Kingston sights set on OCIAA success
Tigers expect to be in the mix to claim OCIAA crown
KINGSTON, N.Y. >> Kingston High’s boys tennis team will have four days of outside practice when the Tigers take to the courts for their season opener today.
“That 24-inch snowstorm (March 14) was a punch in the gut to not just us, but all the spring sports. It kind of put us behind the eight ball,” said Kingston coach Mark Wyncoop, whose team should see mostly sunny skies for the opener at Goshen.
The Tigers are home, weather permitting, on Friday against Minisink Valley.
Being confined in the George Washington Elementary School gymnasium for the better part of three weeks has left the longtime veteran coach going with his instinct and knowledge in determining the lineup.
“I’ve spoken to the kids about the process and there’s really only one or two spots that are up in the air,” he said Tuesday. “I’m trying to be as fair as possible and give preference to the person who played in that spot last year, so the person who is vying for that spot really has to show that they’re significantly better in the time that we had. Hopefully tomorrow (Wednesday) we’ll have an opportunity to do that and we’ll see.
“I have an idea where I’m going, but I have to look at them
one more day, see how they move together and how they communicate. I’ll put them in some situations and see how they react.”
The Tigers lost three players from last year’s 10-3 squad. Liam Rodden, who played second singles, graduated. The second doubles team of Matt VanVliet and Sam Feeney chose not to return.
Junior Michael Esposito, No. 1 singles in 2016, is vying with last year’s No. 3 Bradley Hack, a freshman, for the top singles spot. Junior Andre Janums moves up from fourth singles to third. Wyncoop was leaning toward eighth-grader Keith Denarie in the No. 4 slot.
The first doubles team of juniors Logan Shippee and David Trott anchor that part of the lineup. The duo, undefeated last year, begin their fourth season together.
As for the rest of the doubles?
“We’ll see. We don’t have a lot of experience coming back,” Wyncoop said.
The only other returning player is junior Balthazar Loglia. The newcomers are senior Michael Liu, junior Carlos Perez, plus freshmen Andre Gutierrez, Sander Janums and Ano Taziva.
“Always, for years, our strength was our depth,” Wyncoop said, “but when Sam and Matt didn’t come back here, that depth took a hit. We’ve got three or four guys that are just beginners. We’ll just have to go with what we see what best fits.
“Nothing is set in stone. If we need to change as the season goes along — you don’t like to do that too much, especially after the first few matches — if we see something is not working out, we can change them.”
Kingston was 6-2 in the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Division I in 2015. Newburgh went 8-0 in the division and 11-1 overall, losing only to (12-0) Cornwall. Both those programs are solid again.
Next week will be a test. The Tigers are at Cornwall Tuesday and host NFA Thursday.
“Newburgh is the team to beat, for sure,” Wyncoop
said. “They have basically their whole singles lineup back. They’re going to be difficult.”
“What we have is enough to compete for a championship,” he said. “I can see a similar record to last year.
“We’re solid with our first three singles and the first doubles. We’ll play Cornwall, which will be good, but they (Trott and Shippee) may not lose again this year.
“That’s four solid spots,” Wyncoop noted. “However, a lot has to fall into place. No. 1: We have to stay healthy. No. 2: We have to have guys step up into roles and embrace that and be willing to compete.
“You want guys out there that are going to battle, to compete. I think I have a couple of guys out there that will do that when they get into the mix.” SCHEDULE March: 30, at Goshen; 31, MINISINK VALLEY April: 4, at Cornwall; 6, NEWBURGH; 18, at MonroeWoodbury; 20, PINE BUSH; 25, at Middletown; 27, WASHINGTONVILLE May: 2, at Newburgh; 4, MONROE-WOODBURY; 9, at Pine Bush; 11, MIDDLETOWN All matches are 4 p.m. starts. Home matches are in CAPS.