Tennis preview: Celebration team to beat in OBC

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Tennis preview: Celebration team to beat in OBC

Sports

Friday, 26 February 2010 08:47

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
Celebration’s boys and girls have an opportunity to sweep Orange Belt Conference titles this year with talented rosters.
The districts have changed, with Osceola and Gateway teaming with several east coast teams in 4A-8. Celebration, Liberty, St. Cloud and Harmony are grouped in 3A-13, while Poinciana competes against several Polk County teams in 2A-8.
Celebration
Coach Bob Tripp has all-conference talent on both the boys and girls rosters.
Returning for the boys is senior No. 1 singles and doubles player Juan Cruz, the Osceola News-Gazette Player of the Year last season.
Cruz’s brother, freshman Richard Cruz, joins the team and will play No. 3 singles and team with his brother at No. 1 doubles.
“Richard is just as good as Juan when Juan was a freshman,” Tripp said.
A new addition is junior Tyler Young, who won the No. 1 state singles championship in New Jersey last year. He will play No. 2 at Celebration.
Seniors Clay Lustywallis and Angelius David, junior Elijah Lewis and freshmen Andrew Malek and Luis Penagos will all vie for playing time.
The girls defend their conference championship with No. 1 singles player Gabby Walton returning. Junior Ana Gupta will join Walton in No. 1 doubles and play No. 3 singles. Freshman Alexandra Stephan moves to No. 2 singles and doubles, where she will team with freshman Kelsey Scurlock.
Senior Michelle Watson and junior Yuka Moribe round out the top five singles players.
Senior Jennifer Diaz, junior Courtney Taulbee and sophomore Maria Caicedo-Arias also join the roster.
Harmony
Coach Maryann Moss has one of the best and smartest teams in the county with the Harmony boys.
Each senior already has received an academic scholarship, and the team GPA is 4.0. They aren’t bad on the court, either, where seniors Evan Diaz de Arce, Austin Egan, Alex Hart, Conner Bowen and Broderick Hicks will challenge Celebration for the team title.
“We are in a new district (3A-13) this year, so we don’t know what to expect,” Moss said. “But, we deal with things as they come. We say, ‘Bring ‘em on!’”
Tanner Clark, a senior, is injured but may soon return to the lineup.
The girls team, under Coach Tracey Carpenter, also will challenge for the conference championship.
Her roster includes Deanna Williams, Chrissy Amrhien, Anna Blanchard, Kathryn Ingler and Erin Lewis.
Addison Hickey and Lauren Grego team in doubles, and Adrienne Roberts and Brianna Stacy form the Lady Horns other doubles unit.

St. Cloud
Coach Dallas Kelsey wants to add a ninth Orange Belt Conference title in 11 seasons to his team’s resume, but the Bulldogs, the defending champs, are a team without a home as their courts were demolished during the school’s reconstruction.
“We don’t practice,” Kelsey said. “It’s a problem, one that hopefully will be worthwhile when the new courts are completed next season.”
Kelsey said the team would play most of its home matches at Lakeside.
Competing for the Bulldogs are senior Andrew McKay, junior Oliver Evans, senior Davison Kirchmyer, sophomore Ryan Bender and senior Andres Catamo, a beginner that Kelsey recruited a month before the season started.
“Andres is doing great, he won his first two matches (at No. 5 singles),” Kelsey said.
Sophomore Patrick Gaines and freshman Stephano Brizio round out the squad.
Coach Tim McMullen’s girls team returns junior Amanda Pence, the News-Gazette Player of the Year last season, but McMullen lost all-county player Kendall Barber, who transferred to an Orlando school.
Also returning are senior Katie Lopez and sophomore Haley Glasscock.
Foreign exchange students Annika Luoma and Jennifer Kaiser round out the roster.
Gateway
Coach Aaron Foley returns to lead a boys team that includes Tony Origer, Joshua Serano, John Powers and Cody Keller.
“They are a veteran team that is looking to make an underdog run to the regionals,” Foley said.
The girls team includes Sara Wu and Dorcas Negron.
“They are looking to make a splash in the OBCs this year after a very good showing last year,” Foley said.
Liberty
Boys Coach Jennifer Sims believes the Chargers will have a good season thanks to talent like No. 1 Nick Leach, a junior, with two seasons of varsity experience.
Joining him at No. 2 is freshman Adewale King. Rounding out the singles lineup at No. 3 is sophomore Kevin Gomez; No. 4 is senior Andrew Sanchez and No. 5 is freshman O’Neil McCleod.
“I think we’re going to have a pretty solid season. We’ve had a lot of rain, so March will be pretty busy,” Sims said.
Elisa Arrighini coaches
the girls team, which in-
cludes Catherine Carranza, Jaysmarie Cintron, Joline Desruisseaux, Asha King, Rashel Oramas, Rebecca Phillippe, Gemma Perez, Amanda Rosa, Antonella Scarpatti and Christina Valentin.
Osceola
Coach Solomon Morain has one of the top players in the county in sophomore Paul Gursky, who will play No. 1.
“He is a great player and we expect great leadership from him this year,” Morain said.
Senior Travis Kessol is No. 2, while newcomer Joey Petino, a junior, will play No. 3. Irving Bedoya and Keith Deetz round out the top five.
Joseph Sams and Deion Barrios also are on the roster.
Girls Coach Megan Benner has a top five that includes Amber Stickel, Kristen Ackley, Kelly Ackkerman, Amanda Moraguez and Kristina Alvarez.

New Dimensions
Coach Paul Surko has five players returning from the school’s first girls team last year: No. 1 Sasha Thompson, Tiana Bisnath, Marja Gillette, Ellena Germain and Johanne Joseph.
Also on the roster are Beatrice Marte, Jessie Maldonado and Susie Reyes.
There is no boys team.