MVRC & NCRC Make Playoffs, join Force & Towpath!
Wow! What a wild final matchday of the 2020 season! The 2020 3.0 regular season has come to an end, but not for a few lucky teams who have secured a non-expenses paid trip to District Finals! To find out who won - and how - read on!
Flight #1 Recap
Avon Oaks/Bay v. Mayfield, 1-2
Singles - Erik Overberger 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (8) v. Christian King
1st Doubles - Brian Chambers/Tony Slabicki 2-6, 3-6 v. Brian King/Rick King
2nd Doubles - David Karam/Ben Shaw 0-6, 3-6 v. John King/Phil King
Notes - With one matchday left, the two remaining teams in Flight #1 who still had a shot for playoff positioning faced off at the sorta-but-not-really-home courts of Avon Oaks/Bay's "The Bubble." After much number crunching by the DFO Analytics Department (i.e., the calculator we stole from our 12 year old), Avon Oaks/Bay needed to win the match 3-0 or 2-1 and had to win in such a way that basically MVRC couldn't win a single game, let along a set. So, as avid tennis historian Jim Carrey might say, "So you're saying there's a chance?!"
(To make this story more exciting, we are going to tell it in reverse order, because MVRC kinda ruined the drama with how well they played ... thanks for nothing, King Family!)
In a match so big, it's no surprise that two of the possible candidates for DFO 3.0 Captain of the Year put out their strongest lineups possible! Avon Oaks/Bay's Captain Dave, who had led his squad to their best win total in a decade (A DECADE!) led off the match by putting in veteran singles specialist, Erik, holder of numerous Bay 3.0 records. Meanwhile, MVRC's Captain Rick the Younger, who had led his team of 3.0 newbie rookies to the doorstep of 3.0 playoff glory, led off with rookie singles sensation Christian, holder of ... a recent high school diploma. WHOA! Veteran moxy versus raw talent! Experience versus potential! Five decades versus two! (We're not sure how many more ways we can say "Erik is old" but we're going to give it a go)
The rookie Christian came out swinging (which in tennis is kind of useful) and with a combination of pinpoint lobs and deft drop shots, kept Erik, the grizzled veteran of many a 3.0 battle, on his aged heels, and rolled off to a commanding first set 5-0 lead. But towards the end of the first set two things happened that changed the course of the match - 1) Erik's serve and volley game came alive, as he dedicated himself to attacking the net over and over again, much like the years have attacked his youth and energy, thus putting Christian under more and more pressure as the match wore on, and 2) Co-Captain Travis' coaching. On the sidelines and co-captaining his tail off, Travis made an immediate impact as, when Christian asked for water after the first set, Travis said he "couldn't find any." Haha! The old Avon Oaks/Bay "we've got no water" trick, played to perfection once again! Thus, with a combination of attacking tennis and opponent dehydration, Erik came back from a set down to push the match to a SUPER TIE-BREAK! In the SUPER TIE-BREAK, with everyone watching, and with the entire season riding on the result (ehhh ... ) it was a back and forth encounter, as the elder statesman of Bay 3.0 tennis Erik ran out to an early lead, but the energetic and nary-a-wrinkle Christian would quite literally rally his way back time and time again, never being more than two points behind before tying the SUPER TIE-BREAK at 8-8! Erik, though, harnessed all the power of his previous four decades and two millennia on this earth, and in two lengthy rallies, rallies almost as long as one of his old man stories, he hit super deep, super pinpoint forehands to finally win the SUPER TIE-BREAK, and the match, on a classic 3.0 winner (i.e., Erik's forehand was so deep and so loopy and so high that poor Christian couldn't tell if it was a lob or a shot or if it hit the ceiling of The Bubble and, caught off guard, gave the elderly gentleman 78' away from him the win).
