Canfield duo look to break through to Columbus

May 22, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

OBERLIN

Canfield senior tennis players Will Brown and Nick Debiec have been here before. Now they would like to move on.

Here is the Division I district tennis tournament at Oberlin College. Where they would like to go is the state tournament in Columbus.

For the past two seasons the pair have been one victory away from a berth in Columbus. In both years the two won their first-round match in the district only to lose in the second round and then to fall again — in three sets — in the consolation round with a state berth on the line.

“I internalized that feeling of being so close but not able to get over the hump,” Debiec said. “I know I don’t want to be there again and that helps as a motivational tool to try to make myself get better and work harder since this is our last chance to go to state.”

“When you lose two years in row and you come up short of a goal you’ve had for a long time it’s very disappointing,” Brown said. “At the same time it gives you motivation to get back and we used that to get better this last year as teammates.”

The pair will try again for that elusive state berth beginning today at the district tournament at Oberlin. The top six finishers advance to the state tournament May 30 at Ohio State University.

Brown and Debiec will be joined at Oberlin by Boardman’s Donnie Barrett, who finished second in the Canton Sectional in singles.

The Division II district begins Friday at Canton with the top four finishers advancing to state. Poland’s Garrett Gardner, a two-time state qualifier, leads an area contingent which includes singles players Aaron Paczak of Lakeview, Les Horvath of Ursuline and Anthony Ricciardi of Poland, and doubles teams Tyler Cole-John Nader of Warren JFK, Rich Hill-Andrew Stille of Cardinal Mooney, Eric Rohrabaugh-Zach Teffner of Lakeview and Billy Phillips-Caelan Phillips of Warern JFK.

Brown and Debiec, who finished fourth in the Canton Sectional, are scheduled to face Solon’s No. 1 team, which won the Solon Sectional.

“We’ve seen Solon play so we know they are beatable,” Canfield coach Larry Davis said. “They’re good, no doubt, but the fact we’ve seen them gives us more confidence.”

Davis said the near misses the past two springs could help this season.

“It gives them experience. Whether you win or lose a tough match it is good experience,” Davis said. “Hopefully they will be a little tougher and more mentally strong. They’ve been there, they are seniors and they have that experience behind them. We hope it will put them on top.”

Debiec agreed with that thinking.

“The past experience helps. We were talking earlier that we really aren’t that nervous,” he said. “Having been here twice before, that’s been a big factor.”

Another advantage the Canfield pair has is experience playing together.

“We’ve known each other a long time,” Brown said. “A lot of playing doubles is knowing where to shift and where to be. It helps to be playing with the same person a long time.”

The two hope to extend their playing careers one week longer.