TOM HARRIS
Star Beacon
May 14, 2008 03:29 am
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“All in all, I’d rather be in Boardman,” Conneaut coach Dave Simpson said.
The Spartans have competed in the Boardman Division II sectional tournament in each of Simpson’s nine previous seasons as coach, but this year, Conneaut, along with Edgewood and Jefferson, will head west to the Brush tournament. Simpson expects it to be a unique experience.
“It’s going to be different up in Brush,” Simpson said. “This is going to be the first time at Brush since I’ve been coach. I like Boardman. We could be competitive with just about all the teams down there, except Poland, which is always pretty strong. At Brush, it’s going to be a meat grinder.”
With a roster of schools that includes University School, Aurora, Gilmour Academy and Orange, getting a player through to the Canton district tournament will be a challenge.
“I was sitting there at the seeding meeting, and the coaches from those teams like Aurora and US were talking about their kids,” Simpson said. “They were telling us, this kid is a three-year state qualifier and that kid is a two-year state qualifier. And there I was thinking, ‘Holy smokes! What are we in for?’”
It’s not that Simpson thinks the Spartans got a bad draw. They might have some opportunities in the first round, but it’s going to be tough getting anyone through to the district tournament.
“People kind of jumped on us early in order to stay away from some of the tougher players,” Simpson said.
Justin Brown, the Spartans’ No. 1, will face a player from Orange who normally plays doubles.
“That might help Justin,” Simpson said. “But Orange has such a strong team, the kid could be a pretty strong player. We don’t know.”
Cody Ledlow and Cody Gibson, the Spartans’ No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, will play their opposite numbers from Kirtland.
“Those could be pretty good matches,” Simpson said.
Zach Rhodes and Nick Terry, the Spartans’ first doubles tandem, will face Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, and the second doubles team — Scott Lowrey and Nick Koehler — will play a team from Gilmour.
“There are just so many strong teams up there,” Simpson said.
Another view
“I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t been there since I was in high school,” Jefferson coach Lou Murphy said of going to Boardman.
The mountain the Falcons will have to climb is steep, but they just might be able to reach the rarefied air in the higher elevations.
“I think the top one or two singles players and the top one or two doubles teams will be very strong,” Murphy said. “But after that, the competition should be about the same as it is in Boardman. Of course, I’m the rookie down there, but that’s what people tell me.”
Murphy will have Mike Hardin and Greg Buchan teamed in the doubles competition.
“I hope they can do some damage,” Murphy said. “I think they can. They’ll have University School’s second doubles team in the third round. We’ll see what they can do. And Tyler Thaxton and Duncan Treen play in the bracket with the fourth seed.”
Murphy enjoyed his last trip to Brush. It came in 1978, when he was a senior at Ashtabula. Murphy made it through the Brush tournament that year and went all the way to state.
“That year, coach (Bob Walters) had Hank Barchanowicz and me play doubles in the tournament,” Murphy said. “Hank, Perry Stofan and I all went to state that year.”
Brush is important to Murphy for another reason.
“I got familiar with that area playing in summer tournaments,” Murphy said. “I went there in the summer of my sophomore year and got drilled. I had to decide then if I wanted to play soccer or some other sport. I decided to get tough, and I went back and kicked their butts.”
So, Murphy is looking forward to leading the Falcons to the Brush tournament.
“It was just so neat back in ’78 — the area, the competition,” Murphy said.
Season’s greetings
Conneaut was scheduled to play its final regular-season match Tuesday. It was an important match for the Spartans, who will have finished the year with a 10-8 record if they got by struggling Harvey.
“We were talking about the match and told the kids we’d finish the year above .500 if we won,” Simpson said. “Justin Brown, who is a senior, said, ‘We haven’t finished at .500 since I’ve been playing.’”
Harris is the tennis beat writer for the Star Beacon. Reach him at tharris508@yahoo.com.
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TOM HARRIS Star Beacon