WEST LONG BRANCH - After
26 years of coaching, there was still one achievement RFH boy’s tennis
coach Don Russell surprisingly could not lay claim to: a Shore Conference
Tournament championship.
“It’s
been a long time coming,” Russell said, as senior second singles player
Clark Maloof closed out a victory over Ocean’s Ryan Singer that polished
off a 4-1 win over Ocean in Wednesday’s SCT championship.
After
losing to Holmdel in the SCT final last year, Rumson earned a second
chance at the title by defeating Toms River North last week in the semifinals.
With a strong singles trio led by seniors Sean Pahler and Clark Maloof,
the Bulldogs were poised to take home the championship.
Rumson’s
first point came with a 7-5, 6-0 win at first doubles from junior Ben
Kelly and senior Evan Steadman over Ocean’s tandem of Dan Katz and
Eric Boden. Down 5-2 in the first set, Katz and Boden rallied back to
6-5 but could not overcome strong net play and good serving by Kelly
and Steadman.
“We
really put everything together today and executed in all aspects of
our game,” said Steadman.
The
next match off the courts was the most anticipated of the day, between
2007 DigitalSports player of the year Mike Lampa of Ocean and first-team
selection Sean Pahler of Rumson. Lampa, who was recently named the number
two seed in the state singles tournament later this year, jumped out
to a quick start, winning the first set 6-1.
Pahler
had several break points on Lampa early in the second set, but the talented
junior’s baseline game proved to be too much for Pahler’s all-court
style, finishing the second set 6-3.
“He’s
a great player, and it’s not easy to beat someone who covers the court
well and almost never misses,” Pahler said.
Lampa’s
win would prove to be the lone point for Ocean on the afternoon. Shortly
after the conclusion of Lampa and Pahler’s match, Rumson third singles
player Greg Bach finished a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Ocean senior Matt
Goldfarb.
“Bach’s
been solid for us all season,” Russell said.
Up
2-1, Rumson earned its clinching point with a big win from its second
doubles team of juniors Mike Richards and Zach Goldstein. Things got
off to a rough start after the two lost the first set 0-6. Once the
two “got the train rolling,” as Richards put it, they posted scores
of 6-2 and 6-1 in the following sets to seal the win for Rumson.
“We
played well, and it feels great to get the win for our team. We struggled
in the first set, but pulled it together and came back and won,” Goldstein
said on their come-from-behind win.
With
the match in hand, all eyes turned to the second singles battle between
Clark Maloof and Ocean junior Ryan Singer. In what seemed like a much
longer contest than the score indicated, Maloof finished off Singer
6-3, 6-2.
The
emergence of Rumson’s doubles teams as strong points has taken the
pressure off their veteran singles lineup.
“Our singles are more experienced, and we have higher expectations
for them,’’ Russell said. “I’m proud of our less-experienced
players at the bottom of the ladder who have come through for us in
close matches.
“This is definitely one of the high points in my coaching career.”
Box Score
M. Lampa (Ocean) d. S. Pahler
(RFH) 6-1, 6-3
C. Maloof (RFH) d. R. Singer
(Ocean) 6-3, 6-2
G. Bach (RFH) d. M. Goldfarb
(Ocean) 6-1, 6-3
Kelly/Steadman (RFH) d. Katz/Boden
(Ocean) 7-5, 6-0
Goldstein/Richards (RFH) d.
Kim/Davis (Ocean) 0-6, 6-2, 6-1