OTTAWA HILLS – Ottawa Hills won a coin flip to earn home court advantage Tuesday against Lexington.
Unfortunately for the Green Bears, that was the only win Ottawa Hills posted in the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Division II district title match against the defending state champion Minutemen.
With Ottawa Hills coach Jeff Harse loading his doubles teams with his best players, Lexington earned its third straight Final Four bid, and 11th overall, with a whitewash of the Green Bears in all three singles matches.
Mason Dragos topped Jason Judis, 6-0, 6-0 at first singles. Matt Youst blanked Justin Judis, 6-0, 6-0 at second singles. Tommy Barkett stopped Kevin Hoeflinger, 6-0, 6-0 at third singles.
Despite both Lexington doubles teams dropping the first sets of their matches, the singles domination was enough to give the Minutemen a 3-0 victory in the team match.
“(Ottawa Hills) has a good team. Their coach just took a chance. All of us coaches have been in that position at one point. They hoped to win the two doubles and maybe get one of the singles matches,” said veteran Lexington coach Ron Schaub.
“We were the favorites in this match. We won’t be favored on Sunday (against Columbus Academy in the state semifinals),” Schaub said.
Lexington will play Columbus Academy on Sunday at 9 a.m. at Reynoldsburg High School in a rematch of last year’s state title match, a 3-2 Minutemen victory. The other semifinal pits Cincinnati Country Day against either University School or Gates Mills Hawken. The winners will meet Sunday in the finals.
Cincinnati Country Day is the No. 1-ranked team in the state. Columbus Academy is rated No. 2 and Lexington is ranked 3rd.
CA came to Lexington earlier this season and handed Lexington a 4-1 defeat. Schaub, who has coached two state championship boys teams (2004, 2013), said he is not certain what his team can do differently in the rematch.
“We are an athletic team, but they are a very strong team,” Schaub said of his 15-5 team. “We lost to some really good teams this season. That kind of competition gets us ready for these kinds of team events.”
The matches on Sunday will cap a busy weekend for Lexington tennis. Dragos, just a junior, will compete in his third state singles tournament, on Friday at The Ohio State University. The two-team All-Ohioan has advanced to the quarterfinals each of the past two seasons. His opening match will be against sophomore Alexander Warstler from Cincinnati Indian Hill.
Youse, a junior, will compete in his third state doubles tournament on Friday, each year with a different partner. This year he will be joined by Barkett, just a sophomore. Their opening match Friday will be against junior Henry Chavez and sophomore Jacob Stavsky from Cincinnati Seven Hills.
Schaub knows his trio faces stiff competition on Friday.
“When there are only 16 singles players and 16 doubles teams left in the state, everyone you play is very good. We will have to play really good and have some luck (to advance),” Schaub said.
LEXINGTON 3, OTTAWA HILLS 0
1st singles – Mason Dragos (L) defeated Jason Judis, 6-0/6-0
2nd singles – Matt Youst (L) defeated Justin Judis, 6-0/6-0
3rd singles – Tommy Barkett (L) defeated Kevin Hoeflinger, 6-0/6-0
1st doubles – Matt Barkett/Jansen Webster (L) lost first set
2nd doubles – Santi Acero/JosiahMcCarthur (L) lost first set
(Note: To see pairings for Friday’s state singles and doubles events, visit http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/te/boys/2014/2014BTEcoverage.htm).