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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
BUNKER HILL — The sweat bees were everywhere at Maconaquah High School for the Braves’ home boys tennis match Wednesday, but it might have been visiting Rochester that made the most buzz.
Tanner Reinartz and Brady Morgan rolled to wins in their singles matches, and the doubles teams of Wade Bowers and Harrison Dunwoody at No. 1 and Carter Merideth and Ashton Musselman at No. 2 also rolled as the Zebras earned a 5-0 triumph.
No. 3 singles player Jack Reffett won by forfeit due to Maconaquah’s lack of numbers.
Rochester is 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the Three Rivers Conference.
Maconaquah only has six players in their program – three freshmen and three sophomores.
Reinartz, a senior, handled Jack Gochenour 6-3, 6-0 to improve to 6-0 at No. 1 singles.
While Reinartz might be most well known for his serve-and-volley style, it was Gochenour who attacked Reinartz with some serve-and-volley tactics of his own.
Reinartz countered by showing off an ability to hit his forehand both inside-out and crosscourt.
“With the forehand, he can put the ball about anywhere on the court, which is a huge asset,” Rochester coach Mason Heyde said. “He knows when to get to the net. He knows when you go to the guy’s backhand. He understands the game, and that makes it much easier for him.”
Morgan topped Jude Callane 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 singles. Morgan trailed 1-4 in the second set before winning five straight games to close it out.
“I just changed the way I was swinging at the ball,” Morgan said. “I didn’t try to hit the ball as hard. … I just tried to control it and get it in and let him make all the mistakes, and then that really wasn’t working, so I just tried to hit the ball hard again, and then it started working again.”
Morgan said he plays against Reinartz almost every day at practice. He said that just warming up with Reinartz has made him better, though he continues to work on his backhand, saying he still hits it off the frame too often.
A broken arm curtailed his 2023 season, but he came back this season wanting to play singles after playing doubles his entire varsity career.
“I just thought that I could do better at singles than doubles, and then I don’t like having to rely on a teammate all the time,” Morgan said. “I just like knowing that it’s my mistake all the time – me being lazy or me doing something dumb.”
Morgan was asked about being 5-1, and he reflected on the loss to Triton and being “really nervous” in his match, which he lost in three sets.
“I think I hate losing more than I like winning,” Morgan said. “I’m just thinking about that. That’s always in the back of my head. But I think we’re playing pretty well as a team. I think our lineup’s pretty good.”
Bowers and Dunwoody whitewashed Zach Duke and Owen Woolever 6-0, 6-0.
“Harrison’s athletic and long for his size,” Heyde said. “He’s got a good reach, so that helps. Really, both doubles teams last weekend at John Glenn (Invitational), we five-ohed both teams (John Glenn and Knox), and it wasn’t a hole I think. … Both doubles teams started clicking last weekend, so that was good. They were working better as a team. They were knowing where to hit shots. They were hitting the shots they needed to hit, not just back to the guy at the net, not just hitting lobs over the top. They’re starting to move the ball around and work well as teams.”
Merideth and Musselman beat Clay Christopher and Ayden Selleck 6-2, 6-1.
Results: Rochester 5, Maconaquah 0
Singles
Tanner Reinartz (RHS) def. Jack Gochenour (MAC), 6-3, 6-0
Brady Morgan (RHS) def. Jude Callane (MAC), 6-3, 6-4
Jack Reffett (RHS) won by forfeit.
Doubles
Wade Bowers-Harrison Dunwoody (RHS) def. Zach Duke-Owen Woolever (MAC), 6-0, 6-0
Carter Merideth-Ashton Musselman (RHS) def. Clay Christopher-Ayden Selleck (MAC), 6-2, 6-1
Rochester 3, Twin Lakes 2 (Aug. 26): Reinartz won in straight sets at No. 1 singles, and both the Bowers-Dunwoody and Merideth-Musselman teams also won as the Zebras edged visiting Twin Lakes 3-2 on Aug. 26.
Reinartz handled Cole Woodley 6-2, 6-2. Bowers and Dunwoody beat Austin Robertson and Brayden Rodriguez 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1 doubles. Merideth and Musselman beat Dane Losciewicz and Ellis Losciewicz 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2 doubles.
Morgan lost to Josh Kaufman 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles, and Reffett fell in a third-set super tiebreak to Ben Pampel at No. 3 singles.
Rochester also won the JV match 2-0.
This was a late addition to the schedule after the LaVille match was canceled due to LaVille’s lack of numbers.
RESULTS: ROCHESTER 3, TWIN LAKES 2
Singles
Tanner Reinartz (RHS) def. Cole Woodley (TL), 6-2, 6-2
Josh Kaufman (TL) def. Brady Morgan (RHS), 6-0, 6-0
Ben Pampel (TL) def. Jack Reffett (RHS), 6-4, 4-6, (10-7)
Doubles
Wade Bowers-Harrison Dunwoody (RHS) def. Austin Robertson-Brayden Rodriguez (TL), 6-4, 6-4
Carter Merideth-Ashton Musselman (RHS) def. Dane Losiewicz-Ellis Losiewicz (TL), 6-2, 6-1
JV RESULTS: ROCHESTER 2, TWIN LAKES 0
Doubles
Jesse Smith-Landon Weaver (RHS) won 8-5.
Jackson Frounfelter-Hunter Kamp (RHS) won 6-3.
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