District 3 tennis tournament: YAIAA doubles teams fall just short

HERSHEY >> The Dallastown duo of John Schmitt and Tyler Lillie were the final YAIAA pairing on the court Friday at Hershey Racquet Club, on the first day of the District 3 doubles tournament.

Their day included a first-round victory in the Class AAA bracket over Lukas Olsen and Christian Miles of Ephrata, before ending in defeat in the quarterfinals to a homestanding pair from Hershey, Dante Falcucci and Jake Jastrezewski. The Trojans' duo ended the Wildcats' run with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat.

York Catholic's Michael Andrews and Scott Bartkowiak also moved into the second round of play at HRC on Friday with a 7-6(5), 6-4 win over P.J. and Peter Greenbaum of Boiling Springs before departing 6-0, 6-0 at the hands of the top seeds in Class AA, Elco's Adam Bahney and Galen McNaughton.

Three other York-Adams entrants suffered first-round defeats: Elliot Diehl and Michael Peck of York Suburban (AA), Trojan teammates Dan Lee and Tyler Abenschoen and Gavin Kenny and Ben Sentz of South Western (AAA).

Schmitt and Lillie looked sharp in their opening-round win over Ephrata, but ran into a tougher draw in the AAA quarterfinal with Falcucci, Hershey's heralded freshman, and the veteran Jastrzebski. The Trojans garnered a break at 4-all in the second set, then held to close it out.

"They're a real good team (Hershey) and we went out and tried to play well," Lillie said. "It's a little different here (inside HRC) than playing outside, where we played most of our season. There's no air, so the serves are a little harder and a little tougher. They're harder to get back and it threw me off a little bit, trying to get them back.

"They held their serves and they broke us more and that's how it happened."

Hershey coach Linda Till knew her players held a distinct physical advantage – height, which includes wingspan.

"Both of our guys, being tall, they know to get to net," Till said. "They have the ability to change up speeds so if they get there and have to run back they can. They work well together."

York Catholic's tandem of Andrews and Bartkowiak ran into an on-point buzzsaw in McNaughton and Bahney following an impressive, if elongated, opening-round triumph.

"I just think our energy picked up," Elco's Bahney said of their match with the Irish, trying to dissect the expedient match. "That's how it usually goes, for me anyway. The more matches you play when you get out there, the more comfortable and mobile you feel."

South Western's Kenny and Sentz dropped a 6-2, 6-0 match to Lower Dauphin's Josh Carl and Beck Wiles in a AAA first-round clash. LD's pair later advanced to the semifinals with a win over Cocalico.

Suburban's Diehl and Peck gave Middletown's Harry Kapenstein and Eric Belles a three-set trial before the Blue Raiders prevailed 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3. Teammates Lee and Abenschoen fell to the No. 3 seed in ClassAA, Wyomissing's Dan Trifoi and Alphonse Bongbong, by a 6-0, 6-0 count.

District 3 Doubles Tournament

Class AAA

Friday's results First round

(1) Jonah Buczewski-Todd Weiner, Ex, def. Mike Gruver-Joey Stiles, NO, 6-4, 6-1

Jack Fowler-Ben Wirth, MT, def. Aiden Henken-Ryan Seibert, CD, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3

(4) John Schmitt-Tyler Lillie, Dt, def. Lukas Olsen-Christian Miles, Ep, 6-4, 6-2

Dante Falcucci-Jacob Jastrzebski, Her, def. Calvin Athey-Jacob Curtin, Hemp, 6-2, 7-5

Conner Martin-Austin Noll, Co, def. (3) Brenden Thiry-Michael Brophy, Wil, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3

Josh Carl-Beck Wiles, LD, def. Gavin Kenny-Ben Sentz, SW, 6-2, 6-2

Nick Tull-Marko Resetar, CCr, def. Quentin Smith-ReidHoff, GM, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4

(2) Griffin Clark-Dan Ansel, MT, def. Mile Nagle-Berk Uras, CuV, 6-1, 7-6 (3)

Quarterfinals

(1) Buczewski-Weiner, Ex, def. Fowler-Wirth, MT, 6-0, 6-4

Falcucci-Jastrzebski, Her, def. Schmitt-Lillie, Dt, 6-3, 6-4

Carl-Wiles, LD, def. Martin-Noll, Co, 6-2, 6-2

(2) Clark-Ansel, MT, def. Tull-Resetar, CCr, 6-2, 7-5

Class AA

Friday's results First round

(1) Adam Bahney-Galen McNaughton, ELCO, def. Pat White-Zack Miller, Wyo, 6-3, 6-1

Michael Andrews-Scott Bartkowiak, YC, def. P.J. Greenbaum-Peter Greenbaum, BoS, 7-6 (5), 6-4

Harry Kapenstein-Erc Belles, Mid, def. (4) Elliot Diehl-Michael Peck, YS, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3

Tom Paganelli-Cristen Melendez, Fw, def. George Hempt-Sean Palmer, Tri, 6-2, 6-2

(3) Dan Trifoi-Alphonse Bongbong, Wyo, def. Dan Lee-Tyr Abenschoen, YS, 6-0, 6-0

Logan Gouse-Gabe Petrovich, EP, def. Patrick Cook-Grant Conway, LC, 6-1, 7-6 (5)

Noah Zern-Ben Morral, Don, def. Ross Pilloid-Kyle Zeller, BC, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (6)

(2) Sebastian Pena-Drew Kopan, LCD, def. Adam Yingling-Zack Kiick, Get, 6-3, 6-0

Quarterfinals

Bahney-McNaughton, ELCO, def. Andrews-Bartkowiak, YC, 6-0, 6-0

Paganelli-Melendez, Fw, def. Kapenstein-Belles, Mid, 6-1, 6-4

(3) Trifoi-Bongbong, Wyo, def. Cook-Conway, EP, 6-4, 6-4

(2) Pena-Kopan, LCD, def. Zern-Morral, Don, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2