Morgantown, Linsly Lead OVAC Tennis After Day 1

GLEN DALE – Dover and Morgantown have made the OVAC ‘Big School’ tennis division a two-team race, while Linsly tops the ‘Small School’ field after the first of four days of competition on the John Marshall courts. Action continues Tuesday with boys’ singles, with the girls taking to the courts Wednesday and Thursday for doubles and singles action, respectively. Action starts at 8:30 each morning.

In case of inclement weather, matches will be moved to the Wheeling Park Bubble.

In boys’ doubles action, the Mohigans defeated the Tornadoes in two of the three matches to take a 11-10 edge in team scoring.

They were deadlocked at nine entering the finals. A team is awarded one point for each match it wins. Morgantown is the defending team champion.

Morgantown prevailed at No. 1 as the team of Andrew McClellan and Solas Chhin-Kreiner topped Dover’s duo of Gabe Pavick and Jeremy Cappell by an 8-1 count. The top-seeded Mohigans breezed to the finals with 8-0, 8-0 and 8-2 victories, while the Tornadoes upset the No. 2 from University in the quarterfinals (8-4) and the second-seeded Linsly team in the semis (8-3).

At No. 2, Morgantown’s second-seeded duo of Max Chen and Max Warner teamed to knock off the No. 1 team from Dover of Arden Klaiber and Lake Van Sickle, 8-6. The Mohigans had won their previous three matches by identical 8-1 scores.

Dover finally pulled a match out at No. 3 as the team of Max Banbeck and Nathan Ricker upset top-seeded Amari Knights and Ronan Rogers from Morgantown, 8-3. Banbeck and Ricker were unseeded and won 8-0 in their semifinal match against Linsly’s Matt Shanley and Jaxon Milam as upsets ruled the bottom half of the bracket.

Linsly leads the ‘Small School’ with six points. The Cadets are seeking their fourth consecutive title.

Cambridge and Weir both have two.

Linsly has won 13 straight girls championships.

Scoring is as follows:

BIG SCHOOL

1. Morgantown 11; 2. Dover 10; 3. Parkersburg South 4; 4. Marietta; 5. (tie) John Marshall, University and Wheeling Park 2; 8. (tie) Brooke, Steubenville 0

SMALL SCHOOL

1. Linsly 6; 2. (tie) Cambridge and Weir 2; 4. (tie) East Liverpool and Steubenville Catholic 1; 6. (tie) Indian Creek, St. Clairsville and Wheeling Central 0