HS TENNIS: Abington Heights teams earn Class 3A top seeds; Scranton Prep pair is No. 1 in Class 2A
May 17—Tennis players will try again to win gold at the District 2 Doubles Championships that begin Wednesday at Kirby Park and Wilkes University.
Last season's District 2 Class 3A championship team of Sam Christman and Luke Morgan from Abington Heights has split up for this year's tournament. That landed the Comets' teams the top two seeds.
Christman will join forces with Domenic Peters, the team's No. 3 singles player, and that duo earned the No. 1 seed. Sophomore Praneel Mallaiah, last year's District 2 Class 3A singles champion who lost in the semifinals last week, is teaming with Morgan, and that team is seeded second.
Both teams receive first-round byes.
The Class 3A first three rounds are at Wilkes University. Teams that reach the semifinals will advance to Thursday's matches at Kirby Park.
The Class 2A first three rounds are played at Kirby Park on Wednesday, with the semifinals and final at Kirby Park.
After the top two teams from Abington Heights, Wilkes-Barre Area's team of Michael Hamel-Robert Ashford earned the No. 3 seed. Hamel reached the Class 3A final against Valley View's Luke Kotcho, who is not eligible to play in the doubles tournament because of his singles championship.
Berwick's team of Isaac Gerken-Ben Yard is seeded fourth; Delaware Valley's team of Wil Salus-Alex Corcoran is seeded fifth; and Valley View's duo of AJ Tomassoni-Connor Peters is seeded sixth.
In Class 2A, where Western Wayne's Tristan Vivona cannot play after his singles win, Scranton Prep's team of Akhilesh Velega-Ethan Borick is the top seed. Velaga was the 2022 District 2 Class 2A singles champion and the runner-up last week.
Wyoming Seminary's team of Bill Hall-Ansareli Atabayev is seeded second. Hall reached the Class 2A semifinals last week.
North Pocono's team of Patrick Cawley-Fred Kloss earned the No. 3 seed and is followed by Dallas' Lucas Carver-Luca DeRome.
The top four seeded teams receive byes.
Tunkhannock's team of Zack Keiser-Aidan Edwards is seeded fifth; Wyoming Area's team of Luca Argenio-Dylan Stoss is seeded sixth; Dallas' team of Jon Florencio-Mihir Mukul is seeded seventh; and Holy Cross' team of Dhiraj Baniya-David Huester is seeded eighth.
CLASS 3A
Wednesday's First Round at Wilkes, 9
Harold Stella-Luis Vanegas (WB) vs. Joel Castro-Bryan Barbosa (WS); Sam Filip-Gabe Pesce (WAL) vs. Aiden Connell-Murphy Pick (WVW); Patrick Kolcharno-Eddie Lennox (VV) vs. Josh Strohl-Alex Hanas (HAZ); Tanner Osborn-Zhi Sheng Lin (PA) vs. David Longfoot-Peyton Sprague (WVW); Alex Mullen-Christian Perunsky (DV) vs. Drew Sphabmixay-Camron McMillan (WS); E.J. Switzer-Mikey Kaleta (BER) vs. Braiden Fallbright-Sean Rossi (CRE)
Second Round
1-Sam Christman-Domenic Peters (AH) vs. Stella-Vanegas/Castro-Barbosa; Filip-Pesce/Connell-Pick vs. Scott Lenio-Tommy Biscotti (CRE); 5-Wil Salus-Alex Corcoran (DV) vs. Faneel Bhalja-Shrey Patel (SCR); Kolcharno-Lennox/Strohl-Hanas vs. 4-Isaac Gerken-Ben Yard (BER); 3-Michael Hamel-Robert Ashford (WB) vs. Osborn-Lin/Longfoot-Sprague; Mullen-Perunsky/Sphabmixay-McMillan vs. 6-A.J. Tomassoni-Connor Peters (VV); Edward Yanar-Jase Mumie (HAZ) vs. Harrison Kubilus-Parth Patel (SCR); Switzer-Kaleta/Fallbright-Rossi vs. 2-Praneel Mallaiah-Luke Morgan (AH)
CLASS 2A
Wednesday's First Round at Kirby Park, 9
Lukas Runde-Jacob Ohrin (HR) vs. Jason Salio-Blake Warren (MMI); Yicheng Li-Christopher Ramos (SEM) vs. Ethan Garibaldi-Reilly McCullough (NP); Jack McNeff-Thomas Bowen (DUN) vs. 8-Dhiraj Baniya-David Huester (HC); 5-Zack Keiser-Aidan Edwards (TUN) vs. Erald Zyberaj-Alexander Morano (MV); Stephen Parisi-Carter Dolaway (MON) vs. Braidon Kostik-Gabe Cable (WA); Jordan Haviland-Beltron Castrejon (HON) vs. Alex Chapman-Weston Nugent (WW); Leo Martinez-Lewis Smith (HON) vs. Kieran Hinton-Tom Pavlovski (DUN); Derek Muller-Ryan Kadlecik (MON) vs. Connor Buchinski-Karl Strasburger (WW); Reed Floryshak-Xavier Bleiler (MMI) vs. 6-Luca Argenio-Dylan Stoss (WA); 7-Jon Florencio-Mihir Mukul (DAL) vs. David Geyfman-Nathan Woelkers (SP); Christopher Martinez-Connor Straka (HC) vs. Richard Vinansky-Fellipe DoVale (MV); Frank Klimovitz-Mateo Runde (HR) vs. Mark Holovacs-Elijah Goglin (TUN)
Second Round
1-Akhilseh Velaga-Ethan Borick (SP) vs. Runde-Ohrin/Salio-Warren; Li-Ramos/Garibaldi-McCullough vs. McNeff-Bowen/Baniya-Huester; Keiser-Edwards/Zyberaj-Morano vs. Parisi-Dolaway/Kostik-Cable; Haviland-Castrejon/Chapman-Nugent vs. 4-Lucas Carver-Luca Derome (DAL); 3-Patrick Cawley-Fred Kloss (NP) vs. Martinez-Smith/Hinton-Pavlovski; Muller-Kadlecik/Buchinski-Strasburger vs. Floryshak-Bleiler/Argenio-Stoss; Florencio-Mukul/Geyfman-Woelkers vs. Martinez-Straka/Vinansky-DoVale; Klimovitz-Runde/Holovacs-Goglin vs. 2-Bill Hall-Ansareli Atabayev (SEM)
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