Sewickley Academy favored to capture 14th title in a row
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Whitney Snyder could have taken his lineup card from last season, changed the year and laminated the singles portion to get ready to go for 2017.
Only that’s not how he does things at Sewickley Academy.
“At some point you have to set up a system where people earn their spot,” Snyder said. “I don’t believe in the free- pass method because I believe that creates favoritism.”
Even though he has the reigning WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A champion in senior Luke Ross, he still had to play No. 2 Sam Sauter for his spot. Sauter also had to play Ryan Gex to see who would be the No. 2 or the No. 3 singles player.
All three have had their individual successes.
Ross, a Georgetown recruit, already has won two WPIAL individual singles titles and could become the first to win three since John Houghton of Quaker Valley from 2001-03. He also has the potential to be the first WPIAL tennis player to successfully defend a state singles championship since Mt. Lebanon’s Jack Waltz, who won three in a row from 1961-63.
His toughest competition, though, could come from within his own section as Cleveland State recruit Luke Phillips, the 2015 WPIAL champion who won the year Ross took off to train in Florida, was the WPIAL and PIAA runnerup last season. Phillips also battled a shoulder injury throughout last season, but knows Ross extremely well as the two train together and he could make a run at his practice partner.
Gex, too, has an opportunity to make history this season as well. If, as expected, he competes in the WPIAL doubles tournament. If he wins, he will become the first player in either classification to win doubles title all four years.
He also plays on the Sewickley Academy golf and hockey teams.
“As a senior and the kind of kid he is, he is just so humble and team orie n t e d , ” Snyder said. “Every sport he plays, he’s good at.”
Of course, individual accomplishments only help strengthen the team outlook and no squad has had a better run in recent years than the Panthers. As heavy favorites, Sewickley Academy can win its 14th consecutive WPIAL Class 2A team title, which would put the program all alone in second place behind Bethel Park swimming (1981-2000) for the most consecutive championships in any sport in WPIAL history.
“I enjoy the present moment and I’m not trying to win anything,” Snyder said. “If you just focus on your current group, all the other stuff you’re chasing takes care of itself.”
Class 3A
Fox Chapel waited a long time to finally stand at the pinnacle of Class 3A as the school won its first team title last season. Though the Foxes are somewhat revamped this year, they will have sophomore Robby Shymansky once again in the No. 1 singles slot.
Shymansky lost in the WPIAL semifinals to teammate Siddharth Rajupet, but qualified for the state tournament and made it all the way to the finals before losing to Michael Dickson of Downingtown East.
Dickson, a Butler recruit, is back this year and is the No. 2 senior in the state, while Shymansky is the No. 1 sophomore.
“I don’t think about that too much,” Shymansky said. “I just do my best to win every match and try to have as much team success as we can.”
North Allegheny also brings back a state champion in Richard Hofmann, who teamed with Jared Isaacs to win the PIAA Class 3A doubles title in 2015 and came in second to Joe and Matt DeMarco of Cathedral Prep last year. This season, Hofmann will take over as the Tigers No. 1 player and will try to help the team win its first title since 2009.
Shady Side Academy also failed to make it to the team finals for the first time since 2009, but should have a tough lineup once again, while Upper St. Clair, led by junior Kevin Kwok, could also make a run to the finals.