Whether they were earning a victory over a quality opponent, or being a defeated by a close margin versus strong competition, the Ocean City High School boy’s tennis program had no shortage of memorable moments on the tennis courts this past season.
The Red Raiders ultimately finished with six wins this spring.
“Our three best performances of the year were against Middle Township, Vineland and Absegami,’’ Ocean City head coach Tim Kelley said. “Middle Township won (NJSIAA) South Jersey Group 1 and we were able to compete with them, losing, 3-2, in a great match. The second time we played Vineland, our kids really came to play and we were able to beat them, 3-2.
“In our first round (NJSIAA South Jersey Group 3 Sectional Tournament) playoff match, we had a great performance by our doubles teams and our second singles (senior captain Luke Bowman). Luke was down 5-1 in the first set and won six straight on his way to winning the match, which was the deciding factor.’’
Bowman was among the leaders for Ocean City this year.
“Besides our senior captains (Bowman and Rich Flemming), John Lenoir (first doubles) was very impressive this season both in the way that he carried himself in practice and during matches,’’ Kelley said. “John not only leads by example, but he was a positive voice during practice throughout the season. This says a lot about him as a first year player entering the sport as a junior.’’
From underclassmen to upperclassmen, improvements were seen throughout the Red Raiders squad.
“Kraig Redmond (freshman) almost broke into the singles ladder but could not get past the more experienced players in front of him,’’ Kelley said. “His overall game has improved greatly from the beginning of the season and I expect him to continue improving during the offseason and compete for a singles position next year.
“As I mentioned John (Lenoir) is a first year tennis player but has improved greatly since the beginning of the season. His overall understanding of the game and the strategies involved has also improved immensely.’’
The Red Raiders were defeated by Clearview in the quarterfinal round of the South Jersey Group 3 Sectional Tournament. Optimism surrounds the team for 2020.
“We are returning our No.1, No. 3, and three of our four doubles players,’’ Kelley said. “I expect them to put a great deal of work in during the offseason and be ready to improve upon their individual success and team success.
“Thank you to our three seniors-Luke Bowman, Rich Flemming and Sean Roop. Over the past two seasons we were 21-15 and had three playoff wins.’’
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