Boys tennis: Avon's Logan DeHaven and doubles team of Luke LeMaster and A.J. Sidoti headed to state

BATH TWP. — It was all about Avon on the first day of the Akron Division I district boys tennis tournament. Both Eagles ace Logan DeHaven and the doubles team of Luke LeMaster and A.J. Sidoti won their first two matches at Springside Athletic Club on Thursday, earning their initial career bids to the state tournament. It marks the first time Avon has advanced multiple players to state in the same season, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association. "Making it to state is great, but going to state with your teammates is awesome," DeHaven said excitedly. "I love spending time with Luke and A.J., so I know we'll have a lot of fun together. It's going to be an amazing trip." DeHaven, a junior, won his highly anticipated quarterfinal match with Highland's Elijah Hadler 6-3, 6-4 to become the Eagles' first state qualifier since Nico Mostardi in 2015. Hadler defeated Elyria sectional champion DeHaven at the start of last season, but their scheduled rematch in March was snowed out. DeHaven won the first two games in both sets and never trailed on the 79-degree, sunny afternoon. "Logan is a great player and he made the smart play on every point," said Hadler, a 2021 state quarterfinalist. "I just couldn't finish points and I couldn't finish games off when I had the chance." The critical sequence of the match occurred at 3-3 in the second set with Hadler up 40-0. DeHaven stormed back to win the game, fully swinging momentum back to his side. "I wanted to play every point to my maximum and put it all out there today," DeHaven said. "Elijah is a real good guy, too, so there was lots of sportsmanship, which made the match even better. "That's what it's all about, everyone enjoying the sport together, even when a lot is on the line." Two courts away, sophomore LeMaster and freshman Sidoti dominated University School's Cole Kirchick and Rohan Sethi 6-2, 6-1 in front of a boisterous group of fans from both schools. After playing singles in the regular season, the Elyria sectional champs became the first doubles team in school history to advance to state. "We started off a little slow, but once we got going, things went great the rest of the way," Sidoti said. "Luke was playing out of his mind today." LeMaster agreed, saying, "We knew it was our day kind of early. A.J.'s back has been hurting, so when he held serve, it told us that everything was going to be fine." DeHaven routed Massillon Jackson's Denil Joseph in the first round 6-0, 6-1 and has not lost a set in the postseason. He will face Warren Harding's Anthony Payiavlas, who won the Solon sectional, in the semifinals Saturday morning. Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller and Jackson's Alvin Altman comprise the other half of the bracket. "It's an honor to be part of the state tournament, but I'm still hungry," DeHaven said. "Winning is what we all play for. That's the ultimate goal, becoming state champion." LeMaster and Sidoti, who eliminated North Royalton's J.J. Campbell and Arnav Gopinath 6-3, 6-2 in their opener, next take on a familiar foe in St. Ignatius' Michael Nock and Kai Vesikallio. The teams met in the sectional semifinals, where the Eagles pulled out a 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 victory. Both Avon players said that win crystalized their belief that they could make it to state. Jackson's Ryan Kelley and Lucas Immel will battle University School's Nathan Mu and Dean Kirchick in the other semifinal. "I didn't even think about who we might play next," Sidoti said. "It's fun to look at it now." LeMaster admitted to taking a peek at the field and speaking with a possible rival. "Making it to the district final would be so cool," he said. "After talking to Ryan Kelley, that's pretty much the dream match. We want to make it happen." Two other Lorain County athletes were defeated in the opening round, taking them out of contention for the six state berths available. Amherst senior Reid Opel lost 6-4, 6-1 to Greater Cleveland Conference MVP Niko Romanov of Solon, but stuck around to cheer for the Eagles. Avon Lake resident Will Gonzalez and fellow St. Edward junior Brendan Carney fell 6-1, 6-0 to Mu and Kirchick. Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianDulik.