Richland 25: No. 1 Lexington boys tennis train not stopping any time soon

LEXINGTON — There may be no high school sports program in Richland County more consistent.

And consistency is the key to success. The Lexington boys tennis team knows that more than any other program in Richland County and continues to prove it year after year. The No. 1 team in the Richland 25 is absolutely loaded with talent from top to bottom and has even more on the way.

Let's see why the Lexington boys tennis team, the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association state runner-up, is poised to challenge for a state title in 2024.

1. Lexington Boys Tennis

Every year, Lexington's first goal is to run the Ohio Cardinal Conference and it seems year after year, they have no trouble doing just that.

Last season, Lex never lost a single set in OCC play. In the league tournament, it claimed every single championship. Ethan Remy was the first singles champion, Karl Etzel took second singles and Owan Gongwer was the third singles champ.

In doubles, Dylan Catanese and Jake Chilcote won first doubles while Cooper Remy and Jake Halfhill won second doubles as Lexington finished with a perfect 75 points to win its fifth OCC title in a row and 16th title since 2004.

Remy was the OCC Player of the Year and tennis wizard Ron Schaub earned coach of the year honors.

Of all seven players mentioned, only one graduated at the end of the 2023 season, Chilcote. Meaning Lexington basically returns an entire team that swept every OCC match, sent five players to the state tournament and finished as runners-up in the OTCA State Team Tournament.

Ethan Remy will be a senior in 2024 as he and Catanese, who will be a junior, won sectional and district titles in doubles this spring. They didn't win a match at state preventing them from taking All-Ohio honors but they will be on a revenge tour next spring looking to end the year in that conversation.

Gongwer joined Chilcote as a doubles team as they took second in both the sectional and district falling to their teammates, but at state, the duo won their first match 6-0, 6-0 to cement All-Ohio honors before falling in the quarterfinals. Gongwer's experience at state will serve him well for the next two years as he will only be a junior in 2024.

Etzel made it to state as a singles player last season dropping his first match at state and preventing him from being an All-Ohioan, but he will return for his senior season and might team up with Gongwer in doubles for the postseason to make a deep run.

Cooper Remy was just a freshman last season and has Lex looking at a bright future with him in charge.

In the state team tournament, Lexington used a dramatic win over Columbus Academy to punch its ticket to the state championship match thanks to the stellar play of Gongwer. Lex lost to Cincinnati Seven Hills, a private school tennis factory in southern Ohio, in the title match, but a runner-up finish was more than Lex could have ever expected. It was the 15th trip to the Final Four under Schaub which includes two state titles. It was the first finals appearance since winning it all in 2015 and with nearly everyone back, a return trip to the finals might be in the cards for 2024.

There is always young talent making its way up through the youth program and the Les train doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

Twitter: @JakeFurr11

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Richland 25: Lexington boys tennis comes in at No. 1