Saturday, April 23, 2011
By Greg Gulas
Poland head tennis coach John Hritz will enter his ninth season knowing his team will have to come together early if they expect to make another conference title run.
His squad has won eight consecutive league titles (last year they won the All-American Conference Red Tier and dating back to the 2003 season, have either been AAC or Metro Athletic Conference champions) but in order to do so, then getting out of the gate and improving each and every match will be essential.
Gone from last year’s team is Ben Brocker, their No. 1 singles player who was a four-time AAC selection and a player who finished in the top-eight in the state the last three seasons. Also departed is Mike Divito, last year’s No. 1 doubles player.
Returning letterwinners include Kenny Duncan, who is expected to play No. 1 singles this year and Zack Fortunato, who played No. 1 doubles with Divito a season ago.
While Hritz is still fine tuning his lineup, other varsity returnees vying for spots include junior Doug Pogancik and sophomores Ryan Calcagni and David Shofstall.
Freshman Garrett Gardner will also be a first-year varsity contributor.
“Coming together and knowing our roles will be the key for us this season. Canfield was runner-up in the conference last season and Howland is strong as well, so the Red Division will once again be a real challenge for us,” Hritz said.