TENNIS TUNEUP

May 15, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

Reigning champs repeat at sectional tournaments

The champs remained the champs on Saturday at the Division I and II sectional championships.

In Div. II, Lakeview’s Zach Teffner and the Cardinal Mooney duo of Andrew Stille and Jacob Stefko defended their sectional crowns and are among 20 area boys tennis players to qualify for district.

Stille and Stefko earned the repeat on roughly two hours of sleep, Mooney coach Jimmy Leslie said.

“It was prom night, so they didn’t get as much sleep as I would have wanted them to get before a tournament,” Leslie said. “They did exceptionally well.”

Stille and Stefko needed three sets to win both the semifinals and finals at the Boardman Tennis Center. Leslie says the pair doesn’t take tennis lessons and doesn’t look as fundamentally sound as their opponents. They get by on smarts. The two seniors also are experienced.

“My kids have been there before. They’ve been No. 1 seeds before,” Leslie said. “I’ve seen a lot of this and we talk about this. Sometimes seniors put pressure on themselves and they’ll choke.”

Stille and Stefko didn’t fall into that trap, defeating Poland freshmen Sam Delatore and Sam Scotford (5-7, 7-5, 6-2) in the semis and Ursuline’s Luke Tsudis and Austin Arfaras in the finals (7-6, 2-6, 6-0).

Warren JFK’s Zach Shoaf and John LaPolla took third place and Delatore and Scotford took fourth. All four pairings advance to this week’s district tournament in Akron.

Teffner had a torrid run through the sectional, only losing two games throughout the tournament. After beating Niles’ Ben Wakefield (6-0, 6-0) in the semis, the Bulldog senior surprised himself and coach Stephanie Hickey with a decisive win over Ursuline’s Les Horvath (6-0, 6-0).

“I never played him before, so I wasn’t sure how it would go,” Teffner said. “In warm-ups, we looked pretty even. Then I started winning and I knew I had him.”

Horvath, like a lot of Teffner’s opponents this season, had issues returning Teffner’s serve. It’s the newest aspect of his game that has improved his senior year.

“Instead of spiking the ball, it skids instead,” Teffner said.

Earning a No. 1 seed for district, Teffner has a good shot to be the first Lakeview tennis player to make back-to-back state tournament appearances. In addition to the two finalists qualifying for district, Cardinal Mooney’s Andrew Engartner and Wakefield made the tournament, taking third and fourth place, respectively.

In the Div. I tournament in Canton, both of Canfield’s doubles squads made it to district. Bobby Long and David Hofsess finished in third place after beating Canton Hoover’s Andrew Triner and Kyle Pecenko (6-1, 6-3), but falling to Massillon Jackson’s Anthony Kanam and Joseph Thomas (6-2, 6-1).

Another Massillon Jackson duo, Mitch Sloan and Wesley Piekarski, was responsible for putting the Cardinals’ Tim Cianciola and Alfredo Almoyna in fourth place (3-6, 6-4, 6-2).

Canfield is not thrilled.

“Last time Tim and Bobby took fourth for district, they still made state,” Canfield coach Pat Pavansky said. “Still, you’re never happy to lose.”

In the district tournament, Hofsess and Long will face Walsh’s Connor Evans and Ben Smith while Cianciola and Almoyna will face Copley’s Gavin Asten and Gustavo Garcia. District play starts on Tuesday at Oberlin College.