WOW! What a great match! Erik not only ended his season with a win but also put the team pressure on MVRC! MVRC was now forced to get wins in one of the other two doubles matches which HAD ALREADY TAKEN PLACE but we are trying to make this extra dramatic by PRETENDING THEY HADN'T!
It's no surprise that, needing a big win, Captain Rick the Younger placed himself right in harm's way, teaming up with standout rookie all-court player Brian in 1st Doubles to take on one of the best doubles tandems in all of Flight #1, Avon Oaks/Bay's 3.0 veterans Brian and Tony, who were enjoying a great tag-team season together and were entering the tennis fray 3-1 when playing side-by-side. But Captain Rick, the sole veteran player on the MVRC squad, had a secret weapon - SOUTHERN OHIO TENNIS STRATEGY! Captain Rick, unbeknownst to Brian and Tony, had practiced Southern Ohio tennis during a tennis sabbatical in a secret land known only as "Dayton." Realizing that Brian and Tony's only loss on the year came against a completely unknown style of play, a style of play from way up North (when they lost to one of Force's Canadian-style players), Captain Rick deployed a similar tact, but instead of Northern tennis, he utilized SOUTHERN tennis! STRATEGY! Utilizing this completely unknown style of play, Captain Rick and Brian took an early lead, as Brian and Tony were left wondering exactly what this "Day-Ton" style was all about. Brian and Tony though, best friends since their log-cabin school days (they probably lived next to Erik, who was probably neighbors with Moses Cleaveland), knew their team needed the win to stay in the playoff hunt, and, as one of the best doubles tandems in Flight #1, they started the second set strong. But Captain Rick, playing in honor of recently injured Rick the Elder, who unfortunately did not escape the "Dayton Dojo" unharmed, played with Rick the Elder-like all-out-hustle and inspired his brother/cousin/nephew/teammate Brian with some amazing Datyon-style net play that all but blunted Brian and Tony's comeback, thus sweeping the match, and with it, bolstering their playoff chances greatly with but one match left!
That one match, though, wouldn't be easy, as Avon Oaks/Bay Captain Dave teamed with 3.0 rookie Ben for the third time in a last ditch effort to surpass MVRC into a playoff bound second place spot. Needing a huge win, Captain Dave and Ben had to go for it all, swashbuckling their way in an attempt to get winner after winner after winner, as a close victory just wouldn't be enough for their beloved Avon Oaks/Bay team. AND GO FOR IT THEY DID! With searing shots, all out hustle, and backhand laser winners, Captain Dave and rookie Ben made their team and the fans (Ben's wife and baby) proud, as they gave everything they had in this penultimate match that would determine how much gas money they needed if they had to drive to Streetsboro for the playoffs. In the end, they could save their gas money, for MVRC's John and Phil, two rookies with six wins between them, countered Captain Dave and rookie Ben's hustle with blistering shots of their own, playing fantastic defense and turning it into fantastic offense to thwart the all-out, go-for-broke, play of their counterparts. In the end, John and Phil, now 2-0 together with a combined eight wins between them, not only won the match for themselves, but more importantly, won the match for their team, AND WITH IT PLAYOFF GLORY!
The Avon Oaks/Bay squad, enjoying their second best season ever, could only tip their hat to the MVRC squad, and both sides immediately celebrated the traditional 3.0 way - by being asked to vacate the courts immediately by the Avon Oaks staff. Haha! Tennis respect!
