COLUMBUS, Ohio — One of these years, the Lexington tennis team will make it through an entire state tournament without incident.
It won’t be this year.
Four-time state qualifier Mason Dragos will make a return appearance in Saturday’s Division II state semifinals after breezing through a pair of Friday matches at the Ohio High School Athletic Association state tournament at the Ohio State tennis courts.
Dragos disposed of Cincinnati Indian Hills freshman Andrew Pregel 6-0, 6-3 in his first-round match before the controversy that always seems to find the Minutemen in Columbus started.
Both the state-qualifying Lex doubles teams of Tommy Barkett and Matt Youse and Luke and Jansen Webster took the court to warm up for their first-round matches almost simultaneously. Just before Barkett and Youse were to get started against Coshocton’s Jim and Sam Magness, the umpire ruled the shirts the Lexington players were wearing, which read “Lexington tennis OCC champs 2015,” were not up to OHSAA snuff.
At issue was the word “champs,” which unbeknownst to Lex coach Ron Schaub was a no-no.
Both doubles teams were instructed to take the shirts off and were left scrambling to find OHSAA-approved attire.
“We asked if we could just turn the shirts inside out and they said, ‘No,’ ” Schaub said. “They said that once the shirts were determined to be illegal, they couldn’t be worn.”
A year ago, Youse and Barkett were docked a point in their opening-round match at state when fans jeered after the umpire asked a noisy dog be removed from the stands. The animal and its owner, it turned out, weren’t part of the Lexington cheering section.
“Another year (former Lex state qualifier) Chad Buchanan had to change his shorts because they had an Ohio State logo on them,” Schaub said. “It’s a lot easier to find new shirts than new shorts.
“I guess we’re just rebels.”
After changing out of their moisture-wicking team shirts and into oversized cotton state tournament tee-shirts, Youse and Barkett had little trouble with the Magness twins in the first set, winning 6-2. Youse and Barkett trailed 2-5 in the second set before rallying for a 7-6 (7-2) win.
“It was like we were playing in capes,” Youse said of the baggy (and soggy) cotton shirts.
The Jensens, meanwhile, drew Cincinnati Country Day’s Shaheel and Vishaal Nalagatia in the opening round. Shaheel and Nalagatia won 6-2, 6-0.
In Friday’s quarterfinals, Dragos dispatched Columbus Wellington School freshman Connor Biernat 6-3, 6-0 to cruise into Saturday’s semifinals. Awaiting Dragos, who is vying to become Lexington’s first ever singles state champ, is two-time defending state singles champ Asher Hirsch of Cincinnati Country Day.
Youse and Barkett weren’t so fortunate in their quarterfinal match, falling to Cincinnati Wyoming’s Myles Bourbon and Will Carter in three sets.
The state semifinals begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.
