LEXINGTON, Ohio — Ashland already had secured its second straight Ohio Cardinal Conference championship, but the crowd inside the Lakewood Racquet Club was buzzing.
Lexington’s Blake Webster and Wooster’s Salil Purandare were duking it out in the No. 2 singles finals. The winner of the match would lock up a second-place finish for his school and fans were hanging on every point in what turned out to be a three-set marathon.
“It was exciting,” Lex coach Ron Schaub said.
Purandare’s 2-6, 7-6, 10-8 win gave the Generals 51 points, one more than the Minutemen in the final team standings. Ashland won the team trophy with 54 points.
Lex came into Saturday’s action with 30 points thanks to its 7-0 dual record. Ashland (6-1) had 29 points and Wooster (5-2) had 28.
The Arrows had only one conference champ Saturday — Tommy Glazier beat Wooster’s Andrew Cochran 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3 singles — but both of Ashland’s doubles teams finished second, as did Caleb Sinchok at No. 1 singles.
“We are solid all the way through,” said Ashland coach Rick Crooks, the OCC Coach of the Year “We had one third, three seconds and one first.
“Depth counts, I don’t care what sport you’re in. You’ve got to have some people.”
Mount Vernon’s Ben Camara, an exchange student from France, beat Sinchok 6-2, 7-5 in the first singles finals and was selected the OCC Player of the Year.
“He’s super good,” Sinchok said of Camara. “I wish I could play him more. I’ve learned so much about how to play against better competition.”
Lexington’s Benton Drake and Mike Sazdanoff beat Ashland’s Zach Dohner and Justin Seamour 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1 doubles. Wooster’s Wil Gastier and Nolan Khounborin defeated Ashland’s Jack Shultz and Luke Blackley 6-2, 4-6, 10-3.
Ashland has won back-to-back titles after snapping Lexington’s eight-year conference championship streak last spring.
“I’m very proud of them. These guys, they love the game,” Crooks said. “I would have never dreamed we could double up with the string Lexington had before that.
“It’s an honor to coach these guys. They’re great kids.”
