Freshman Christina Harrington toppled two-time county champ Michele Jordan in the finals to help Severna Park win the county tournament.
Kevin Zingler was undefeated the last two years at singles play, but partnered with Ben Rosenthal to win the county crown in boys doubles.
by Evan Roe
eroe@digitalsports.com
For the last three years, the Severna Park High School tennis program has had little difficulty dispatching its Broadneck rival in the regular season.
The trouble for the Falcons has come in postseason play, specifically the Anne Arundel County tournament, where they had fallen to Broadneck in two consecutive seasons.
On Tuesday, they weren’t ready to make it three, topping the Bruins, 48-41, on the strength of three victories in the five title matches—girls singles, boys doubles and mixed doubles.
“We came in with a strong team in the finals and consolation finals, and now it’s looking like we’ve wrapped it up,” Severna Park coach Kathy Zingler said after watching her freshman Christina Harrington down two-time county champ Michele Jordan.
The 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2 victory was her second three-set win over the Broadneck ace this year, a lengthy affair that didn’t conclude until well after the other championship matches had ended.
“Christina knew it was going to be a tough match, so it was good for her to pull out in the third set after losing the tiebreaker in the second set,” said Zingler. “She kept her aggressive style, but she was smart throughout. She played her game.”
Harrington took the first set, but Jordan fought back to go up 4-1 in the second. But the freshman wasn’t about let the set go quietly, forcing it to a tiebreaker, which Jordan won, 8-6. The match continued at a high intensity, but Harrington was just too much.
“That was great tennis. Christina is quite a player and so is Michele, but one had to win and one had to lose. It was outstanding tennis,” said Broadneck coach Mike Hudson.
After dominating opponents in county singles contests the last two years, including a 7-5, 6-4 regular season win over eventual champ Stephen Woody, Kevin Zingler paired up with Ben Rosenthal for the county tournament.
“It’s senior year, so we just want to see how far we can go in the state tournament,” said Kevin Zingler, who partnered with Rosenthal during the winter.
He and Rosenthal, one-half of the duo who advanced to last year’s state semifinals, were overwhelming in the latter part of a three-set win over previously undefeated Zach Hare and Brian Sachtjen of Broadneck. The Severna Park duo dropped the first set, 4-6, but rebounded to win the final two in convincing fashion: 6-0, 6-0.
“We got out to a bit of a slow start, but after that set was over, we got all the nerves out and turned up to play how we usually play,” said Kevin Zingler. “In the first set they had it, but then we won the first two games and it was like a snowball effect.”
Severna Park’s Shelley Wilke and Matt Balleza beat Broadneck’s Victoria Handlin and Eric Pedersen, 6-2, 6-3, for the mixed doubles crown. The Falcons also had third-seeded Alex Paugels and Erica Johnson contending for the girls doubles title, but they fell to Arundel sisters Amy and Jenny Olson.
“Basically, every single match this year, they’ve had a pretty easy time,” said Arundel coach Wesley Baker. Tuesday’s match was no exception.
The sisters made winning look easy, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 victory. It is the second straight year the girls have gone undefeated through the regular season and county tournament.
“They are terrific tennis players,” Baker said. “They play year round and they compliment each other on the court and even off the court. They’re the best of friends with each other. It was a very expected win.”
Their win was the only finals match not to go to Severna Park or Broadneck, as the Bruins’ Stephen Woody breezed past Annapolis’ Morgan Joyce in boys singles, 6-1, 6-2, for Broadneck’s only title.
Woody fell to Joyce in his first match, 7-6, 6-4, just days after finishing his wrestling season with a second-place finish in the 4A-3A East region. But he wasn’t worried, and didn’t lose again until he faced Severna Park’s Zingler in his seventh match.
“I was a little rusty in the beginning of the season, but I’m starting to pick it back up again,” said the home school-transfer who had hoped for a rematch with Zingler. “I figured I’d come out as hard as I could, because he usually picks it up at the end. I figured I’d get him quick.”
“He works so hard and he’s really passionate about his game,” Broadneck’s Hudson said of Woody. “He’d stay after practice, play matches after practice—just a real joy to coach. You know that when you see kids like that, they’re going to rise above the rest.”
Annapolis’ Roxy Alban, who Jordan upset in the semifinals for the right to face Harrington, defeated Arundel’s Jess Grim 6-1, 6-1 in the consolation final to claim third place in girls singles.
On the boys side in the consolation match, Severna Park’s Patrick Rice, who has played as Rosenthal’s doubles partner most of the year, defeated teammate Aaron Littlejohn, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Siblings Alex and Maggie Banks helped Broadneck take third in both boys and girls doubles, as well. Alex partnered with Jon Coe to dispatch Severna Park’s Jake Solyst and Andrew Athans, 6-1, 6-1, while Maggie and Danielle Felton beat Sevenra Park’s Hannah Fasick and Cayla Chandler, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
The mixed doubles consolation match was the only one of ten contests on the day that didn’t feature a contender from either Broadneck or Severna Park, who combined to win 89 of the tournament’s 174 points. Instead, South River’s Andy Harris and Heidi Landmann combined to beat Meade’s Sam Cabrerra and Mikayla Jackson, 7-5, 7-6.
“We knew coming into the season it was going to be between us and Severna Park,” said Hudson. “I knew today everybody was going to have to play outstanding tennis, and we did play good tennis; they just played a bit better.”
Individual Results (Top Four):
Boys Singles
1. Stephen Woody (BN) def. Morgan Joyce (AN); 6-1, 6-2.
2. Morgan Joyce (AN).
3. Patrick Rice (SP) def. Aaron Littlejohn (SP); 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
4. Aaron Littlejohn (SP).
Girls Singles
1. Christina Harrington (SP) def. Michele Jordan (BN); 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2.
2. Michele Jordan (BN).
3. Roxy Alban (AN) def. Jess Grim (AR); 6-1, 6-1.
4. Jess Grim (AR).
Boys Doubles
1. Kevin Zingler and Ben Rosenthal (SP) def. Zach Hare and Brian Sachtjen (BN); 4-6, 6-0, 6-0.
2. Zach Hare and Brian Sachtjen (BN).
3. Alex Banks and Jon Coe (BN) def. Jake Solyst and Andrew Athans (SP); 6-1, 6-1.
4. Jake Solyst and Andrew Athans (SP).
Girls Doubles
1. Amy Olson and Jenny Olson (AR) def. Alex Paugels and Erica Johnson (SP); 6-0, 6-1.
2. Alex Paugels and Erica Johnson (SP).
3. Maggie Banks and Danielle Felton (BN) def. Hannah Fasick and Cayla Chandler (SP); 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
4. Hannah Fasick and Cayla Chandler (SP).
Mixed Doubles
1. Matt Balleza and Shelley Wilke (SP) def. Victoria Handlin and Eric Pedersen (BN); 6-2, 6-3.
2. Victoria Handlin and Eric Pedersen (BN).
3. Andy Harris and Heidi Landmann (SR) def. Sam Cabrerra and Mikayla Jackson (ME); 7-5, 7-6.
4. Sam Cabrerra and Mikayla Jackson (ME).
Team Results:
1. Severna Park…48 points
2. Broadneck……41
3. Annapolis…….18
4. Arundel...…….14
5. South River…..13
6. Old Mill………10
7. Chesapeake……6
8. Meade…………6
9. Glen Burnie……5
10. Northeast………5
11. Southern……….5
12. North County….3