NHS Boys’ Tennis Squad Proves Something In Defeat

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s boys’ tennis team may have lost its first match of the season this Monday, falling 5-2 at Weston High, but the Nighthawks proved something to their coach in the defeat.

“I was proud of our performance. We proved we could go head-to-head with the conference’s best,” said Newtown Coach Marty Margulies, adding that his top two singles players came through with tremendous performances. “Cam McCleary and Tyler Ruefenacht played the tennis of their lives in beating Weston’s top two, and the two other singles matches were closely contested. They could easily go the other way if the schools meet again in the playoffs.”

It all depends on how the rest of the regular season unfolds, but it’s possible Newtown and Weston could clash in the South-West Conference championship match. The tennis playoffs get underway May 17 with semifinal round matches, and the conference team title match is set for May 21, with the individual tourney on May 23 and 24.

Against Weston, at No. 1 singles, McCleary defeated Cameron Hagen 6-2, 6-2 and at second singles, Ruefenacht won 7-6, 6-2 over Oscar Morris. Sean Elliott fell in a hard-fought third singles match with Jon Lipsitz, 7-5, 6-4. At fourth singles, Ricky Fuentes pushed Jack Lawless to three sets but, after winning the first set 6-2, fell 6-2, 6-3.

In doubles play, the No. 1 team of Yossi Kohrman-Glaser and Keaton McCleary fell 6-2, 6-1 to David Freeman and Henry Morris. The second doubles team of Mason West and Adam Oelberg lost 6-3, 6-2 to Jacob Griesman and Ben Smith. The third doubles duo of Nick Klein and Charlie Poarch lost 6-3, 6-0 to Nico Zirn and Robin Willis.

The Nighthawks had won eight straight matches to begin the campaign, culminating with a 7-0 triumph over visiting New Milford on May 3. Margulies noted that the boys squeezed in the match between rain drops. The win over New Milford does not count in the conference standings since the Nighthawks defeated the Green Wave earlier in the season in the designated SWC match.

Cam McCleary, Ruefenacht, Kohrman-Glaser and Elliott all won at singles. In doubles play, Fuentes, and Keaton McCleary at No. 1; Oelberg and West at No. 2; and Wes Morlock and Mike Dutsar at No. 3 all prevailed. Cam McCleary and the top two doubles teams all had to fight to three-set wins and the other matches each lasted the minimum two sets.

Newtown is scheduled to have a potentially tough test with Joel Barlow of Redding on Friday, May 11 at 3:45 pm at home. The match was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed because of rain.