Douglas earns semifinals

Eagles come back from 3-0 deficit, win 4-3

Douglas rallied past Spanish River 4-3 on Wednesday night to reach Thursday’s semifinal round of the Florida high school Class 4A boys tennis tournament.

TheSharks (17-0) seemed poised for victory Wednesday night when they claimed a commanding 3-0 lead.

Spanish River’s tandem of Michael Heller and Keaton Allwardt defeated Evan Bynoe and Jonathan Dzung inNo. 1 doubles.

The performance byHeller, who transferred from Cypress Bay, left Douglas coachRobert Bryant in awe.

“[Michael] Heller was hitting balls like a magician out there. Some of the shots that kid was hitting were magical,” Bryant said. But that magic didn’t last. Douglas got wins from Jabari Cole, Taylor Streda and Jonathan Dzung to tie the match at 3. In the final match, between the two teams’ top players, Bynoe defeatedHeller in a tiebreak to give the Eagles the win.

Douglas (14-1) will face Miami Palmetto at 8 a.m. Thursday.

Pine Crest, Heritage girls advance

American Heritage-Delray’s girls tennis team cruised to a 4-0 victory over Lemon Bay, while Pine Crest swept Tampa Robinson at Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry on Wednesday.

The two teams will meet in the 2A semifinals Thursday morning.

Stallions coach Brian Schliefer is looking forward to playing in the next round despite his team’s previous experience against Pine Crest.

“Pine Crest beat our girls in the regular season, so we’ll have our hands full,” Schliefer said.

Pine Crest coach Alessio Mollo believes the Panthers are ready for any challenge.

“The depth of our lineup has led to continued success in season and post-season matches, including our regional final win against Gulliver, leaving the team ready for what's to come,” he said.