2016 Boys’ Tennis Preview

Posted: March 16, 2016
By WALT MOODY

While the Handley boys’ tennis team might not talk a lot about its ultimate goal this season, there’s no doubt what the Judges have in mind — winning a Group 4A state championship.

They came so close last spring. Their lone loss was a 5-4 decision against E.C. Glass in the 4A North semifinals. It was the closest thing to a loss all season for the Hilltoppers, who went on to capture their third consecutive state title.

Handley returns all but one of its top six players, including Group 4A singles champion Parker Wilson, who also teamed with Carter Watts to capture the 4A doubles crown. Wilson and Watts lead an experienced group that certainly will be among the chief contenders to end E.C. Glass’ reign.

“Our goal is to be playing and winning the last match at the end of the season,” Handley coach Dan Jones said. “We’ve made a statement that we’re not going to talk about it. There’s a lot of work to be done prior to that, but we all know what our final goal is and where we want to be.

“I hate the old cliches, but we’re going to take it one day at a time and take each match as it comes to us. Hopefully if everything works out, we’ll be playing in that final match.”

A team state title is the only thing lacking on Wilson’s resume. The Handley lefty did not lose a match last spring (26-0 singles) and dropped just three sets. He and Watts were even more devastating in doubles (20-0) as no pairing took a set from them.

“I truly believe he would be happy to win another individual title, but I believe he would be much happier with a team title and having the whole team being a part of it,” Jones said of Wilson.

Watts (19-3) is also no slouch in singles. His only losses last season came against Wilson and state finalist Trent Daly of E.C. Glass.

The Judges also return Cole Pawlak (17-1 singles, 13-0 doubles), Will Niessner (13-3) and Tabor Thwing, their No. 3 through No. 5 singles players. Neissner and Thwing played doubles together and were 11-2 last season. Nick Mueller and Jack Volinsky, two talented freshmen, will be looking to crack the singles and double lineups.

“We’re letting them fight it out for the No. 5 and No. 6 [singles] spots and then go from there,” Jones said. “We could put No. 7 into doubles to get him some experience or it could be our 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6 [singles players] hooking up.”

Though the ultimate prize is a state crown, Jones says his team will not be looking past anyone in Conference 21 West or the Northwestern District this season.

“The conference has changed with Woodgrove coming in and we only saw Harrisonburg once last year,” Jones said. “The county schools were a little young in areas, so they are going to get better. They’ve also grown and gotten better in the offseason. There’s some good teams in there. … Like we want to do with E.C. Glass, everybody’s going to want to do that to us.”

Millbrook returns its top six from last season Hayden Wilfong; Zack Clark; Nathan Wiens; Colin Hood; Alex Clippinger and John Morton. They are being challenged by freshman Josh Dalton and senior Ryan McCarty.

“It’s nice to have a team that played together the year before and can come back and pick up where we left off and continue to grow and build,” Pioneers coach Mike Arney said. “Some years, you get your top six and there’s kind of a drop-off. This year I see that changing. Especially if some of the new guys improve, it’s going to make the veterans keep up their games, too.”

Arney said he will experiment with the doubles lineup to find the right combinations. Wilfong, a Conference 21 semifinalist in singles and doubles, will definitely be at the head of the singles lineup.

“He’s been a nice player to work with over the last three years,” Arney said of Wilfong. “He’s gotten taller and stronger so it’s nice to see him up his game.”

James Wood has a new coach, but also returns most of its starting lineup.

Brian Levi, a former No. 1 player at Clarke County, takes over this season and likes what he sees.

“It’s going very well,” he said. “I’m pleasantly surprised. I didn’t get a chance to see too many matches last year. Our returning kids are better than I previously thought and they’re working real hard at it. We’ve got a handful of new kids and they’re working hard in practice and very eager to learn.”

Evan Dokken, Noah Borromeo, Jacob Calabrese, Austin Harney and Trent Richards return, and senior Jacob Potter is a newcomer. Harney, who played No. 4 last season, is working his way back into the lineup from an injury. Dokken was a semifinalist in Conference 21 singles.

Levi said the Colonels will take their competitive nature into action.

“They’re ready,” Levi said. “They know that Handley is the top dog and we’re ready to play them. It’s going to be a no-fear kind of matchup. It’s going to be the same way with Millbrook and Sherando and all of the local teams.

“Upsets happen,” Levi added “Serena Williams lost in the Australian Open to a girl [Angelique Kerber] that nobody had really ever heard of. Who says that us or Millbrook can’t knock off Handley? It’s going to be tough work, but we’re going to go out there and try. We’re not going to lie down for anybody.”

Sherando coach Steve Jennings also would like to see his team in the mix.

The Warriors return Cameron Spieles, Seth Anton, Quintin DeGroot, Jake Baggett, John Elkins and Tucker Myers from last season’s team.

Jennings said his team is a little short on depth, but he likes his players’ attitudes heading into the season.

“Their strength is the camaraderie they have with each other,” Jennings said. “They like playing the game. They like being out there and to them it’s a game. It’s not everything and all. They go out to play the matches and learn something from them if they can. They’re very strong thinkers on the court.”

