Recent snowstorms have done a number on spring sports practices.
That definitely rings true with the 2007 Bradford High Owls tennis
team, who as of Tuesday had yet to find outside practice time on
the courts.
The courts were cleared last Thursday, however Friday’s storm
made the open surface a memory before the team got a chance to use
it.
“I can tell just so much from being in the gym,” commented Owls
coach Mark Sherman. “We are a very athletic team, but we need to
get outside to hit the ball.”
The 14-player squad is led by seven returning letterwinners and
does not include any freshmen, which puts experience in the
strength column for the Owls.
The letterwinners include the three senior members – Doug Rose,
Alex Woods and Jeremiah Stiable – as well as juniors Adam Feura and
Corbin Lounsbury and sophomores Shawn Disney and Patrick
Morrisroe.
Rounding out the team will be juniors Nick Rhinehart and Bryan
Hannon and sophomores Zach Kinney, Zach Frombach, Stephen Tingley,
Quinton Quick and Steve Cavagnaro.
“Adam Feura, Doug Rose, Shawn Disney and Alex Woods are going to
be our horses,” noted Sherman. “We are going to go as they go, and
if they start fast out on the track in tennis, I think we will be
very successful. The burden lies on those four.”
Feura, Rose, Disney and Woods will handle the top four singles
matches, while Stiable or Hannon will be at fifth singles. The rest
of the team will rotate into the four doubles matches.
Sherman says it is hard to tell how this year’s team will fare
when compared to last year’s results.
“Last year we went 7-4, but we really came on strong at the end
of the year,” noted Sherman. “We challenged St. Marys to the team
title and lost 3-2.”
Bradford will face St. Marys in Dutch Country on April 3.
The Owls open the season March 29 as they host the Elk County
Catholic Crusaders.
“Elk is always tough against us,” Sherman observed. “We were
very fortunate last year beating them twice. I know their coach and
I know their program. They are going to be prepared.”
Bradford also plans to work Warren into its schedule, in
addition to the 11 regular season matches already set. The match
may be scheduled closer to districts, which are slated for sometime
in early May.
Despite issues with the weather and no access to court time,
Sherman is looking forward to a good season.
“I really like the make-up of this team,” Sherman said. “It can
be a special team, but we have a lot of work ahead.”
