BOYS SECTIONAL TENNIS Kuppler, Barth earn top Division I seeds

Ursuline's Donald Person and Brian Meek are the top seed in Div. II doubles.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
MASSILLON -- Canfield High senior Chris Kuppler and Boardman senior Tom Barth earned the top two seeds for the Division I boys sectional singles tournament Thursday and Saturday at Branhaven Swim and Tennis Club and Jackson Middle School.
Kuppler, seeded fourth last year, played No. 1 singles for the Cardinals, who shared the Metro Athletic Conference title with Howland. He lost in last year's district singles tournament and advanced to the state doubles tournament as a sophomore with Shalin Shah.
Barth, Boardman's No. 1 singles player, will play at Youngstown State next year.
Wooster's Jordan Buehler was the third seed, while North Canton Hoover's Joe Grande was fourth.
Wooster's doubles teams claimed the top two seeds at the doubles tournament at Jackson Community Park.
No area doubles teams were seeded.
First round matches begin at 9 a.m. Thursday and semifinal and final matches conclude on Saturday at Jackson Community Park.
The tournament will qualify four singles and four doubles teams to next week's district tournament at Tri-City Park in Rocky River.
Division II
BOARDMAN -- Ursuline seniors Donald Person and Brian Meek earned the top seed for Thursday and Saturday's Div. II sectional doubles tournament at Volney Rogers and Boardman High School.
Person was the No. 1 seed in last year's sectional singles tournament, but was disqualified after a late arrival. Meek, who was eliminated in last year's district tournament, advanced to the state doubles tournament as a sophomore with Todd Wojtkowski.
Person and Meek played the top two singles positions for Ursuline, which won the Steel Valley Conference.
Poland's Luke Duchek and Jon Funk earned the No. 2 seed, while Mooney's Chris Conese and Mike Kerrigan (No. 3) and Warren JFK's David Ceglia and Anthony Antennucci (No. 4) earned the other seeds.
In the singles tournament, Ursuline sophomore Kelton Person -- Donald's younger brother -- earned the top seed, while West Branch's Tom Page (No. 2) and Liberty's Richard Baroff (No. 3) and Sam Ballas (No. 4) earned the remaining seeds.
First round singles matches begin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Boardman High School and first round doubles matches begin at 8:45 a.m. Thursday at Volney Rogers.
All other matches will be played at Boardman High School. Semifinals and finals will be played Saturday.
The tournament will qualify four singles and four doubles teams to next week's district tournament at Massillon Jackson.