Jamestown has been the premier team in the Bay Rivers District for the past eight seasons and that trend seems likely to continue this season.
With the Eagles carrying an 81-game district win streak, Coach Bob Artis said his team expects to “dominate” the Bay Rivers District again this year. Jamestown returns four starters from last season and should be poised to repeat as district champions.
Grafton appears the most likely to challenge Jamestown, returning four starters from last year’s 10-2 season, though the Clippers lost 9-0 and 5-0 to the Eagles last season.
York, Tabb and Lafayette should make up the middle of the pack in the Bay Rivers District and will try to keep pace with Jamestown and Grafton.
Warhill and Bruton are coming off what both teams’ coaches described as disappointing seasons. Of the two teams, Warhill has the experience to potentially climb to the middle of the district. Conversely, Bruton is extremely young and returns one player from last year’s team.
Below are previews for the Historic Triangle boys tennis teams, which begin Bay Rivers District play today.
Bruton
Head Coach: James Barr
2015 Classification: 2A Conference 33
2014 Record: 10-4
Players to Watch: Ian Sadler (sophomore), Dylan Shannon (junior), Daanish Fiaz (junior), Will Houghland (freshman)
Season Outlook: Coach James Barr said his team is “definitely” going to undergo a rebuilding year, replacing the top five singles players from last year’s team. Barr said after a two-year stretch of playing solid tennis with a senior-laden group, this year’s team is likely to take a step back. The Panthers are coming off a loss in the first round of the Conference 33 tournament to Maggie Walker. Sadler, who was Bruton’s No. 6 last year, has vaulted to the top of the lineup and will need to show improvement from last year if he wants to compete with the other top players in the Bay Rivers District. Barr said he hopes his team will finish in the middle of the pack within the district, but admits it could be difficult to achieve.
Grafton
Head Coach: Bob Nealy
2015 Classification: 4A Conference 19
2014 Record: 10-2
Players to Watch: Daniel Kang (senior), Kevin Peng (senior), Zeke Tal (junior), Nir Diskin (sophomore)
Season Outlook: Second-year coach Bob Nealy returns four out his top six starters from last year’s team that finished second in Conference 19, but will have to replace the top two players from last year’s team, Allen Tang and Youngbin Kim. Kang is a four-year starter and will move up to the first spot in Grafton’s lineup after playing third last year. Peng will likely be Grafton’s second-seeded player after playing in the fifth slot last year. Tal and Diskin will make up the third and fourth singles slots, respectively. Nealy said his team’s success will depend on improved play from his top four players. A big question mark for Nealy is which players will step up and win the fifth and sixth spots in singles play.
Jamestown
Head Coach: Bob Artis
2015 Classification: 4A Conference 19
2014 Record: 11-4
Players to Watch: Derrick Neilson (senior), Rohan Kohli (senior), Brad Mahaffey (junior), Grayson DeBerry (sophomore)
Season Outlook: Jamestown should continue as the Bay Rivers District’s premier tennis team. The Eagles have won 81 consecutive district matches dating back to March 2006, eight consecutive Bay Rivers District titles and are coming off a Conference 19 championship last season. Jamestown was defeated by Midlothian in the Region 4A South semifinals and hopes to get back to that level this year. Coach Bob Artis said the Eagles expect “without a doubt” to dominate the Bay Rivers District this season. DeBerry, who was Jamestown’s No. 6 last year, has improved his game drastically over the offseason according to Artis and has earned the No. 1 spot on this year’s team. With Neilson, Kohli and Mahaffey returning from last year, Jamestown should once again be the top team in the district.
Lafayette
Head Coach: Archie Jefferson
2015 Classification: 3A Conference 25
2014 Record: 8-7
Players to Watch: Griffin Hurt (junior), Jacob Clark (junior), Bryce Hertzler (junior), John Hughes (junior)
Season Outlook: First-year coach Archie Jefferson is bringing a new attitude to Lafayette boys tennis. Coming off an 8-7 season and a loss to Colonial Heights in the first round of the Conference 25 tournament, Jefferson is looking to instill a winning attitude to this year’s group. Hurt, who played in the No. 5 spot last season, will be the No. 1 player for the Rams this season. Clark cracked the starting lineup last season as the No. 6 player, but will make the jump to No. 2 this year. The remainder of Lafayette’s roster is lacking in-game experience. After practicing and watching tennis videos for six months, Hughes broke his way into the starting lineup at No. 4. Jefferson hopes intense offseason conditioning and a new attitude will translate into wins for this year’s team, but they will have to overcome their overall inexperience to advance deeper into the postseason.
Tabb
Head Coach: Jay Robeson
2015 Classification: 4A Conference 19
2014 Record: 5-6
Players to Watch: Jimmy Qing (junior), Robin Bai (junior), Jake Skubic (senior), Connor Meehan (senior)
Season Outlook: Qing returns as Tabb’s No. 1 singles player and will look to lead the Tigers to a deeper postseason run than last season. Tabb’s season ended in a 5-0 loss to Jamestown in the semifinals of the Conference 19 tournament. Bai, who filled the No. 3 singles spot last season, will play in the same spot this season. Freshman Tyler Hogge has come into the program and earned the No. 2 singles spot. Skubic and Meehan, who played No. 5 and No. 6 singles last season, will fill the same role this year, providing depth to the bottom of the lineup. With four upperclassmen starters returning from last season, Coach Jay Robeson thinks his team will be tough to beat in the Bay Rivers District and Conference 19.
Warhill
Head Coach: Bob Hyatt
2015 Classification: 3A Conference 25
2014 Record: 3-6
Players to Watch: Jackson Cummins (junior), Koby Arnit (senior), Bruce Pauls (junior), Oliver Nix (senior)
Season Outlook: After failing to make the Conference 25 team tournament during what Coach Bob Hyatt called a “disappointing” season, he hopes his team will finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hyatt said Warhill has undergone two rebuilding seasons in a row and thinks this year could possible change the trend. The Lions return their top three singles players from last season: Cummins, Arnit and Pauls. Oliver Nix, last year’s No. 6, will fill the same role for the Lions this year and should provide some depth to the bottom of the lineup. Hyatt is optimistic his upperclassmen can help carry Warhill to a .500 season.
York
Head Coach: Justin Keyes
2015 Classification: 3A Conference 25
2014 Record: 6-4
Players to Watch: Josh McFadden (junior), Walter Buck (sophomore), Denis Liu (junior), David Mollenkamp (senior)
Season Outlook: The Falcons return four starters from last season that ended with a loss to Poquoson in the first round of the Conference 25 tournament. McFadden, who played in the No. 3 spot last year, will lead the Falcons as the No. 1 singles player this year. Walter Buck, whose brother Ethan graduated after serving as York’s No. 1 singles player last season, will once again fill the No. 2 spot this season. Liu and Mollenkamp, last year’s No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, return and will provide depth to the middle of York’s lineup. Coach Justin Keyes said he expects the Falcons to stay competitive in every match they play.
