Bears fulfill expectations

By MIKE TOMPKINS
Published April 19, 2006

NEW PORT RICHEY - John McDonald and Central cruised past freshman Tyler Brown and Wesley Chapel 25-16, as the Bears won their second straight district title.

"We talked all week that this was our tournament to lose," Bears coach Hank Deslaurier said. "We expected to win, and when you win a district tournament by this margin, it's very difficult to find anything wrong with the way the boys played. I'm very pleased. These boys have had a great career."

McDonald and Brown met in the No. 1 singles final. Brown came in undefeated and had not lost a set all season. It appeared it would stay that way when he cruised 6-3 in the first set. But McDonald, who lost to Brown this season, took the final 6-3, 6-2 for his first district title.

"John McDonald has been our guy for four years," Deslaurier said. "He's a "serve and volley' type of player. Tyler's a baseliner. John made a decision to charge the net today, and he was too tough to stop."

At No. 1 doubles, McDonald and Kyle Staton claimed the title over Brown and Chris Austin when Brown started cramping and had to forfeit. Staton was also a dual winner, claiming the No. 3 singles title.

Austin won the No. 2 singles title, Central's Shawn Wilson and John Hayes won the No. 4 and No. 5 singles titles, respectively, and J.V. Nicholas and J.R. Nicholas of Wesley Chapel won No. 2 doubles.

CRYSTAL RIVER - Tommy Saltsman knew with every hit, the district title could be in Lecanto's grasp.

"I didn't want to think about it," said Saltsman, a freshman and Lecanto's No. 2 singles player. "I didn't want to choke or anything."

Instead, he continued to hit how he usually does, moving his West Port opponent, Juan Castillo, around the court from the baseline.

"It was stay back and hopefully hit a winner," Saltsman said.

The strategy worked. Saltsman won No. 2 singles 6-1, 6-0 and helped Lecanto to its second straight team district title, and third in four years, with his teammates - seniors Ryan Dunn, Matt Tringali, Eric Fields and freshman Yogesh Gandhi. Both Dunn (No. 3 singles) and Gandhi (No. 5 singles) won their finals along with the No. 2 doubles pair of Dunn-Fields.

Similar to last year, West Port proved to be a spoiler, helping Lecanto advance with a No. 2 doubles semifinals win against Crystal River. Lecanto led by 10 points to Crystal River's nine going into Tuesday's finals.

"We got lucky and a lot of talented seniors and freshmen (stepped up)," Lecanto coach Jack Hall said. "And it's never hurts to get some help from someone else."

Lecanto won with 18 points, followed by Crystal River (14), West Port (7), Citrus (4), Williston (4) and winless Dunnellon.

Crystal River junior Brian deMontfort won No. 1 singles and doubles with teammate Jake Noland to advance directly to state.

- DAWN REISS, Times staff writer

SPRING HILL - After dominating the first day of competition, Hernando didn't need to do much to ensure coming away with the team victory. Though Gulf's Trevor Hubbard and Zac Miller won the No. 1 and No. 2 singles matches, dispatching Hernando's Raleigh Williams and Chris Watters, respectively, Hernando finished with the district title. Meanwhile, Hubbard gets an automatic bid to the state tournament with his 6-2, 6-4 win over Williams. Gulf also will send its No. 1 doubles team to state, with the Hubbard-Miller duo subduing Williams-Watters in three sets.

Every Leopard, besides No. 4 Seth Rumbarger, who defeated Nature Coast's P.J. Watterson, 6-3, 6-1, lost his match. Rumbarger also teamed up with Lance VanDerVoort for the No. 2 doubles title.

The singles losses, however did not stop Hernando from capturing its fifth straight district title. Anthony Miziko, who is in his first year as Hernando coach, got honest after watching a girls match midway through the tournament, after his boys had already sewn up the win.

"I inherited a great team," he said.

- VINCENT THOMAS, Times staff writer

[Last modified April 19, 2006, 01:59:13]