Bulldogs blank Nottingham

Hopewell Valley boys tennis

By: John E. Powers
   The Hopewell Valley Central High School boys tennis team, fourth at last week’s Mercer County Tournament, blanked Nottingham on Monday 5-0 to eliminate the Northstars from qualifying for the state tournament.
   But the Bulldogs, who officially qualified for the Central Jersey Group III tournament with an 8-3 record, aren’t interested in just being spoilers. The Bulldogs are hoping still to make a run at the Colonial Valley Conference Patriot Division title and make a run in the sectional tournament.
   On Monday, the Bulldogs topped Nottingham, as Matt McGranaghan (6-0, 6-0), Aubrey Holmes (6-0, 6-0) and Steve Deitchman (6-2, 6-2) rolled at singles. The first doubles team of Peter Murr and Alex Sheidler won 6-1, 6-0, and sophomores Dan Reichman and Mike Bolan won their first varsity match at second doubles. The Bulldogs did lose a 4-1 match to Hightstown last week, as McGranaghan was the only one to win.
   "We didn’t show up to play," Hopewell Valley coach Alma Quinlan said. "We didn’t bring our game. But Hightstown is good."
   McGranaghan is 10-3 at first singles, Holmes is 11-4, and Deitchman is 8-5. Murr and Sheidler are 9-6, and the regular second doubles team of Jeff Drake and Dan McGruther is 6-3. The team was scheduled to play Princeton on Friday, but that has been postponed because of AP testing.
   Next week will be busy. The Bulldogs will play Monday and Tuesday against Hamilton and Ewing, respectively, at home, before traveling to West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Wednesday and Ewing next Friday. The Bulldogs currently are two games behind North in the Patriot Division. North is 7-0, while Hopewell is 6-2. The two teams will play again a week from Wednesday at Timberlane School.
   "The schedule kind of stinks, since we have North so close to each other," Quinlan said. "Hopewell and North always have tough games."
   West Windsor-Plainsboro South won the county title last week with 37 points. Princeton and Princeton Day were second with 18 points, with Hopewell fourth with 17. Holmes was third at second singles, while Sheidler and Murr and Drake and McGruther were fourth at first and second doubles.
   "Those kids played their hearts out," Quinlan said. "And Aubrey beat a kid from PDS that had beaten him in straight sets in the regular season. I was very proud. The kids were focused, and to have them make it to the semifinals was great. It’s such a great group of kids, and the icing on the cake is when they keep winning. They’re a genuinely fun group to be with."
• NOTE: Mansi Shah of the Hopewell girls tennis squad was named the school’s Scholar Athlete by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.
   Shah, a third-singles player, went 13-1 in dual matches for Hopewell and finished second at the Mercer County Tournament.