Cedar Crest senior and No. 3 singles player Ryan Zinn follows through on a volley during the Falcons second round state tournament match at Hershey Racquet Club on Friday afternoon. Cedar Crest suffered a season-ending 5-0 defeat to defending Class AAA state champion Conestoga, but not before adding a few more memories to the most successful season in its history. (LEBANON DAILY NEWS GLEN GRAY)
HERSHEY - Falcon Tennis wasn't just something its members did to kill time for a few hours after school the last two-and-a-half months.

No, sir, it was more of a way of life for the Cedar Crest boys' tennis team, a deadly serious yet hilariously comical way of life all at once.

So when it came time to bid farewell to their thoroughly magical 2012 season, the Falcons made certain they stayed true to themselves to the not-that-bitter end.

Although it was tinged with sadness, the ending of Cedar Crest's remarkable spring campaign - which came courtesy of a 5-0 loss to defending state champion Conestoga in a PIAA Class AAA second round matchup at Hershey Racquet Club on Friday afternoon - was more about good, clean fun, camaraderie and pride than disappointment or despair.

The good, clean fun came in the form of the surprise limo ride the Falcons' top seven players - Weston Fortna, Colin Muraika, Ryan Zinn, Alex Koltun, Henry Overholt, Alex Royer and Colin Easter - were given to Friday's match, and the dapper suits they dressed up in for the trip.

The camaraderie was found in the small army of highly vocal teammates and supporters - highlighted by a fan bus contingent of more than 50 fellow students - that jammed into HRC to cheer on their favorite team while pretty much drowning out all other fan bases.

And finally, the pride came largely from the stubborn competitiveness of heart-and-soul senior leaders Fortna and Zinn, who dropped their individual matches

Advertisement
with an extreme reluctance characterized by a pair of thrilling last stands that came long after the outcome of the team match had been officially decided.

Yes, it's over now. But the spring of 2012 will undoubtedly live in Cedar Crest tennis lore for a long time to come.

"It is sad to see it end, but along the way we had so many memories," Zinn said following his 6-0, 6-4 defeat to Brian Grodecki at No. 3 singles. "I couldn't imagine a better season than this, getting to the top eight

Cedar Crest s No. 2 singles player Colin Muraikia is a picture of concentration as he follows the flight of his serve during the Falcons quarterfinal state tournament match against Conestoga on Friday at Hershey Racquet Club. (LEBANON DAILY NEWS GLEN GRAY)
in the state. We have a great group of guys. 'Unbelievable' would be the one word I'd use to describe it. It's been an awesome ride."

It was a ride that included the first Lancaster-Lebanon League team tennis title in school history, as well as the first trip to a District Three final and a sparkling overall record of 16-3. But it wasn't just those accomplishments that caused head coach Mike Rohrbach to be briefly overcome by tears while discussing Fortna and Zinn's final moments on the court on Friday.

Rather, it was the unique, team-first-last-and-always spirit of the guys who produced said accomplishments that made Rohrbach's eyes moisten for a bit.

"This was such a special group, so they deserved the little extras, the ride in the limo and that stuff," Rohrbach said. "And they did it on their own to get the fan bus, and the kids volunteered to come up. It was just a special group, and it couldn't have been more fun."

"Obviously, we would have wanted it to be more fun (on Friday), but we kinda had a feeling it might be very tough and almost everything would have to go our way. Conestoga's way better. We were just happy to be here and we played well. I hope the guys remember this experience and have fun with it."

As Rohrbach noted, Conestoga - the champion of talent-rich District One in suburban Philadelphia - was simply too much for the Falcons, winning each of the five matches in straight sets to advance to Saturday's semifinals.

No. 2 singles was the first match decided after Jason Sutker topped Muraika, 6-1, 6-0, and the Pioneers quickly followed with doubles wins by Eric Yen and Josh Sutker at No. 1 and Ryan Swope and Chris Bowles at the No. 2 spot. Yen and Sutker downed Koltun and Overholt, 6-2, 6-2, and Swope and Bowles were victorious over Royer and Easter by a 6-3, 6-1 count.

Fortna and Zinn, of course, also fell - Fortna 6-3, 6-4 to Kevin Wang in the most consistently competitive of the matches - but not before delivering a few last crowd-pleasing moments.

Down a set and 5-2 in the second, Fortna rallied to within 5-4 before falling, while Zinn threw himself all over the court throughout the second set until finally running out of steam. But not before saluting the cheering section with a racket clap after match point had come and gone.

"It wasn't looking good in the first set for both of us," Zinn said of himself and Fortna. "Weston's gonna play at the Coast Guard Academy and stuff, but I figured those last few games could be the last of my career, and I wanted to at least go out with everything I had and not leave anything on the table. And I think I did."

"They competed hard, they worked hard," Rohrbach said, speaking both of Friday's match and the season his squad turned in as a whole. "We just ran into a buzzsaw today. It's nice when you get as far as you can and you know you didn't leave anything on the table. We came and did everything we could. I couldn't be happier with this group."

Notes: The Falcons will say goodbye to six seniors who competed in Friday's match. Only Muraika, a freshman, will return next season. Fortna still has some tennis left in his senior year, though. The reigning District Three Class AAA singles champ, Fortna will be in action when the PIAA state singles tourney gets underway on Friday, back at Hershey Racquet Club.