Marlboro High School has won a slew of Shore ConferenceANorth Division tennis titles. So, what’s one more?
Well, for the 2008 Mustangs, it was everything. This yearmore than in the past, Marlboro was no lock for the division title.
When the Mustangs dropped their first two matches of the season, one of them in the division to Christian BrothersAcademy, there was hope for the rest of A North boys tennis. The Mustangs looked vulnerable, and the contenders were ready to pounce.
In addition to CBA, Freehold Township had restocked behind a pair of impressive freshmen, Francis and Carl Jedlinski, and was now a serious threat, especially after the Pats beat CBA.
Had the Colts and Patriots passed the Mustangs?
Facing a must-win in early April, Dave Kretzmer’s Mustangs made it a three-team race by beating Freehold Township, 3-2.
The division title would now be settled by the rematches between the trio of coleaders in the second half of the schedule.
Marlboro beat CBAin its rematch, and when the Colts then beat the Patriots, Marlboro was back on top.
OnMay 19 in the final match of the season, the Mustangs hosted Freehold Township in the match that would determine whether Marlboro won the title outright, or it was a three-way co-championship. The Mustangs would have nothing to do with a co-championship, beating the Pats 4-1 to successfully defend their championship. They finished the division schedule at 13-1. CBA was 12-2, and Freehold Township was 11-3.
“It’s a nice way to end the season,” said Kretzmer. “Our goal all season was to win A North.
“In A North, we’re the guys with the target on our back,” he added. “We kept on improving during the season.”
Kretzmer pointed to his team’s balance as its best weapon. Everyone on the team is capable of winning his match.
“We’re a deep team, we’re solid at every position,” he explained.
The singles lineup of Brian Rau, Hitesh Dagubutti and Brian Lisser was steady throughout the season.
Derin Goodman and Adam Orchant were the first doubles team for the champions, while Richie Guh and Afshin Himani played second doubles. Freshman David Eisner helped out at second doubles during the season.
Marlboro, which was 14-5 overall, finished second in the recent Monmouth County Flight Championships with Dagubutti and first doubles reaching the finals.
Freehold Township finished up with a 13-6 overall mark. Francis Jedlinski had one of the best first singles records in the Shore, 17-2.
Freehold Borough was the other area team with a winning record in ’08. The Colonials were 13-8.