West Holmes talent show on the tennis courts
That’s just fine with eighth-year West Holmes head tennis coach Jason Otto who watched his team pick up its first Ohio Cardinal Conference win of the season by ripping through Mansfield Senior 5-0 – dropping only four games along the way – in a match that was moved from its originally scheduled date of Tuesday, April 19 to Friday, April 15.
“The match started after five and I think my guys were in a hurry to get to the high school talent show at seven,” explained Otto after watching sophomore sensation Danny Nelson knock out the Tygers’ Cameron Welker 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, leaving himself plenty of time to find a good seat at the talent show.
“Senior is down this year,” added Otto. “They lost their one and three men from last year and they also started spring break on Friday and lost their number two man to vacation.”
That moved Senior’s third singles player, Jon Goldman, up to second singles, allowing Knights number three man, Ethan Rawson, to pick up a victory by forfeit and allowing West Holmes senior Brendan Lynch to easily extend his unbeaten streak at second singles to 20 straight matches, dating back to his semifinal match of the OCC tournament in 2009, by double-bageling Goldman 6-0, 6-0 and completing the singles sweep for the home team.
Otto’s number two doubles team would also serve up a double-bagel victory 6-0, 6-0, over David Frane and Black Cyrus of Mansfield Senior, but the Knights’ first singles pairing of Sam Meyer and Collin Galbraith put the brakes on before the team could rush home to get ready for the talent show and whatever else Friday night had in store, as the Tygers’ Tyler Graffice and Matt Crislip took two games in the first set against Meyer and Galbraith before falling 6-2.
The Meyer/Galbraith pairing allowed the Senior duo to take one more game during the second set before wrapping up the 6-2, 6-1 win and finally setting the entire team free to get to their places, do their things, and see their people on a Friday night.
“It was nice getting an OCC win,” said Otto after watching his team add five points toward the OCC tournament. “We also have four points thus far against two really good teams, in Wooster and Lexington.”
At 5-2 overall on the season, Otto has been watching a pretty good and consistent show of talent on the courts in 2011. He’ll take that traveling West Holmes talent show on the road Wednesday, April 20, when the Knights visit Triway.
Published: April 15, 2011