Next up - MVRC Playoffs, Avon Oaks/Bay off-season
Force v. CVAC, 3-0
Singles - Andrew Payerl 6-0, 6-1 v. John Fenner
1st Doubles - Scott Mellino/John Prince 6-2, 6-3 v. Jimmy Heiman/Carl Parker
2nd Doubles - Roger Godin/Adnan Kazazic 6-0, 6-3 v. Jeffrey Spencer/Mike Carroll
Notes - Force, already clinching 1st Place in Flight #1, took on a CVAC team looking to end their 2020 campaign on a high note. That, though, would be difficult, as Force no doubt enjoyed the home court advantage of a ticker-tape victory parade in front of their scores and scores of fans (or the scores and scores of random people at Rocky River Brewing Company)! Tuning up for the playoffs, Force Captain Jeremy put Flight #1 Rookie of the Year candidate Andrew in at 1st Singles, a place he's become very accustomed as his 4-1 singles mark indicates! CVAC Captain John put himself in for his second singles match of the season, but Andrew, with his now well-known huge forehand and well-known strong serve, and in front of the home crowd, enjoyed a Northeast Ohio leading seventh victory, ending his first ever 3.0 campaign 7-1 overall! In 1st Doubles, the best doubles tandem in all of Northeast 3.0 Ohio, Scott and John, took on one of the best up and coming players around, Jimmy and his doubles teammate Carl, in a close contest that ultimately saw Scott and John enter the 3.0 record books with one of the best tandem seasons of all-time (we think) as they ended the regular season an undefeated 5-0 together and, more impressively, 9-0 all-time together, meaning, based on the number-crunching of our DFO Analytics Department, that when these two titans of the doubles courts are teamed together, they almost never lose! Speaking of almost never losing, in 2nd Doubles, record-setting doubles star Adnan just added to his amazing season, as he teamed with recent Canadian migrant Roger, to tie teammate Andrew with a Northeast Ohio tying seventh victory on the season! Indeed, against an impressive effort from Jeffrey and Mike, two players who will no doubt be heard of in the future as CVAC looks towards the 2021 season, Adnan set a Northeast Ohio record with his seventh doubles victory of the season! With their 3-0 team win, Captain Jeremy's Force squad looks to be poised to make some serious playoff noise as the Force Victory Bus heads south (or east? Southeast?) to Streetsboro!
Next up - Force @ District Playoffs, CVAC off-season
Flight #1 FINAL Standings/Records
Club Record IW IL
Force 7-1 19 5
MVRC 6-2 14 10
Avon Oaks/Bay 4-4 12 12
Wembley 3-5 11 13
CVAC 0-8 4 20
Flight #2 Recap
Towpath v. Fairlawn
Singles - Jason Dzik 6-3, 6-2 v. John Chlebina
1st Doubles - John Consilio/Craig Warner 6-2, 6-3 v. Tom Giltner/Dustin Fox
2nd Doubles - Frank Licari/Joseph George 2-6, 3-6 v. Mickey Remen/Timothy Sheahan
Notes - In a match with two teams who already knew their post-season fates, Towpath looked to continue their strong run as they looked to the playoffs while Fairlawn looked to build on what has been a fine season for such a young squad. In 1st Singles, Towpath 3.0 singles star Jason continued to add to his 3.0 resume as he enjoyed another big singles win, this time against one of the best singles players in Flight #2, Fairlawn's John, who was an undefeated 4-0 coming into this match. John, enjoying a fantastic 5-2 season, has nothing to be ashamed of, for Jason, now 6-2 on the season, not only ended the regular season with the most 3.0 singles wins in all of Northeast Ohio, but also is now an impressive 13-3 in all-time 3.0 singles matches! In 1st Doubles, veteran Towpath doubles stars John and Craig took on heralded Fairlawn rookies Tom and Dustin, two rookies making noise for the Doubles Rookie Team of the Year award! But John and Craig, two veterans of the 3.0 courts, ended their regular season 3-0 together, as John, 6-1 overall, also ended the regular season as the Flight #2 leader in doubles wins! Tom and Dustin, though, had a great rookie campaign, going 3-2 together on the year, showing Fairlawn has a doubles tandem that will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come (or until Tom and Dustin's obvious athleticism bumps them to other-worldly 3.5 status, which could be in, like, three days). In 2nd Doubles, Towpath Captain Frank, coming off his career 49th 3.0 victory, teamed with doubles veteran Joseph, against two of the most improved 3.0 players in either flight, Mickey and Timothy! Indeed, Mickey and Timothy, teaming up for the third time this season, won the day, and with it, Mickey tripled his win total from last season while Timothy matched his all-time win total! Congrats to both squads on a fine season, and good luck to Towpath as Flight #2 champions!
