Triton Netters Top Whitko

LARWILL - The Whitko boys tennis team continued to struggle on Thursday, dropping a match with Triton. The Trojans won 4-1 as Whitko's Justin Roman snatched the only win of the afternoon for the Wildcats.

Roman, playing in the No. 1 singles spot, defeated Art Blackmer 6-1, 6-2 despite breaking his racket in the middle of the match.

"It seems like Roman always plays above his normal level," Whitko head coach Fred Lucas said. "And he wins. Breaking his racket makes no difference in his game."

"Blackmer has definitely played better days," Triton head coach Greg Fawley said.

Triton won the other four matches in straight sets, but Whitko had chances to keep it close.

Triton's Josh Heck won a tight match over Nate Allen 7-5, 7-5 in No. 2 singles. After winning a tiebreaker in the first set, Schuyler Stutzman and Nick Heckaman took the first five games of the second set against Eric Lee and Nick Hamill on the way to a 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles.

Winning those close sets and not folding under the pressure was something that did not go unnoticed by Fawley.

"It's definitely a nice thing to see," Fawley said. "It's something that we have probably had more practice with, because most of our matches usually go three sets. Very few times do we win where it's lopsided. That's something we condition for, so I expect them to be able to last three sets if need be, or at least, to battle the entire match."

In other action, Triton's Adam Heckaman defeated Nathan Haywood 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3 singles. Also, Justin Staublin and Kent Roberts won 6-4, 6-1 over James Hoffman and Greg Neher at No. 2 doubles.

"Overall, I thought we did really well," Fawley said. "They were scrapping for the ball. There is still some room to grow. Heck looked pretty good today. He was making his opponent play his game and he looked more impressive than normal. The No. 1 doubles team started clicking. This is their first win. It's a new combination that I played with. With only two seniors, I think we're going to be real competitive for the rest of the season. We're still young and learning."

Lucas also had some positives to take out of this match despite the fact that the Wildcats have just two match wins in 15 attempts this year, both from Roman.

"We're a team of juniors with no experience," Lucas said. "We just need match experience. It's as simple as that. We're learning as we go. Whether we'll learn in time to do anything this year, that's a very big question. Nate Allen fought his way back and played very well in the second set. He was in that match the entire way."

Whitko (0-3) will be at Rochester on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Triton (4-2) will host Valley on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

TRITON OVER WHITKO 4-1

Singles

No. 1 - Justin Roman (W) def. Art Blackmer 6-1, 6-2

No. 2 - Josh Heck (T) def. Nate Allen 7-5, 7-5

No. 3 - Adam Heckaman (T) def. Nathan Haywood 6-1, 6-4

Doubles

No. 1 - Nick Heckaman and Schuyler Stutzman (T) def. Eric Lee and Nick Hamill 7-6 (7-4), 6-1

No. 2 - Justin Staublin and Kent Roberts (T) def. James Hoffman and Greg Neher 6-4, 6-1