MIDDLE TOWNSHIP – The Ocean City High School boys tennis team lost six of seven starters from its South Jersey championship team last year, but has managed a 4-1 start.
The boys beat Millville, Egg Harbor Township, Absegami and, on April 3, Middle Township, against one loss to St. Augustine Prep.
Last spring, the boys were the No. 2 seed in the Group III sectional tournament and beat No. 4 seed Shawnee in the final, 3-2, with two matches going to tie-breaker. That team finished 16-4 overall and 9-1 in the Cape-Atlantic League American Division.
First doubles player Chase Bowman is the only starter to return from the team. Five others graduated and one is playing another sport.
Last week, after losing to the Prep 4-1, the boys turned around and beat Middle Township 3-2.
Bowman is now the first singles player. He beat Middle’s Darp Patel 6-3, 6-2.
First doubles Gabe Meron and Brendan Sardy beat Panthers Even Chew and Kenny Martin 6-0, 6-1, and Raider teammates JD Polcini and Wilson Stauffer handled their second doubles counterparts Dante Duca and Dylan Jenkins 6-3, 6-3. Middle picked up its points at second singles with Miles Stafford defeating Raider Todd Windfelder 6-2, 6-4, and at third singles with Panther Michael Ratchford coming out on top of Jake Collo 6-4, 6-2.
“We graduated five of the seven and would have returned two doubles players, one from each of our doubles teams, but one decided to play club soccer instead so we’re down to one returner,” head coach Tim Kelley said.
Bowman, who played first doubles with his brother, Colin, is the only player on the team with any varsity experience.
“He is just a super athletic kid, one of the better soccer players at the high school,” Kelley said of Chase. “Nice kid. Great teammate. Good leader. I’m happy to have him back.”
Windfelder, at second singles, is a freshman. “He’s super into it and great at practice, great teammate.”
Collo, at third singles, is a junior “who made big improvements from his freshman to sophomore year and sophomore to junior year,” Kelley said, but “he had no experience at singles. To go to third singles with no varsity experience is tough.”
Meron and Sardy at first doubles are both sophomores and soccer players as well.
At second doubles are Stauffer, a swimmer, and Polcini, who has only been playing tennis for a calendar year, according to the coach. “He came out last year as a sophomore with no previous tennis experience.”
Logan Goodwin, a cross country runner, also has had some time at second doubles.
“We’re trying to find the best pairing there,” Kelley said. “They’re not tennis players, but they’re athletes and that’s what we need.”
The main goal for the team is to “just try to get better every day, week by week,” Kelley said. “If you talk to any other coaches, we basically started matches a week earlier than we normally do, so some teams don’t even have their full ladder established. We do, so we’re lucky in that aspect, so these guys can try to build some continuity with the doubles teams. I don’t foresee any big mixups, but you never know, especially with kids some of whom have been playing in the offseason and some who haven’t touched a racket since last year. The jump from the beginning of the season to six weeks in, someone can make a big improvement and be challenging for that third singles spot, but right now I think we’re good to go. We just have to build match experience through match play.”
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
