Sectional Tennis Preview: Central Christian hungry for sectional success after NET title

On the heels of an impressive regular season that ended in a Northeast Tennis Conference championship, Central Christian is out for more.

The Comets, who posted a 10-point victory over Canton McKinley to win the combined regular season and tournament points race in the league, enters today's Wooster Division II Sectional with a lot of momentum.

And while Aaron Miedel has been the anchor of the lineup that features a host of other veterans, it’s more than a one-man show, something that should help the team advance a number of players to next week’s district tournament in Akron.

“A team has to have more than one player and we have had others who have elevated their games to give us depth at the 5 positions,” Central coach Gene Lehman said. “This team has team member leadership that has newer members striving to achieve more.

“There is also a cohesiveness that has bound this team together with each one cheering on the other's success.”

Miedel, a district qualifier last spring, has been a force at the top singles spot, but others like second singles player Drew Badertscher — a first-year player that won the NET title — and the doubles tandem of Josiah Bixler and Adrian Lehman, who capped off a strong regular season this past week, have helped the Comets head into the postseason eager to make some noise.

Those locals are far from the only players from the area looking to kick-off D-II sectional play today on the right foot.

Orrville's Matthew Anderson and the doubles pairing of Carter Orosz and Peyton Casto also were conference champs, while Triway's Paul Self was league runner-up at first singles after upsetting Miedel in the NET semifinals. Self, the defending sectional runner-up, is poised for another district appearance on the singles court and a state berth this season.

The Wooster Sectional is far from an easy one, however, with always-tough teams like University School and St. Vincent-St. Mary in the field.

Both Dean Kirchick (US) and Ben McKnight (SVSM) were state qualifiers in singles play last season, while Rohit Talasilla was a member of a doubles team that picked up state experience.

McKnight is the reigning Wooster champ in singles, while teammates Casey Kula and Nathan Smith are both back to defend their crown on the doubles court.

Kirchick comes in as the top seed in the singles bracket, with McKnight, Self and Miedel rounding out the ranked players in the field. Both Orosz and Casto will also compete in singles after a league doubles title, while Chippewa's Jacob Hennis and Orrville's Max Casto are also players to watch.

In doubles action, University's Talasilla and Vishwum Kapadia are ranked first, ahead of fellow Preppers Cole Kirchick and Lucas Weidenbecher. St. Vicent-St. Mary's Casey Kula and Nathan Smith are the third seed, while Norton's Lucas Foote and Jackson Davis are fourth.

Both Hiland and West Holmes will compete in the Central District's D-II field, which will start with opening rounds on Wednesday at the Columbus School for Girls, followed by final-day action on Saturday at Columbus Academy.

The Knights' Alex Pringle is coming off a regular season in which he proved he could fight his way through matches, no matter the situation. The junior trailed Madison's Mason Jacobus earlier this season 5-0 before winning seven straight games en route to a 7-5, 6-1 victory and recently took down Triway's Owen Fisher in a three-set thriller, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

“Most players down 0-5 would be thinking of the next set because once you get to six, it is over,” West Holmes coach Jason Otto said of the singles standout. “Alex has a very consistent game and is pretty laid back so I'm guessing the 0-5 deficit didn't really faze him.”

The singles bracket is led by Bexley freshman Henry Lessard, followed by fellow seeds Max Almasanu (Bexley), Aaron Jones (Bexley) and Zach Wall (London).

Hiland's tandem of Sam Anderson and Ryan Yoder are coming off of a third-place finish in the NET Tournament and will team up again in sectional play.

A pair of Bexley duos and groupings of Jonathan Alder come in as the top-seeded groupings.

In D-I, Wooster will take part in the Canton Sectional after their runner-up team finish in the Ohio Cardinal Conference this past week.

It's been quite a season for the Generals, who advanced to the third round of the OTCA State Coaches Tournament, and that loaded roster of talent — and playing a high-caliber schedule — should bode well for the locals in the postseason.

“We have a team of talented athletes that are really doing the little things to get wins,” Wooster coach Justin Crooks said. “What has stood out is our depth and how our young guys are stepping up in key matches.

“This team loves each other and has been working for years to see these results.”

The Generals come in with players to watch in both brackets as Wooster's Henry Pozefsky is the second-ranked singles player, while the doubles team of Garrett Ranney and Brock Ranney also come in as the No. 2 seed. Both Pozefsky and the Ranney pairings were district qualifiers last spring.

GlenOak's Dylan Wilson is the top singles player in the field, with Elijah Corrin (McKinley) and Carson Craig (Lake) also earning top seeds.

The doubles bracket is led by Massillon Jackson's Rohan Sriram and Shiv Nagajothi — earning a bye along with the Ranney brothers — while Jackson's Larson Sutula and Ishan Tripathy are in the same quarter bracket with the locals, with the fourth-ranked team of Joseph Moorhead and Matthew Potashnik on the other side.

Wooster's Saxon Ranney moves from the doubles court to singles for the tournament, fresh off of his runner-up OCC finish with Brock Ranney, while Aidan Cleveland and Tony Rammel also were second in the league and will look to advance together.

DIVISION I

Canton Sectional

WHEN: Tuesday (9 a.m.), Thursday (3:30 p.m.), Saturday (9 a.m.).

WHERE: Jackson Park (7660 Fulton Drive NW, Massillon)

AREA TEAM: Wooster. OTHERS: Akron Garfield, Akron North, Austintown Fitch, Barberton, Boardman, Canton GlenOak, Canton McKinley, Dover, Lake, Louisville, Massillon, Massillon Jackson, Massillon Perry, New Philadelphia, North Canton Hoover.

AT STAKE: Top four singles players and doubles teams advanced to Springside District, May 16 and 18.

DIVISION II

Wooster Sectional

WHEN: Tuesday (9 a.m.), Thursday (1:30 p.m.), Saturday (9 a.m.).

WHERE: College of Wooster (801 E Wayne Ave, Wooster)

AREA TEAMS: Central Christian, Chippewa, Norwayne, Orrville, Triway. OTHERS: Canton Central Catholic, Canton South, Claymont, Cloverleaf, Coventry, Manchester, Norton, St. Clairsville, St. Vincent-St. Mary, University School.

AT STAKE: Top four singles players and doubles teams advanced to Springside District, May 17-18.

Columbus Sectional

WHEN: Wednesday (9 a.m.), Saturday (9 a.m.).

WHERE: Wednesday -- Columbus School for Girls (1885 North Cassady, Columbus); Saturday -- Columbus Academy (4300 Cherry Bottom Road, Gahanna)

AREA TEAMS: Hiland, West Holmes. OTHERS: Bexley, Bloom-Carroll, Cambridge, Coshocton, Eastmoor Academy, Grandview Heights, Jonathan Alder, London, River Valley, West Jefferson, Worthington Christian.

AT STAKE: Top four singles players and doubles teams advanced to Columbus District, May 15 and 18.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Sectional Tennis: Central Christian primed for tourney success