LEXINGTON – After spending the 2023 tennis post-season enjoying singles, Lexington senior Karl Etzel is again enjoying doubles this spring. And that may solely imply one factor.
“I’m bringing the curse again,” he mentioned with a depraved smile.
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Etzel and associate Owan Gongwer misplaced in Saturday’s Division II sectional event finals 6-0, 6-1 to top-seeded teammates Dylan Catanese and Ethan Remy, however possibly that was factor.
In 2021 and 2022, Lex produced each doubles groups that reached the sectional and district finals. Each years the sectional runners-up flipped the script and exacted revenge for a district title.
Etzel has been on either side of “The Curse.”
As a freshman, he and Ethan Remy beat Ryan Mecurio and Ross Drlik within the sectional finals, solely to see Mecurio and Drlik reverse their fortune within the district finals rematch en path to a fourth-place end and first staff All-Ohio honors on the state event.
As a sophomore, Etzel and Tommy Secrist avenged a loss within the sectional finals to Mecurio and Drlik by beating them for the district title.
If shedding within the sectional finals means successful a district title, Etzel will join that each time.
And Remy and Catanese ought to pray the magic they’ve had enjoying collectively the final two years will smite any curse, hex or spell placed on them as sectional champs. However they may wish to whip up just a few additional potions simply in case.
“We’ve simply acquired to remain targeted,” Remy mentioned concerning the district tourney Thursday and Saturday in Port Clinton, “and never look too far forward.”
Remy and Catanese, champs this 12 months within the loaded Lex Invite, misplaced solely two video games in 4 sectional matches, with each days of motion happening inside Lakewood Racquet Membership due to wet climate.
Earlier than bouncing Etzel and Gongwer they dismissed Ontario’s fourth-seeded Alex Ellis and Matt Bayes 6-1, 6-0 within the semis. Ellis and Bayes then misplaced within the third-place match to third-seeded teammates and siblings Pablo and Hector Sanchez Vidal 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
“We’ve been enjoying actually good doubles the previous few weeks and we really feel like we are able to make the second day of the state event (which might clinch first staff All-Ohio honors),” Catanese mentioned. “Our serves have been actually good, and his groundstrokes and my volleys make for mixture.”
It seems to be the right marriage – Remy, the two-time Ohio Cardinal Convention Participant of the Yr, with Catanese, who has now received 11 doubles titles in his three years with the varsity.
Final 12 months, they broke The Curse, however not with out some anxious moments. They beat Gongwer and Jake Chilcote simply within the sectional finals, however needed to rally from a 4-5 third set deficit to outlast them for a district crown.
Did that bury The Curse or was it simply on hiatus for a 12 months whereas Etzel was off enjoying singles?
We’re about to search out out as a result of the whole lot factors to subsequent weekend’s district doubles finals once more being a rematch of the sectional finals.
“(Saturday) was day for them,” Etzel mentioned of Remy and Catanese. “We had a gameplan, however couldn’t keep it up, so it was a foul day for us. We had a bunch of ad-ins, however couldn’t end off the video games on the internet.
“Ethan’s returns have been good all day. He stored pinning us deep and we’d should pop it up and Dylan would poach off that. There’s a variety of issues they did good and we did unhealthy.”
Etzel and Gongwer have been virtually untouchable till the finals, shedding solely three video games of their first three matches. That included a powerful 6-0, 6-1 win over the Sanchez Vidal brothers within the semifinals.
“If we may have completed off our deuce video games (within the finals), it will have been rather a lot nearer,” Gongwer mentioned.
Added Etzel, “All of us performed good tennis. We simply must play higher. We had ad-in in nearly each recreation that went to deuce and simply couldn’t put it away.”
Each singles finalists from Lex may relate. No. 2 seed Philip Etzel had two set factors at 5-3 within the first set, however the freshman ended up shedding it in a tiebreaker. And sophomore No. 1 seed Cooper Remy jumped to a 3-0 lead within the second set however needed to scratch and claw to finally prevail 7-6, 6-4..
The primary set alone featured eight deuce video games and took 90 minutes to finish.
“He missed a pair photographs (after having these set factors) and acquired flustered,” mentioned Remy, Ethan’s youthful brother. “After I held serve, I knew I may break him as a result of I had a lot of the match. And as soon as we acquired to the tiebreaker, I performed with extra confidence.
“The second serve was backwards and forwards. We stored breaking one another’s serve. Hopefully, now that I received (after being runner-up final 12 months) I can break by way of this 12 months and make it to state.”
If that occurs for one or each of Ontario’s doubles groups, that will be historic. The varsity has by no means produced a state qualifier in boys tennis, however Etzel, who research gamers and groups from all around the state, believes all 4 district-qualifying doubles groups might be headed to the state event on the Faculty of Wooster.
‘I feel the identical,” mentioned Pablo, the older of the Sanchez Vidal brothers. “We performed manner too unhealthy (towards Gongwer and Etzel). I feel we have been nervous or one thing as a result of we didn’t play our greatest in any respect. We may do manner higher.
“Similar factor right here (within the third place match). We received 6-1 within the first (set) and we have been manner too assured, after which we misplaced the second. We simply want to remain within the recreation.”
The Sanchez Vidal brothers are Ontario’s two finest gamers, however Ellis and Bayes performed No. 1 doubles collectively all season and that leveled the enjoying discipline when each duos squared off towards one another.
“It’s robust as a result of they’re used to one another,” Pablo mentioned. “The distinction is huge, however, hey, we acquired (the victory).”
Hector expects Ontario’s qualifiers to be at Lakewood hitting with Lex’s gamers within the days main as much as district. On Monday, Lex is internet hosting Ottawa Hills at 3:30 p.m. at the highschool courts to find out a Last 4 berth within the Ohio Tennis Coaches Affiliation state staff event.
“We’ve simply acquired to be extra constant,” Hector mentioned, “so we are able to make a run.”
For each Ontario tandems to make it to state would put an exclamation level on a fantastic two years which have seen the Warriors win again to again Mid-Ohio Athletic Convention titles.
“We have now a variety of confidence,” Ellis mentioned, “a variety of confidence. And we love one another much more than different (doubles) groups.”
“We do,” Bayes mentioned. “We’re actually good associates. So long as our heads are within the recreation and we keep targeted and play it level by level, I feel we have now a very good probability (to make it to state).”
This text initially appeared on Mansfield Information Journal: ‘We have now a variety of confidence’: 10 of 12 district tennis spots go to Lex, Ontario
