Canfield doubles team splits matches

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Brown

Photo

Debiec

Staff report

OBERLIN

The Canfield High boys doubles team of Nick Debiec and Will Brown confronted one of the state’s strongest tennis teams during Thursday’s second-round of the Division I district tournament at Oberlin College.

Westlake’s Connor Michelich and Cal Craven controlled the match right from the start, winning 6-0, 6-1 to earn a trip to state.

“Sometimes at the district level, you run into awesome teams,” Canfield coach Larry Davis said. “They were just superior, we were not even in that match.

“When you get the 1-2 players of a team playing together, their skills come together so well that the challenge is insurmountable.”

Davis said Cleveland’s dominance at district is not a surprise.

“They are a No. 1 team in the Cleveland area,” said Davis of Michelich-Craven. “There are a lot of really good pros teaching and racquet clubs up there.”

North Canton Hoover’s Rob DeMarco-Mike O’Connor, Copley’s Andrew Ong-Jarad Pennington and Solon’s David Shankman-Brian Yang also won two matches to earn four of the district’s six state berths.

The Cardinals team won its opening match against Solon’s Tanner Banning-Brandan Bauck by scores of 6-4, 6-3.

Diebiec and Brown still have a solid chance of advancing to state.

“Because we are in such a huge district, there are six qualifiers for state,” Davis said. “We hope to be playing for fifth place.”

Saturday at 9 a.m., Diebiec-Brown will be back on the court to face Copley’s Austin Aten-Gavin Aten.

Like Canfield, the Copley team won its opening match (6-3, 6-0 against Jackson’s Ben Shaheen-Anthony Kanam. The winner of that match will earn one of the two remaining state berths and play for fifth place.

Davis said his players have never played the Copley players.

“We watched them and it should be a good match,” Davis said. “They are definitely in our range. Whoever controls the nerves the best should win.”

Division II

The Mahoning Valley has four singles players and four doubles team competing today at Canton’s Weis Courts in the Division II district tournament.

Poland’s Garrett Gardner is the top seed. The others are Warren JFK’s Jad Abdul-Aal, Lakeview’s Aaron Paczak and Ursuline’s Les Horvath.

Warren JFK’s Tyler Cole-John Nader is the top-seeded doubles team. The others are Poland’s Ryan Calcagni-Anthony Ricciardi, Cardinal Mooney’s Rich Hill-Andrew Stille and Lakeview’s Eric Rohrabaugh-Zach Teffner.