The Metuchen High School boys tennis team entered this week’s action fully in control of its own destiny. The Bulldogs went into Monday’s meeting with Highland Park High School 11-1 on the season and clearly in the driver’s seat to maintain sole possession of first place in the Greater Middlesex Conference Blue Division.
Highland Park entered Monday’s match with just one loss in the Blue Division, while the Bulldogs came into the contest previously unbeaten in division play. Metuchen’s lone loss came at the hands of JFK High School earlier this season.
“If we can beat Highland Park, it will put us in a really good position to pull out the division,” Metuchen head coach Rob Strauss said. “We beat them 3-2 the first time around, and all five matches were close. I think we’re playing better tennis, but I’m sure Highland Park is also playing better at this point in the season.”
In the first meeting between the two teams, Metuchen recorded wins at No. 1 singles, No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles.
“Highland Park is the team to beat right now,” Strauss said. “We can make it difficult for teams to catch us if we are able to get past Highland Park this week.”
Metuchen heads into this week’s action after earning a pair of 5-0 victories against South Amboy and Spotswood High School last week. The match of the week came when South Amboy’s Kevin Kotsak and Metuchen’s Dan Szwarc went at each other at No. 1 singles. Kotsak, a senior, and Szwarc, a junior, have been squaring off at No. 1 twice a year for the past three seasons, and very little separates them.
Earlier this season, Kotsak knocked off Szwarc, 4-6, 6-0, 6-4. Last week’s match resulted in another three-setter, but Szwarc turned the table on his county rival with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
“Every time they face each other, it’s an exciting match,” Strauss said. “It’s always a well-played match, and they seem to flip-flop wins.”
Perhaps the biggest story this season has been the play of newcomer Joshua Timms at No. 2 singles. Timms heads into this week’s action 11-0.
“Joshua has been great,” Strauss said. “He’s beaten a lot of top-notch opponents, and his confidence continues to grow. He’s a tremendous player and he’s just fantastic at the net. He really knows how to finish points at the net.”
Strauss has also been impressed with the resiliency of his No. 3 singles player Robert Clarkson. Fresh off his worst loss of the season, a lopsided loss to his opponent from Highland Park, Clarkson rebounded the very next day with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over his adversary at St. Joseph High School.
“Robert had a tough loss to Highland Park, and I expect him to be more competitive the second time around,” Strauss said. “He rarely makes mistakes, and I think he will make it difficult to lose.”
Metuchen awaits its seeding for the state tournament, which is scheduled to begin next week. Considering the team’s 11-1 start to the season, a top-three seed could be in order for the Bulldogs.