By Kyle LoJacono
The 2011 Wiregrass Ranch boys tennis team reached the state tournament for the first time in the program’s five-year history, but the Bulls playoff march ended April 18 in Altamonte Springs.
Wiregrass Ranch lost its Nos. 1-4 singles and Nos. 1 and 2 doubles first-round matches. No. 5 player Daniel Helfrich, a junior, won his opening match 6-2, 6-3, but lost his next contest 6-0, 6-0.
Despite the early exit, Bulls coach Dave Wilson, who has been the only coach in the program’s history, thinks the experience will serve his young squad well in the future.
“We went with the mentality of winning the whole thing, but unfortunately we got some tough draws early,” Wilson said. “I think it’s been a learning experience for us now and next year we should bring back everyone but Spencer (Ong) and go after it again. The others now have more experience and will know what it is like next year”
Ong was the Bulls No. 2 player this year and is the only senior on the roster.
“The one that hurt was when Spencer lost,” Wilson said. “We all took a little bit of a mental hit I think when he lost because he’s done.”
Wiregrass Ranch No. 1 player Courage Okungbowa, a sophomore who moved to the area from Virginia, had a perfect record in singles play before the Class 3A state event. He drew the second-seeded William Neuner from Pensacola Washington, losing 6-4, 6-2.
Ong was matched up against Lakewood Ranch’s Arnav Mohanty and lost 6-2, 6-0. Bulls No. 3 Eric Busch, a junior who moved from Texas, lost to Gainesville’s Peter Feliciano 6-2, 6-3. Rounding out the top five, No. 4 player Jaime Feliciano, a sophomore who moved from Puerto Rico, dropped his match to Barron Collier’s Jorge Vargas 6-2, 6-0.
The Bulls won their second straight district championship this year, the fourth consecutive season they have reached the regional tournament. They also won the first regional championship in program history and were the only Pasco County squad to reach the state tournament.
“We got some new players to add to the ones we had from last year’s team that reached the regional finals,” Wilson said. “I knew we’d be really good this year and I’m very proud of what the kids did. We want to make this a regular thing, getting to the state tournament, and hopefully before long, we can have one of those state championships for ourselves.”
–All results as recorded by the Florida High School Athletic Association.
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