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District 1 thwarted in title bids

District 1's singles championship hopes fell short Saturday in the PIAA state boys' tennis championships at the Hershey Racquet Club.

District 1's singles championship hopes fell short Saturday in the PIAA state boys' tennis championships at the Hershey Racquet Club.

In Class AA, Lower Moreland's Drew Hoffmann had to withdraw before the start of the championship match against District 5 champ Peter Riley of Tussey Mountain. Riley was awarded the title on a walkover.

"It was an illness," Lower Moreland coach Jeanette Hausman said. "They said it might have been kind of an electrolyte problem. We're waiting for him to get out of the hospital [Hershey Medical Center], but they said he should be OK.

"The match didn't even start. He tried to go out there, but it would have been criminal to send him out there."

Hoffmann, the District 1 champion, was going after his first state singles title. Last year, he was part of Lower Moreland's state doubles championship team.

"People here were saying that the match against [Ricardo] Saad was the match of the day," Hausman said. "That was a great match."

Hoffmann started Saturday by beating Saad, the District 3 champion from Wyomissing, 6-4, 7-5, in the semifinals.

Saad, a freshman, finished his tournament with a 6-1, 6-2 win over senior Wyomissing teammate Danny Malloy in the third-place match.

In Class AAA singles, Juan Escobar's bid to bring Conestoga a state title was derailed by the District 7 champion, Duke-bound Chris Mengel of Shady Side Academy, who ousted him, 6-1, 6-1, in a semifinal.

Escobar, the District 1 champion, never got a chance to play for third place because he had to withdraw with a back injury.

"It started to bother him a little bit at the end of the match," Conestoga coach Jon Goodman said. "Mengel is a terrific player, very athletic, and has a huge serve."

Third place went to Landen Williams, the District 10 champion from Erie McDowell, in a walkover.

Williams reached the semifinals by beating Council Rock North's David Kazakevich, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, in a Friday quarterfinal. However, his road to a possible state title was detoured by District 7 runner-up Ethan Kallick, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, in a Saturday semifinal.

Council Rock South's Dylan Kady and Norman Patton placed third in the Class AAA doubles.

- Mike Gibson

The Results

PIAA STATE SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS

Class AAA semifinals: Chris Mengel, Shady Side Academy, def. Juan Escobar, Conestoga, 6-1, 6-1; Ethan Kallick def. Landen Williams, Erie McDowell, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

Class AAA final: Mengel def. Kallick, 6-1, 6-0.

Class AAA third place: Williams def. Escobar (default).

Class AA semifinals: Drew Hoffmann, Lower Moreland, def. Ricardo Saad, Wyomissing, 6-4, 7-5; Peter Riley, Tussey Mountain, def. Danny Malloy, Wyomissing, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Class AA final: Riley def. Hoffmann (default).

Class AA third place: Saad def. Malloy, 6-1, 6-2.

PIAA STATE DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS

Class AAA semifinals: Shankar Rajupet and Brad Portnoy, Fox Chapel, def. Dylan Kady and Norman Patton, Council Rock South, 6-3, 7-6, 7-5; Chris Borden and Blake Gregory, State College, def. Matt Slamecka and Will Nesbitt, Butler, 7-5, 6-4.

Class AAA final: Borden and Gregory def. Rajupet and Portnoy, 6-4, 6-3.

Class AAA third place: Kady and Patton def. Slamecka and Nesbitt, 7-6, (7-3), 6-4.

Class AA semifinals: Sean MacAusland and Matt Vanderbosch, Wyomissing, def. Andrew Kanter and Ted Otto, Harrisburg Academy, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4; Zach Simon and Alex Grimm, Wyomissing, def. Thomas Shuttleworth and Jon Knoll, Fairview, 7-5, 6-2.

Class AA final: MacAusland and Vanderbosch def. Simon and Grimm, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Class AA third place: Shuttleworth and Knoll def. Kantor and Otto, 6-3, 6-3.