Avon boys sweep top spots at LCAAA tournament

AVON LAKE — Nick Janos and Jeremy Wiersh found themselves in a hole in the first doubles championship at the Lorain County Athletic Administrators Association tournament on Saturday. They didn't want to be the only Eagles to lose in the final, so they dug deep after dropping the opening set to Oberlin's Grant Martz and Oliver Knijnenburg, rallying to win a tight second set and then clinched the title 4-6, 7-5 (7-5), 6-3. The win secured a sweep of the podium, as Avon won all three singles and both doubles draws with the Oberlin duo the only ones to take a set from the Eagles in a final. "We got in our groove and started to play our game," said Wiersh, a junior. "We kept our energy up and we really wanted it. We believed in each other and it paid off. That was a really, really tough match. They did a good job on their part and really made us work for it. I wouldn't have it any other way." Martz, a sophomore, and Knijnenburg, a freshmen, proved to be a formidable duo as they jumped on Avon's top team 5-0 in the first, holding on for a 6-4 win. Avon couldn't protect 30-0 leads in two games, escaping with a win and then dropping a break to give Oberlin a chance to serve for the match. However, a pair of double faults and an unforced error put the Phoenix in a 0-40 hole. Avon broke back two points later. The tiebreak went back and forth until Avon won two straight — an unforced error by Oberlin and a winner by Janos to clinch to second set. The Eagles settled in to break twice for a 5-2 lead and split to close out the championship. "We knew we had them on the ropes a little bit, even though we were down," Janos said. "Once we started hitting our returns a little more solid, we started clicking. It feels so good to win. I couldn't imagine going home without first place this year since it's my last year. It's the best ending to a senior year. I'm just really happy." Avon's other championship matches came easier. Sophomore Logan DeHaven capped a dominant tournament with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Amherst's Reid Opel and earlier swept Elyria's Justin Pandy 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals. "It feels great to bring home the championship," DeHaven said. "It was a really good day for tennis. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad to be a part of it. It feels great to be back on the court." Freshman Luke LeMaster and senior Jack Hindman played nearly identical championship matches at second and third singles, respectively. LeMaster won his first 11 games before splitting the last two for a 6-0, 6-1 win over Amherst's Camden Hunter. "It feels pretty good to do it in my first year," LeMaster said. "It feels great. I'm just happy to be here with my team and everyone made it to the championship, so I'm just glad to be part of that. I was just hitting my forehand well and my serve was good today. It was powerful." Hindman also won his first set 6-0 and took a 2-1 lead in the second before winning the next four to clinch the third singles title. "It feels really good," Hindman said. "I kept grinding and grinding and just kept playing my game. I played my butt off and it pays off when you try hard. It felt a little different because I've been playing more indoors since quarantine started. I just stay positive and it pays off." Junior Tyler Heinrich and senior Varun Sripada played the last match of the day, winning the second doubles title 6-3, 6-2 over Avon Lake's Nathan Anthony and Daniel St. George. Like Amherst, the Shoremen had representatives reach the championship in two of the five draws. Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeneyCT on Twitter. FIRST SINGLES Championship: Logan DeHaven (Avon) def. Reid Opel (Amherst) 6-2, 6-1. Third: Josh Kerner (Avon Lake) def. Justin Pandy (Elyria) 6-2, 6-1. Semifinals: DeHaven def. Pandy 6-0, 6-0; Opel def. Kerner by forfeit. SECOND SINGLES Championship: Luke LeMaster (Avon) def. Camden Hunter (Amherst) 6-0, 6-1. Third: Matt Johnson (Elyria) def. Eric Hollweg (Lake Ridge) 6-1, 6-1. Semifinals: LeMaster def. Hollweg 6-0, 6-1; Hunter def. Johnson 6-3, 6-4. THIRD SINGLES Championship: Jack Hindman (Avon) def. Daniel Ryu (Avon Lake) 6-0, 6-1. Third: Ayaan Siddiq (Lake Ridge) def. Cici Atkinson (Amherst) 6-1, 6-1. Semifinals: Hindman def. Atkinson 6-0, 6-0; Ryu def. Siddiq 6-0, 6-2. FIRST DOUBLES Championship: Nick Janos/Jeremy Wiersh (Avon) def. Grant Martz/Oliver Knijnenburg (Oberlin) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3. Third: Andrew Keller/Emmet Fink (Avon Lake) def. Chaz Yates/Kaiden Koch (Midview) 6-3, 6-1. Semifinals: Janos/Wiersh def. Keller/Fink 6-3, 6-2; Martz/ Knijnenburg def. Yates/Koch 6-1, 6-1. SECOND DOUBLES Championship: Tyler Heinrich/Varun Sripada (Avon) def. Nathan Anthony/Daniel St. George (Avon Lake) 6-3, 6-2. Third: Keira Franklin/Tim Rader (Elyria) def. Stavros Ananiadis/Vagelis Ananiadis (Oberlin) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Semifinals: Heinrich/Sripada def. Stavros Ananiadis/Vagelis Ananiadis 6-0, 6-1; Anthony/St. George def. Franklin/Rader 6-4, 6-3.