DIVISION I DISTRICT TENNIS Howland doubles team headed to state tourney

VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
ROCKY RIVER -- Howland High brothers Ryan and Jason Trapp qualified for the state tennis tournament Wednesday by winning two doubles matches in the opening rounds of the Division I district tournament at Tri-City Courts.
It is the third straight year a Trapp tandem has advanced to the state tournament. The duo will play two matches on Saturday to determine seeding at next week's tournament.
"We did pretty well," Howland coach Barb Trapp said. "It's a good feeling to do it three years in a row. But we have a very, very tough match on Saturday."
Howland will play Wooster's Bart Schneck and A.J. Wilson -- the top team from last week's Canton sectional.
In the first round, the Trapps defeated Oberlin's Phil Ferber and Jack Stitak, 6-2, 6-3. They then defeated Canfield's Kevin Kuppler and Matt Waigand, 7-5, 6-3.
Kuppler and Waigand won their first match, defeating Shaker Heights' Justin Greenlee and Adam Margolius, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1. The Cardinals' duo can still advance to the state tournament, but must win a consolation match on Saturday.
In singles action, Canfield senior Chris Kuppler and Boardman senior Tom Barth each won first-round matches before losing in the second round.
Kuppler defeated Cuyahoga Falls' Mike Higgins, 6-1, 6-0, before falling to Chardon's David Rozek, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.
Barth beat Cleveland Heights' Arnab Chaudhuri, 6-0, 6-0, then lost to St. Ignatius' Dominic Ozanne, 6-1, 6-2.