Mooney's Cook earns top seed for Div. II sectional

His brother, A.J., of Ursuline earned a fourth seed in doubles with Nick Marcos.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mooney sophomore Josh Cook entered the Division II sectional tennis tournament knowing he'd have to battle overconfidence.
For his last match, he also had to battle frustration.
Cook, the top seed, edged unseeded Matt Liszewski of Edgewood 6-1, 7-5 in Saturday's sectional final at Volney Rogers to earn a No. 1 seed at next week's district tournament in Canton.
But it wasn't easy. Liszewski, a surprise finalist, is what's known as a "pesky" player, someone who doesn't overwhelm you with power but manages to return the ball almost every time.
"It's a little frustrating," said Cook. "Guys like that are sometimes harder to play than the guys who are a little more experienced."
Cook, who played at Ursuline last season, advanced to the district doubles tournament last spring while playing with his older brother, A.J. Cook. But Josh wanted to try singles this season.
The move paid off.
"There's a little bit of pressure with having the top seed because it's almost like you're expected to win," Cook said. "I just tried not to get too cocky and maintain my focus. When you have the No. 1 seed, you're tempted to say, 'Oh I've got this already.'"
A.J. Cook paired with Nick Morcos in doubles and entered the tournament as the top-seeded doubles team. But they lost both matches Saturday to earn the fourth seed next week.
Poland's doubles duo
That's also the main goal of Poland's Fred Romeo and Brad Brocker, who upset Cook and Marcos in the semifinals and then beat teammates Chad Ruehs and Matt McElroy in the final (4-6, 6-3, 6-2) to win the sectional title as the third seed.
"We expected to play well, but we didn't expect this," said Romeo. "We just played the best tennis today."
How did it feel facing his teammates?
"It was weird," Romeo said. "But we both played hard and it was a good match. We definitely had fun."
It was a good tournament for the Bulldogs, who have five players advancing to the district tournament. (Anthony Rosselli is moving on in singles.) It built on Poland's success of the regular season -- the Bulldogs won their third straight Metro Athletic Conference title this spring.
They don't want to stop now.
"We want to go to state," said Brocker.
Jefferson's Andrew Martin claimed the other singles berth, while Warren JFK's Andrew Barron and Albert Covelli earned the third seed in doubles. District competition begins Thursday at Weis Park.
Division I
CANTON -- Boardman's Scott Warden lost 6-2, 6-1, to Alex Hosner of Massillon Jackson in the championship singles match of the Div. I sectional at the Hall of Fame Fitness Center.
Earlier Saturday, Warden defeated Alan McCausland of Green, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-5, in the semifinals.
In doubles, Boardman's Robert Salcedo and Chris Leson finished third. They lost to GlenOak's Jimmy Jeffries and Caue' Ferreira, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, in the semifinals, then defeated Louisville's Justin Bair and Tim Sylvester, 6-1, 6-2, in the consolation final.
The Boardman players advanced to the district meet Thursday and Saturday at Tri-City Park in Rocky River.