Shorthanded Dragons Topple Red Devils

Despite not having its top two players, the Lake Placid boys tennis team managed to come away with a hard-earned 5-2 win over Avon Park on Thursday at the South Florida Community College courts.

The Class 2A-District 9 win improved the Green Dragons to 2-4 on the season.

"I'm very pleased that we were able to win without our top two players," said veteran Lake Placid coach Dennis Berard. "We had to play some guys at different positions and they stepped up and did a great job of competing under pressure.

"That's what being a team is about and I couldn't be prouder of the guys."

Lake Placid junior Michael Sweat got things rolling by outlasting Avon Park's Josue Garcia in a marathon match at No. 1 singles by scores of 7-6, 5-7, 11-9, while Green Dragon junior Andreas Berg cruised past Nolan Jahna at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-2.

"Michael's match took two and a half hours and he did a great job of hanging in there and winning a very tough match," said Berard. "Andreas moved up and played solid and our depth really came through for us.

"Avon Park is a young team and they have improved a lot from the beginning of the season."

At No. 3 singles, Red Devil Mitchell Guerndt eased past Lake Placid's Evan Chaput, 2-6, 6-4, 11-9 and Green Dragon freshman Jacob Underwood defeated Kyle Jahna at No. 4 singles by scores of 6-0, 6-2.

Avon Park won No. 5 singles in a forfeit and Lake Placid's Sweat and Underwood won No. 1 doubles over Garcia and Jahna, 8-3, while Berg and Chaput won No. 2 doubles, 8-4.

"You can only play the guys that make the trip," Berard said. "Seeing the guys respond to the adversity and playing with this kind of effort makes this an extra special win."

Despite the loss, Avon Park's young squad continues to show improvement with each match.

"I'm proud of the kids because they battled hard in every match," said Red Devil coach Lucky Dixon. "You never like to lose, but the kids are doing the best they can and they show improvement every time they step on the court.

"We're going to take our lumps early this year, but we have the potential to be pretty good if we keep working hard and keep at it."

Avon Park hosts district rival Sarasota Booker on Tuesday, while Lake Placid is back on the court at Sebring on Tuesday.

The tennis match between the Avon Park and Lake Placid girls teams was cancelled and will not be made up.