Clarke County is blessed with numbers as 22 players tried out for the squad.

The Eagles return Eli McGraw, Michael Dietz, Andrew Erickson, Owen Mason-Hill, Matt Betz, Josh Vincent and James Pearson with sophomore Jordan Hardy in the mix.

Coach Patrick Hausammann said his club faces a tough task in the tough Conference 35 and Bull Run District play, especially against the likes of George Mason.

“I’m expecting the matches to be closer,” Hausammann said. “I know with the kind of talent pool of the schools that we play, it’s kind of hard to get a lot of wins.”

Hausammann said he’s been impressed so far by Dietz, a four-sport athlete who also will run track this spring.

“He usually runs at their practice and then comes over to ours,” Hausammann said. “The amount of power that he’s getting on the ball and the amount of spin he’s generating is better. He’s improved from being a flat hitter in the past.”

The following are capsule looks at each team:

Handley

Coach: Dan Jones, second year

Last year: 17-1, 8-0 Northwestern District; Conference 23 and Northwestern District champion

Key losses: Matt Pointer

Top returning players: Parker Wilson, Sr., Carter Watts, Sr., Cole Pawlak, Jr., Will Niessner, Sr.; Tabor Thwing, Sr.

Key newcomers (top six consideration): Nick Mueller, Fr.; Jack Volinsky Fr.

Jones’ outlook: “We have some kids who have gotten in the weight room and you can tell they’ve gotten stronger. A couple of kids have grown a couple of inches. Tabor has grown a couple of inches and you can tell he’s worked hard in the offseason. Will Neissner always works hard and those two freshmen give us depth in already a deep lineup. Parker and Carter playing winter sports, they’re already in better shape. … The key thing is to continue with the work ethic and desire to be a champion. They need to stay focused. They know what they want to accomplish. They know and they’ve proven they know how to work hard. They just can’t get away from what we’ve done in the past. We’ve got to make the program better.”

First match: Friday vs. Harrisonburg

Millbrook

Coach: Mike Arney, eighth year

Last year: 10-8, 4-4 Northwestern District, Conference 21 semifinalist

Key losses: None

Top returning players: Hayden Wilfong, Jr.; Zack Clark, Sr.; Nathan Wiens, So.; Colin Hood, Sr.; Alex Clippinger, Jr; John Morton, Sr.

Key newcomers (top six consideration): Josh Dalton, Fr.; Ryan McCarty, Sr.;

Arney’s outlook: “I’m pleased with what I’ve seen out of them so far. I think we are a balanced group overall. The team knows each other well and works with each other well because they’re basically the same team as last year. We’ve been able to add a few new guys to the lineup so hopefully it makes us stronger. … I’m hoping we do well. We’ll have to wait and see as always.”

Record: 1-0

Next match: Today at Broadway

Sherando

Coach: Steve Jennings, 10th year, Conference 21 quarterfinalist

Last year: 7-8, 3-4 Northwestern District

Key losses: Ben Hulver, Drew Graber

Top returning players: Cameron Spieles, Jr., Seth Anton, Jr., Quintin DeGroot, Sr., Jake Baggett, So., Tucker Myers, Fr.

Key newcomers (top six consideration): John Elkins, Sr.

Jennings’ outlook: If we can get to No. 2 or 3 in the district, I would be happy with that. Handley always has a strong team and Sherando has been following them for a very long time. We were No. 1 for a couple of years, but unless you have strong players you know what your limitations are. … What comes around, goes around and it’s all good.”

First match: Thursday vs. Central

James Wood

Coach: Brian Levi, first season

Last year: 7-8, 3-4 Northwestern District; Conference 21 quarterfinalist

Key losses: Bryan Savic

Top returning players: Evan Dokken, Jr.; Jacob Calabrese, Sr.; Austin Harney, Sr.; Trent Richards, So.; Noah Borromeo, So.

Key newcomers (top six consideration): Jacob Potter, Sr.;

Levi’s outlook: “In conference and district, we should be extremely competitive in both. We know Handley is the top dog and they have been since I’ve been playing tennis and probably before I was playing tennis back in the mid-90’s. We’re going to give it a shot. I know Millbrook is returning pretty much everybody.”

First match: Thursday vs. Clarke County

Clarke County

Coach: Patrick Hausammann, fourth year

Last year: 3-12, 2-8 Bull Run District; Conference 34/35 quarterfinalist

Key losses: Tommy Kenny

Top returning players: Eli McGraw, Sr.; Michael Dietz, Sr.; Andrew Erickson, Sr.; Owen Mason-Hill, So.; Matt Betz, So.; Josh Vincent, Sr.; James Pearson, Sr.

Key newcomers (top six consideration): Jordan Hardy, So.

Hausamman’s outlook: “It should be one of our stronger years because out of the top six, four are seniors. … The biggest strength that we have is that before our first match we’re going to have three weeks of practice, instead of two in most years and the group that’s in the top six has played together for years. Our doubles teams are coming together nicely because they have all played together. They all know each other.”

First match: Thursday at Clarke County