Honesdale boys varsity tennis team making inroads in the always-rugged Lackawanna League

HONESDALE — Patrick Stanton has been around high school tennis for a long time, first as the parent of a player and then as a volunteer assistant.

Two years ago, he took over as head coach of Honesdale’s boys varsity team following the retirement of longtime skipper Keith Andrews.

This spring, Stanton is excited about what he’s seeing on the court as a young Hornet squad is starting to show signs of becoming a bona fide contender in the always-rugged Lackawanna League.

“We’re definitely young, but we’ve got some pretty talented kids,” Stanton said just minutes before the start of Monday’s match against Western Wayne. “They are very coachable, they’re working hard and getting better every day.”

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Thanks in large part to singles players Michael Reiprich, Leo Martinez-Valerio and Matthew Christiansen, the Hornets notched their third win of the season by dealing the Wildcats a 5-0 shutout.

With this victory, Honesdale improved its overall record to 3-7.

Weather permitting, the Red & Black will be back on the court Thursday for a non-league home match versus Hazleton Area. Action gets underway at 4 p.m. at the Daniel J. O’Neill Sports Complex.

Scintillating singles

Honesdale wasted no time in taking control of Monday’s match against longtime local rival Western Wayne.

Reiprich quickly got the homestanding Hornets on the board with a straight set win at first singles. Just a freshman, Reiprich used a consistent serve and powerful forehand to deal Weston Nugent a 6-1, 6-1 setback.

“When Michael is on his game, he’s serving well, hitting the ball hard and moving his opponent all around the court,” Stanton said. “Michael is a really good young player with a very bright future in tennis.”

Martinez-Valerio holds down the second singles spot and also delivered a straight set victory on Monday. The battle-tested junior struggled a bit in the early going versus Adrian Agnello, but came on strong late en route to a solid 7-5, 6-1 win.

A three-year member of Honesdale’s varsity squad, Martinez-Valerio is serving as team captain this spring.

“Leo has been around a long time and he’s such a big part of this team,” Stanton said. “He’s a good tennis player and a good leader. Leo likes to take the younger kids under his wing and show them the ropes. He’s a pleasure to coach.”

Christiansen is another member of a talented freshman class who currently starts at third singles. He dominated his match on Monday, cruising to a straight set 6-0, 6-2 decision over Connor Buchinski.

Christiansen has also been around the program for a long time, serving as a team manager during his junior high years. Now, he’s parlayed a balanced all-around game into a starting spot on the varsity.

“Matt does everything pretty well,” Stanton said. “He has a nice serve and hits the ball well from the baseline. Matt isn’t afraid to come in to the net either. He moves well and covers the court well for a bigger kid.”

Western Wayne has been struggling to fill out its roster this spring. The Wildcats did not field any doubles teams for Monday’s contest and so were forced to forfeit, making the final match score 5-0.

Off on the right foot

Honesdale got off to a solid start in league action this spring, winning two of its first four matches.

The Hornets opened up their regular season slate with an impressive 3-2 victory over perennial title contender Holy Cross.

Christiansen delivered the lone singles win in this one, grinding out a three-set decision over Giuseppe Pisone (4-6, 6-3, 6-2).

The ultimate difference in the overall match came on the doubles court where Honesdale swept both encounters.

Sophomore Lewis Smith teamed up with freshman Kadyn Kinney to post a 6-2, 6-2 win against Holy Cross’ Ryan Boyce and Lucas Urban. Junior Daven Good and sophomore Asher Eck then closed things out with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over the Crusaders’ CJ Muir and Trystan Gilray.

Honesdale’s second league win came on the road against North Pocono. This time around, the Hornets dominated singles play en route to a 4-1 decision over the Trojans.

Reiprich battled Kyle Mizenko to the bitter end at first singles, eventually emerging with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory. He was joined in the win column by Christiansen at No. 2 (6-0, 6-0) and Smith at No. 3 (6-1, 6-3).

Good and Lester combined to seal the deal on a team win via their straight set (6-2, 6-1) triumph at second doubles.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale boys on the road to contending in Lackawanna League boys tennis