The Nature Coast boys may have entered the Class 2A, District 7 tennis tournament as the defending champs, but there was reasonable doubt over whether they would leave the same way.
But when the two-day event held at Zephyrhills High and nearby Zephyr Park came to a close on Wednesday, the Sharks were once again atop the team standings, scoring 16 points to best Crystal River with 13.
“I’m thrilled. It was unbelievable the way we played. I definitely didn’t expect it,” Nature Coast boys coach Tom Brown said. “We lost to Crystal River early in the year. It’s nice to get a little bit of revenge. We’ll probably play them again (in regionals). The next one will be the big one.
“We were in the final in every single spot. When you make the finals in all seven spots, that’s pretty big.”
Two of the Sharks’ players captured their finals. Sophomore Roger Sniffen took first place at No. 2 singles, defeating Crystal River’s Andrew Allen, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 10-5. Sniffen, the top seed, received a first-round bye and then beat Hernando’s Jacob Argoncillo in Tuesday’s semifinals, 6-3, 1-6, 11-9.
“The first day I was definitely feeling good, but I only played one match,” Sniffen said. “The second day it was a slow start. I was tired, I woke up early. I moved my feet a lot. I kept thinking that was the most important thing for me to do, so I wouldn’t get tired on my feet, I’d get to every single ball. That was the biggest difference.”
Senior Mark Cabahug, who likewise was a top seed and automatically advanced to the semifinals at No. 5 singles, knocked off Ryan Reese of Citrus on Tuesday, 6-3, 6-3, and Isaac Vincent of Zephyrhills on Wednesday, 6-2, 6-4.
“It’s pretty great, especially since it’s my senior year here,” Cabahug said. “I think I did better on the first day. The second day it was all perseverance for me. Making sure I focused on the ball, trying to get my serves in and going point by point.”
Hunter Schwefringhaus lost in the No. 1 singles final to Jonathan Judy-Hansen from Zephyrhills, 6-0, 6-0, while Alec Priede fell at No. 3 to Crystal River’s Spencer Parker, 6-1, 5-7, 11-9. Carter McNamara went down at No. 4 against Trent Stukes from the Pirates, 7-5, 6-2.
Hansen and Wesley Purvis beat Schwefringhaus and Sniffen in the No. 1 doubles finale, 6-2, 6-1. Parker and Stukes upended Cabahug and Hotchkiss at No. 2, 6-1, 2-6, 10-7.
Thanks to the district crown, the Sharks will host a regional semifinal next Tuesday.
“It means a whole lot,” Sniffen said of the team’s repeat. “We won last year. To do it back-to-back, it’s a great accomplishment.”
The Nature Coast girls are also headed to regionals, but it remains to be seen whether it will be as a district champion or runner-up. The Lady Sharks tied with Crystal River at 13 points and the two teams will play a tiebreaker on Thursday, at Bicentennial Park in Crystal River starting at 3:30 p.m.
“They played really well,” Nature Coast girls coach Kristine Brown said. “They did a great job playing the ball. I’m very pleased with it.”
Sierra Remondelli, a sophomore, topped Crystal River’s Tess Redrick to win a district title at No. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-0, after beating Weeki Wachee’s Brooke McMurray the previous day, also 6-0, 6-0.
At No. 4, junior Mackenzie Vraspir captured her Tuesday semifinal over Brooke Bryant from Citrus, 6-2, 6-2, and Clare Redrick from Crystal River in Wednesday’s final, 6-1, 6-1. Those same four clashed in the title match for No. 2 doubles, with the Lady Sharks earning a 6-0, 6-1 nod.
Beatrice Roseus reached the final at No. 5 singles, losing to Crystal River’s Bibi Marquezi, 6-4, 7-5.
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.