The tennis season is already underway. Be sure to check our Scholastic Scoreboard for all of the latest.
Annville-Cleona Dutchmen
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3
Head Coach: Michael Hall, 2nd season
Key Returning Players: Samuel Domencic (Jr.); Alec Verhagen (Sr.); Jared Hostetter (Sr.); Henry Waldhausen (Sr.)
Key Losses: Simon Domencic
Outlook: Last season was Coach Hall’s first at the helm of the Annville-Cleona Boys Tennis program. The Dutchmen competed hard throughout, while being matched up against some of the best teams in District 3 (with Lancaster Country Day finishing 2nd in the State). The biggest bright spot was the play of the Domencic brothers (Simon and Samuel) who lost in the second round of the District 3 doubles competition in three sets to a the eventual winners, a pairing from Lancaster Catholic. Simon Domencic, who is now graduated, finished 4th in the L-L among all #1s last season. Despite losing their top player, there is much hope that the Dutchmen will continue to build upon what they did last year, as the players proved to their new Coach that they have potential and the drive to compete. It helps that they have four returning starters who worked hard during the off-season and they are looking forward to the challenge of again facing some top tier talent throughout the regular season.
Cedar Crest Falcons
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1
Head Coach: Phil Rader, 1st season*
Key Returning Players: Ryan Glover (Sr.); Charlie Robbins (Sr.); Rocco Shkreli (Sr.); Benjamin Sheffield (Jr.); Austin Heibel (So.); Viseth Meng (So.); Jozef Shkreli (So.); Isaac Wolfe (So.)
Key Losses: Garrett Muraika, Sam Malay, Micah Zeisloft
Outlook: This is going to be a season of change for the Falcons, as Coach Mike Rohrbach is not returning after having years of success that culminated with his 200th win last season. However, with six of the seven players returning from the Crest team that placed 2nd in the Lancaster Lebanon League and 3rd in District 3, most people will not notice that there was a coaching change. Among the returning players are: Rocco Shkreli – LL League All-Star, LL doubles champion and 3rd in singles last season; Viseth Meng – Section 1 all-star, ’22 LL semifinalist in singles and doubles; Charlie Robbins– Section 1 all-star. In addition to the top three, the Falcons boast a deep bench of talented players who will be competing for key roles on the team. Additionally, Coach Rader is in his first year on the boys’ side, yet he is not a stranger to the head coaching ranks, having previously coached the girls’ team for four seasons. Look for Cedar Crest to continue its winning ways this season.
ELCO Raiders
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3
Head Coach: Chris Gyorke, 1st season
Key Returning Players: Anthony Long (Sr.)
Key Losses: Jaydon Grumbine, Trevor Spang
Outlook: The Raiders graduated their top two singles players from last year, Jaydon Grumbine and Trevor Spang, leaving last year’s #3 Anthony Long as the team’s new top player. Due to the graduation of their top players, ELCO will be lacking the game experience that many of their opponents have. Also new is Chris Gyorke the new leader of the team, a long-time boys’ assistant and head girls’ tennis coach. Coach Gyorke will be working to get his players as much experience as possible, as quickly as possible, so that they will be competitive this season. The roster overall has nine seniors out of the thirteen players, which means that any success this year could turn out to become a good recruiting tool to fill next year’s roster.
Lebanon Cedars
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2
Head Coach: John Shott, 1st season
Key Returning Players: Antonio Scarmuzzino (Sr.); Braulio Reyes (Sr.); Cohen Meyer (Sr.); Dominic Folmer (Sr.); Oscar Barrios (So.)
Key Losses: Kameron Uffner, Luke Collins, Adrian Cruz, Giovanni Lugo
Outlook: In 2022, the Cedars finished the season with a respectable 6-8 record. They return to the courts in 2023, having lost a lot of talent and senior leadership to graduation. However, the group that will replace that group does have a high level of talent and a desire to compete hard. The one issue with which they will have to deal is the lack of match experience. If they can close that gap, this group will be a tough match-up, much like they were a season ago.
Northern Lebanon Vikings
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3
Head Coach: Matt Berdinka, 9th season total
Key Returning Players: Austin Brown (Sr.); Grady Stichler (Sr.); Hudson Brown (Jr.); Riley Clinger (Jr.); Zane Smoker (So.)
Key Losses: None
Outlook: Coach Matt Berdinka returns as the head coach of the Vikings for the first time since 2015, as he looks to capitalize on a well-balanced roster that includes several experienced players, several of which are multi-sport athletes. There is a chance that this unit could surprise several teams in a very solid Section 3. If they are able to do that, there is a chance that Northern Lebanon could finish above the .500 mark.
Palmyra Cougars
Mid-Penn Conference – Keystone Division
Head Coach: Abbie Mahaffey, 12th season
Key Returning Players: Aidan Mahaffey (Jr.); Tyler Mahaffey (Jr.)
Key Losses: Aidan Mark, Nolan Ciesielka, Cole Heisey, Othello Vida
Outlook: The Palmyra Cougars had a very memorable 2022 campaign, one which the team finished the regular season undefeated before winning the Mid Penn Championship and then going on to finishing 2nd in District 3 and making it to the State semifinals where they lost to the eventual champion, Lower Merion. In addition to the success of the team as a whole, it was twins Aidan and Tyler Mahaffey who stole the show throughout the season. The talented pairing put together a postseason run that ended with them being crowned as PIAA State Doubles Champions. As individuals, Aidan was the Mid Penn Singles Champion, beating Tyler in the finals. Both brothers are back, ready to repeat the success they had during their sophomore seasons. Beyond the State Champs, the Cougars are returning Casey Heisey (Jr.) and Mitchell Wise (Sr.), who both played varsity last season. While they need to replace several key players from last year and are facing some early season growing pains, there is a feeling that this year could witness a similar level of success as ‘22 to an extent.
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