryan Kostiuk-Brayden Fenwick, 6-0, 6-2, at second doubles for a 2-0 lead.
With Abington Heights leading in two closer matches in the number-one spots, Sam Christman put the title away at second singles, 6-4, 6-1, over Julien Lacoste.
At the time of the stoppage, Sam Weis led Ben Ziegler, 6-4, 2-2, and Mike Rodyushkin-Ryan Salony led Noah Partington-Alex Covelens, 6-3, 5-1.
Abington Heights bounced back from its only loss of the season, to Scranton Prep in the Lackawanna League finale, to win three straight district matches, including two today.
“We knew what we had to do and we got the job done,” Abington coach Michele Petrasko said.
FIFTH UPDATE
Dallas defeated Scranton Prep in a battle of unbeaten league champions, 3-0, to claim the District 2 Class 3A boys tennis team championship at Kirby Park, concluding the days action.
More details to come.
FOURTH UPDATE
Abington Heights has captured the District 2 Class 3A boys tennis team championship with a 3-0 victory over Crestwood.
More details to come.
THIRD UPDATE
Dallas has the lead on Scranton Prep in a battle of unbeaten conference champions for the District 2 Class 2A team title.
Both teams advanced with 3-0 semifinal wins; Dallas beating Dunmore and Scranton Prep topping Wyoming Seminary.
SECOND UPDATE
The District 2 Class 2A semifinals got underway a bit later than their scheduled 1 p.m. start.
Dunmore had to go with an altered lineup because COVID-19 impacted its list of available players for semifinal against unbeaten Wyoming Valley Conference champion Dallas.
Scranton Prep, the unbeaten Lackawanna League champion, is playing Wyoming Seminary in the other semifinal.
FIRST UPDATE
Crestwood moved within one win of just its second District 2 boys tennis team tournament title when it defeated North Pocono, 3-1, in a Class 3A semifinal match.
The Comets won their district title in 2007.
The second doubles team of Ryan Kostiuk-Brayden Fenwick secured the victory.
After needing a tiebreaker to win the first set, 7-6 (7-3), over David Wojnar-Ethan Garibaldi, Kostiuk-Fenwick finished off the straight sets win, 6-4, for the third team point, moving Crestwood into the semifinals.
The Comets won convincingly at the first two singles spots.
Ben Ziegler downed Patrick Cawley, 6-2, 6-0, at No. 1 and Julien Lacoste defeated Alex Ni, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 2.
“We got solid matches from our one and two, Ben and Julien,” Crestwood coach Scott Lenio said. “They’ve been consistent throughout the year.
“Then, we say we need three points. Everybody’s worth a point and second doubles has been really good all year. They came through with that third point for us.”
Ziegler and Lacoste have each gone 9-2 while filling the top two singles spots in either combination during the team’s 10-1 season.
Brian Castrogiavanni gave North Pocono its only point by defeating Kurt Grenzberg, 6-4, 6-3, at third singles.
The second first doubles match was not completed because the team outcome was decided.
North Pocono’s Noah Budnovich-Fred Kloss had a 7-5, 5-5 lead over Noah Partington-Alex Covelens when the match was halted.
INITIAL REPORT
Top-seeded Abington Heights advanced to the Class 3A final with a 3-0 victory over Delaware Valley.
Sam Christman and Adam Hale won points at the second and third singles spots and Luke Morgan-Quinn Hamilton won at second doubles.
The other two matches were not completed once the team outcome was determined.
Christman defeated Griffin Kowal, 6-0, 6-1. Vale downed Maxwell Plotkin, 6-2, 6-3.
Morgan-Hamilton won Will Salus-Alex Corcoran, 6-0, 6-0.
The Comets won the first set and were tied in the second set of each of the other two matches.
Sam Weis led Jack Moniot, 6-3, 3-3, at first singles.
Mike Rodyushkin-Ryan Salony le Scott Sussaman-Gavin Buckley, 6-2, 4-4, at first doubles.
Abington Heights will play the final this afternoon against second-seeded Crestwood, which defeated North Pocono, 3-1, in the other semifinal.
