Andy Warrener
Laker/Lutz News Correspondent
The Wiregrass Ranch boys and girls tennis teams continued their dominating ways by sweeping the Class 4A-District 5 tournament April 2-3.
The boys team won Nos. 1-3 singles and both doubles titles to earn 18 points, besting runner-up Plant City by three. The girls took the Nos. 1 and 5 singles and No. 1 doubles events to score 15 points, one better than Plant City.
For the boys it is their third straight district championship, while it is the first for the girls program in the school’s six-year history.
Wiregrass Ranch and Plant City faced off in every final except for the girls No. 1-3 singles and No. 1 doubles; a total of 10 of the 14 events. The Bulls didn’t blink under the pressure.
“We’ve played in bigger matches than this,” said boys coach Dave Wilson, who led his squad to states a year ago. “We feel comfortable in these positions.”
Boys No. 1 Courage Okungbowa and girls No. 1 Star Makarone cruised through their individual brackets. Makarone, a freshman, didn’t yield a single game, while Okungbowa, a junior, only dropped two, both in the final. Neither ace had their serves broken during the two-day event.
Courage strolled through individual matches, but he and doubles teammate Eric Busch ran into stiff competition in Plant City’s Harrison and Spencer Hesek in the No. 1 final. The boys took the first set 6-4, but needed a 7-5 tiebreaker to take the second.
Courage’s younger brother, Foresight, also won the No. 4 final.
One of the hottest contest finals came at No. 2 when Wiregrass Ranch’s Koustubh Ramesh defeated Plant City’s Spencer Hesek 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
“I was starting to lose my service game,” Ramesh said. “I tried to just stay calm, play tennis. … In the third set after I broke his serve to go up 4-3 I knew I was able to win.”
Bulls senior Jaime Feliciano also had a tough battle with Plant City’s William Keel for the No. 3 final, winning 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. Feliciano had waltzed into the final but hit the wall in his first set.
“I was thinking, what am I doing,” said Feliciano. “I got scared of losing points after I dropped that first set.”
A pair of freshmen clinched the district crown for the Wiregrass Ranch girls. Makarone teamed with Tiffany Garner to win the No. 1 doubles final against Newsome’s Savannah and Alaina Ewing 6-1, 6-2.
Makarone, who has yet to lose a singles match while in high school, was just deadly from the baseline, at the net and the service line.
“Star is a great asset to the team this year,” said Wiregrass Ranch girls coach Jewell Fye. “She encourages her teammates, helps motivate them.”
Senior Jordanyné Fye, Jewell’s daughter, claimed the No. 5 final 6-3, 6-1.
Wiregrass Ranch hosts Wharton in both the boys and girls regional semifinals on April 10. The boys play at 11 a.m., while the girls start at 3 p.m.
