THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603300094
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 23 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
Expect more of the same on the Southeastern District boys tennis scene this season, with the league's three power teams separating themselves from the pack early, then fighting among themselves for the championship.
Either Great Bridge or Western Branch have won the past nine district titles, and Churchland, the last team besides those two to win the league, is the only other team since 1986 to qualify for the Eastern Region tournament.
One of these teams figure to capture the crown again after a district race which figures to be the region's most competitive - and hardest to call. The defending champion Wildcats have the best player, but lost the most through graduation. The Bruins are missing a three-time district champion, but still have quality depth. And the Truckers graduated their top two, but should have a more balanced team.
Deep Creek, where coach Anne Pitt has quietly built a strong foundation, and Indian River could also contend.
Elsewhere in the area, Cox is loaded this season and looms as the prohibitive favorite in both the Beach District and the Eastern Region. Maury is still the best in the Eastern, and Lafayette should continue leading the way in the Peninsula.
Southeastern District at-a-glance
Top player: David Bristow, Great Bridge. Top returning player: Bristow. Top newcomer: Scott Graves, Western Branch. Best name: Chip Channel, Churchland. Top team: Great Bridge. Most improved team: Indian River. Predicted order of finish: 1. Great Bridge; 2. Churchland; 3. Western Branch; 4. Deep Creek; 5. Indian River; 6. Oscar Smith; 7. Wilson; 8. Norcom.
Breakdown of district teams:
GREAT BRIDGE Last year's record: 10-1, 7-0
Key players: David Bristow, Jr.; Josh Verdin, Sr.; Wil Godwin, Jr.; Jason Harvey, Sr.; Mike Montalvo, Jr.; Keith Sullivan, Sr.
Outlook: The defending champions are without four of last year's top six, but the talent level only dips so far in this part of Chesapeake. A lot of practice during the offseason should ease the move of Godwin, Harvey and Montalvo in the starting rotation and Verdin seems ready to move up from No. 6. Then there's Bristow, who's only the league's best player. The Wildcats expect to be peaking by May; the only problem is that a showdown with Western Branch comes much earlier.
CHURCHLAND Last year's record: 6-4, 5-2
Key players: Nathan Pzesko, Jr.; Farid Cuffee, Sr.; Andy Jordan, Sr.; Tuan Hoang, Sr.; Eric Sumner, Sr.; Eric Fox, So.; Chip Channel, Sr.
Outlook: The Truckers' top two from a year ago have moved on, leaving Pzesko as the No. 1 man. Cuffee, Jordan, Hoang, Sumner and Fox will fight for positions behind Pzesko, with Channel, Ben Velez and Jason Radford battling for the last starting spot. Motivation shouldn't be a problem. Churchland narrowly missed the district's second berth in the regional tournament last year, as the Truckers' No. 2 doubles team served for the match with the team score tied at four against Western Branch but couldn't hold on and fell in three sets.
WESTERN BRANCH Last year's record: 6-2, 6-1
Key players: Skip Williams, Sr.; Scott Graves, Fr.; David Barton, Jr.; Ted Lee, Sr.; Brian Schollhammer, Sr.; Demir Kvestic, Sr.
Outlook: The graduation of 1995 Eastern Region and three-time district champion Frankie Graves leaves an obvious void, but the Bruins should still have enough depth to battle for a regional berth. Williams will move up from No. 3 and Scott Graves, Frankie's brother and one of the league's few impact freshmen, should grab the No. 2 slot. Kvestic is a foreign exchange student from Croatia.
DEEP CREEK Last year's record: 4-5, 4-3
Key players: Josh Asble, So.; Mike Holley, Sr.; Chris Fox, Sr.; Ryan Gettier, So.; Darrick Jenks, Sr.; Steve Kelly, Jr.; Josh Jenks, Jr.
Outlook: The Hornets are without three of last year's top six, but may be able to withstand those losses thanks to the return of nine players with varsity experience. Asble, who had a winning record at No. 2 as a freshman, moves into the No. 1 slot. Kelly, a transfer from Catholic, adds depth.
INDIAN RIVER Last year's record: 1-8, 1-6
Key players: Mike Askew, So.; Matt Bedois, Jr.; Marc Bedois, Jr.; Tim Manning, Sr.; Jeff Pierce, Fr.; Adam Boyles, Fr.; Doug Bell, Jr.
Outlook: Askew, No. 2 last season, looks ready to claim the top spot over incumbent No. 1 Manning. Meanwhile, the arrival of freshmen Pierce, Boyles and Bryan Lieberman seems to have lighted a fire under returners Bell and the Bedois brothers. There's a lot of competition within the squad, and coach C.J. Cornell seems enthusiastic. Keep an eye on these guys.
OSCAR SMITH Last year: 5-6, 3-4
Key players: Brandon McReynolds, Fr.; Curt Thaxton, So.; Terrence Stubbs, So.; Greg Williams, So.; Tyrone Williams, Sr.; Anthony Heim, Fr.; James Benn, Fr.
Outlook: No team was hit harder by graduation losses than the Tigers, who are without all eight members of last year's team. Coach Sandy Williams says his newcomers are enthusiastic and hard-working, which is sort of like the guy who describes a blind date as being intelligent and having a nice personality. The Tigers don't expect to win much this year, but history shows that players who come out for Williams' teams often stick around a few years. If that happens with this group, look for Oscar Smith to contend by 1998.
WILSON Last year's record: 3-6, 2-5
Key players: Andy Thomson, Jr.; Mike Ellis, So.; Robert Smith, Fr.; Aaron Cross, Fr.; Ryan Duncan, Fr.; Ryan Wimberly, Fr.; Tim Reardon, Jr.
Outlook: The Presidents lost six of last year's top eight to graduation, have no seniors and only two players - Thomson and Ellis - with appreciable tennis experience. Coach David Littlefield's comment: ``We will be competitive.'' Littlefield must know something the rest of us don't.
NORCOM Last year: 0-9, 0-7
Key players: Michael Ponds, Jr.; Kuchumbi Hayden, Sr.; Timothy Forbes, Jr.; Leonard Barrough, Sr.
Outlook: Bob Wright is a first-year coach of the Greyhounds, rebulding around a primarily junior-senior squad. by CNB