BOYS' TENNIS: Rosewood shuts down Spring Creek

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 10, 2017 10:01 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Lowell Smothers charged toward the net.

Chase Bartlett took a step forward and lobbed a shot over Smothers, who raced toward the baseline. Somehow, he chased it down and with his back to the net, hit a blind shot that dropped in play on Bartlett's side of the court.

Bartlett hit another short ball.

Already a good two paces behind the line, Smothers couldn't track it down.

Point Bartlett.

That play was just a microcosm of Rosewood's quiet, but convincing 9-0 conquest of county rival Spring Creek in the Carolina 1-A Conference opener for both teams Thursday afternoon.

The Eagles (4-2 overall) started three freshmen, two sophomores and one junior against the Gators. Each emerged victorious in straight-set fashion on a sun-splashed afternoon that included a dash of early-spring pollen which unceremoniously floated through the cool air.

"I can't say enough (about) how proud I am of our freshmen this year so far," RHS head coach Daniel Baynes said. "They have really stepped up to aid our overall performance. Our juniors have really stepped up their practice and preparation for matches."

Bartlett defeated Smothers 6-2, 6-2. Second-seeded Collin Pendergraph fended off Elias Soto 6-4, 6-2.

Teammates Jacob Smith, siblings Cole and Kyle Matthews and Seth Wiggins combined to lose just four games in eight sets. Wiggins posted a shutout at the No. 6 singles flight.

"A big improvement over last week when we played Rosewood," SC head coach Jason Buchtmann said. "We've got a lot of youth on our team...lot of underclassmen. We're getting more experience, more confidence and I think it showed today.

"(Lowell and Elias) really came to work, were hustling for the ball. Lowell started off slow, really picked up the pace and battled...was all over the court."

Rosewood collected doubles points from the tandems of Bartlett-Pendergraph, Smith-Wiggins and the Matthews. Smith-Wiggins survived an 8-5 tussle against the Gators' No. 2 duo of Michael and Matthew O'Hara.

"Coach (Daniel) Mitchell and I have an opportunity to coach a great group of young men," Baynes said. "There's no doubt in my mind that we can do great things this season."

The Eagles travel to Clinton next Tuesday, while the Gators (0-2) are the guests of Princeton.