Next up - Towpath @ District Playoffs, Fairlawn off-season
Green v. LaTuchie
Singles - N/A 0-6, 0-6 v. Brandon Walch
1st Doubles - Chip Bond/Timothy Griffith 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 v. Timothy Adkins/Jeff Sirak
2nd Doubles - Elbert Enrique/Rob Gonsor 6-1, 6-0 v. Patrick DeMarco/Todd Hofer
Notes - LaTuchie, needing the team win to clinch the Flight #2 2nd place playoff spot, faced off versus a Green team looking to play spoiler! The spoiling, though, got off to a rough start when Green was forced to play one of the worst 3.0 players of all time, N/A, in at 1st Singles. Sadly for N/A, his winless streak continued, but happily for Brandon, he enjoyed his first ever 3.0 singles win - you always remember your first win, Brandon! - and ended his rookie season an impressive 4-1 overall! Thus, with momentum on their side, LaTuchie sent in Timothy, coming off his 15th career 3.0 win, and Jeff, coming off his 10th career 3.0 win, to seal the deal for Team LaTuchie. But in their way stood Green Captain Chip, a 3.0 veteran, and Timothy, a recent 3.0 call-up who was already having a major impact for the Green team despite limited league action. The LaTuchie tandem, though, came out first, and quickly put the Green veterans on their heels to take the first set. However, Captain Chip and Timothy, both league and tournament veterans, know how to handle pressure, and handle it they did, pushing the second set to overtime before emerging victorious and sending the match to a SUPER TIE-BREAK! In the SUPER TIE-BREAK, Captain Chip's leadership combined with Timothy's tournament pressure experience proved to be the difference, and the match was suddenly evened up at 1-1! With the season on the line, LaTuchie faced the unenviable task of going up against Rob, who had played in every single match for Green this season, and Elbert, who as a tandem, were undefeated together! LaTuchie Captain Ronald put in Patrick and Todd,
and while both played valiantly, the combined experience and home court advantage of Elbert and Rob proved to be the difference, giving Green their second team win of the season! And not only that, but with their big upset victory, Green had thrown the playoff picture into absolute 3.0 chaos - which pretty much describes the way any 3.0 match tends to go ... CHAOTIC!
Next up - Both off-season
NCRC v. Paramount Medina, 3-0
Singles - Munir Ahmad 6-3, 6-4 v. Jonathan Glazer
1st Doubles - Benjamin Young/Brian Harry 6-3, 6-4 v. Roderick Yamat/Phil Towne
2nd Doubles - Timothy Booher/Leon Crumpler 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 v. Denny Huff/Michael Sapp
Notes - NCRC, in fourth place coming into the final regular season matchday of the regular season, absolutely needed a huge win for their playoff hopes to have any, well, hope. Standing in their way was a resurgent and veteran laden Paramount Medina club, a team that had been storming up the standings as the season progressed. No doubt hearing about the Green v. LaTuchie result via the numerous DFO media outlets (i.e, me yelling loudly from Avon in the direction of Canton), both clubs no doubt knew that whoever won this match would not only take 2nd place in Flight #2, but also earn a somewhat improbable playoff spot as well (however, to be honest, the likelihood that anyone knew any of the results is probably unlikely, especially since the USTA app takes a bit to load and we didn't write this until after the match, but hey, time travel and what not, so who knows...).
ANYWHO WHAT A BIG MATCH! WINNER TAKE ALL! And by all we mean a free trip to ... STREETSBORO!
