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Heartbreak has familiar feel for Land O'Lakes

LAND O'LAKES - Vu-Anh Thai and Kyle Staiger wanted to bring the rest of their team with them to state next week. But the Gators lost 4-2 to Flagler Palm Coast on Friday for their first loss.

"I'm really disappointed although I'm trying to act cool now," Staiger said. "It won't be the same without them."

The Gators came agonizingly close again after losing 4-1 to Lake Gibson in last year's regionals. The match hinged on doubles, where the Bulldogs took No. 2, 6-1, 6-3.

Staiger and Thai, who qualified for state as the district doubles champions, each won their singles matches, but the rest of the team squandered leads. Third seed Mike Seidl fought off a first set defeat to Greg Heartt to take a 4-1 edge. That advantage slowly withered away as the set went into a tiebreaker. There, Seidl faced a 5-1 deficit when the two switched sides. He won the next four points, but then had to take an injury timeout as his hand cramped. His momentum evaporated, and Heartt claimed the next two points to take the tiebreaker and the match.

"That was a bad break," LOL coach Karen Turman said. "It had never happened before, but it was hot and tense."

WESLEY CHAPEL - Forget that 4-3 score. Saddlebrook Prep's win over Lakeland Christian in the Class A, Region 4 match at the Saddlebrook Resort was as lopsided as it could be.

Spartans' coach Matt Holsopple was prepared to enter the match without No. 2 Clint Bowles, who was invited to the United State Tennis Association's training center in Carson, Calif. So Saddlebrook would have to forfeit Bowles' spot and No. 1 doubles. Then to give No. 4 Rudy Harrer's arm a rest, the coach was ready to forfeit No. 2 doubles.

Giving three forfeits to the Vikings would only work if the Spartans' four remaining singles won.

It wasn't much of a risk.

Saddlebrook No. 1 Ryan Waits disposed of Scotty Phillips 6-1, 6-0. Gian Hodgson won No. 3 singles 6-1, 6-1 over Justin Bean. The closest the Vikings got was in the second game of Harrer's 6-0, 6-3 win over Hunter Davis. Gene Pellman beat Hunter Brown 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 to close it out.

"We don't go out there and mess around," said Waits, who already qualified for state in No. 1 singles. "We make it productive so that anytime you go on the court it's like switching it on and off."

The team will be at full strength for the Class A state meet Tuesday-Thursday in Tallahassee.

- JAMAL THALJI

CRYSTAL RIVER - This was one time Vicki Browning wished the scouting report had been wrong. In preparing for Green Cove Springs Clay, the Crystal River coach heard the Blue Devils were good, and they didn't disappoint.

In a match clinched in just over an hour, Clay advanced to state with a 7-0 victory by winning 14 of 15 sets. Only one Crystal River player, No. 2 Brian DeMontfort, won as many as four games in a singles match set.

"They were just a good team," Browning said. "But it was a great year for us."

Crystal River (15-3) had a chance to steal one at No. 2 doubles, but Tyler Cummings and Danny Price lost in three sets, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Even Chris Lavoie, the Pirates' No. 1 player and a district champion, struggled. Slowed somewhat by a sore stomach muscle, he fell to Clay (13-3) junior Cory Dunham 6-2, 6-2.

- KEITH NIEBUHR

BROOKSVILLE - Daniel Widboom upended district champion Juan Rodriguez 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3 singles to lead Hernando to a 6-1 victory over Orlando Bishop Moore in the Class 2A, Region 4 match at the Brooksville City Courts.

The Leopards (13-6) advanced to the state meet Tuesday and Wednesday at Hillsborough Community College, qualifying as a team for the first time in coach Brett Teitelman's five seasons and what is believed to be the first time in school history.

No. 2 Drew Taylor, No. 4 Michael Ehlenbeck and No. 5 Keegan Ledford won as Hernando clinched during the singles competition. Widboom and Brent Lowman, and Taylor and Ehlenbeck added the finishing touches by sweeping the doubles matches.

"We're just thrilled to have the opportunity to compete as a team in states," Teitelman said. "This is just a wonderful way to cap off the career of these four seniors (Lowman, Taylor, Ehlenbeck and Ledford) that I've worked with."

- FRANK PASTOR