In singles, NCRC Captain Benjamin led off with one of the best singles players in all of Flight #2, Munir, while Paramount Captain Phil countered with Jonathan, who was enjoying a fantastic 5-2 season on the doubles courts. Munir, however, a 3.0 specialist on the singles courts, was able to enjoy the singles experience advantage as Jonathan, despite a fantastic career 8-6 doubles record, had the tough task of navigating both the away courts of North Canton and the experience of Munir. In the end, Jonathan put up a fantastic effort, but Munir ended the night with an impressive Flight #2 tying sixth win on the season and an even more impressive 11-4 overall career 3.0 singles mark! More importantly, however, Munir gave NCRC the 1-0 team advantage, and as Tina Turner once stated in the tennis film Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, "Two teams enter, one team leaves!"
Entering the Tennis Thunderdome that is 1st Doubles, NCRC Captain Benjamin put himself on the line, boldly teaming with 3.0 rookie Brian against two of the most successful veterans the 3.0 world (and by "world" we obviously mean "Ohio") has ever seen - Paramount Medina's Captain Phil and the legendary Roderick! Captain Phil, coming off his career 20th 3.0 victory, and Roderick, a veteran of over 17,000 matches at the 3.0 level (our numbers may be slightly off as our 12 year old stole back his calculator)! WOW! What a match! In a back-and-forth tennis battle, Captain Benjamin harnessed his 9-2 doubles record from the previous 3.0 season, and against two of the most successful 3.0 players around, not only won 1st Doubles, and not only guided 3.0 rookie Brian to his first ever 3.0 win, and not only won the team match for his club, but he also clinched the 2nd place playoff spot for his team! Now that's leadership!
Not to be outdone, NCRC rookie Timothy teamed with Leon to take on two fantastic 3.0ers, Denny and Michael, and while but pride was on the line (which was also my high school basketball team's cheer after timeouts because, well, "pride" was about all we had once the game began and we were immediately down by 37 points), Denny and Michael, both who enjoyed fine seasons in which both have recorded a career 30+ 3.0 career wins, forced one of the best rookies in the 3.0 land to a SUPER TIE-BREAK! Timothy and Leon, who won his 15th career 3.0 match by the way, emerged victorious, though, and what a fantastic rookie season Timothy enjoyed, ending the year with a Flight #2 tying best sixth season win!
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! Well, no, there's not ... but there's exactly what we wrote earlier - NCRC was playoff bound! NCRC, with an amazing come-from-behind win in the standings, leap frogged from 4th to 2nd to earn a playoff bound spot and represent all of Canton - North, South, East, and yes, even West - in the playoffs!
Next up - NCRC @ District Playoffs, Paramount Medina off-season
Flight #2 Standings/Records
Club Record IW IL
Towpath 8-2 21 9
NCRC 6-4 16 14
LaTuchie 5-5 17 13
P. Medina 5-5 14 16
Fairlawn 4-6 14 16
Green 2-8 8 22
Conclusion
And just like that ... there were four! What a wild 3.0 ride it's been! Force and Towpath, two traditional clubs with a history of winning, head to the playoffs as the head of their respective classes while MVRC and NCRC jumped several fine clubs to rightfully earn their spots in the playoffs as well! Along the way, several teams and countless players enjoyed fantastic seasons (check out the leaderboard if you don't believe us!), from personal bests to pretend All-Star appearances to fake impending post-season awards! Congratulations to all and good luck to the playoff bound squads as they represent the best low-level tennis the area has to offer!
And just when you thought you got rid of us ... we'll continue posting as the playoffs and post-season awards - that's right, POST-SEASON AWARDS! - are just around the proverbial corner!
And, in the meantime, good luck to those participating in the Green Open Championships! What's that? You want to read about that? You want to read about one of the biggest 3.0 tournament events of the summer? You want to find out how NCRC Captain Benjamin will do? Green's Captain Chip? Newly acquired Green star Timothy? Flight #1 one-hit-wonder Travis? Well, how lucky are you! Read on!
Comments