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Jersey Shore wins District 4 team tennis title vs. Central Columbia

By GARRETT CARR 4 min read

MUNCY -- Jersey Shore's second singles player Ezra Paulhamus had a match point in front of him, a match point that, before this week, was unlike any other he has had in his tennis.

It was a district championship point, something he had experienced when he and third singles player Saul Hensler captured the district doubles title on Monday. Like Monday, Paulhamus didn't let the opportunity slip away.

He outlasted Joey Pecora of Central Columbia in a rally of well over 40 shots, forcing an error to clinch the District 4 boys tennis team championship for the Bulldogs against the Blue Jays.

The victory means Jersey Shore has swept all three boys tennis district championships this year after having already won the district singles and doubles tournaments.

It's the first team title for Jersey Shore.

"I was just trying to focus on every shot and get the ball in," Paulhamus said of his match point. "It felt really good. It felt good that the season was finally over and that we won all three."

Paulhamus and counterpart Pecora had played a nearly three-hour long match at the district singles tournament less than two weeks ago, with Paulhamus coming away with a narrow victory. This time, in a match that on paper looked like it may be the swing match, Paulhamus played a bit more of a conservative brand of tennis. It led to a straight-set win that wasn't close on the scoreboard but was close in terms of point-to-point action, 6-2, 6-1.

"I think last time I won the first set, but in the second set I tried to go for more than I should have, and it ended up going three sets," Paulhamus said. "So this time I was just telling myself to grind out the two sets and finish the match."

Paulhamus was set up to clinch the win by the work of his singles counterparts. Ryder Fink, the two-time defending district singles champion, kept up his undefeated season with a clinical 6-0, 6-0 win over David Toscano. Fink's incredible consistency and unwillingness to give in on a single point once again shone through to the tune of a dominant win. His attention quickly turned to watching action on the other four courts.

"I was more nervous watching them than playing myself," Fink said. "I had faith in them, but it was definitely nerve-wracking. I'm proud of how they played."

While both doubles matches were back-and-forth, attention swung towards the singles courts, with another swing match at third singles between two players in Bulldog Saul Hensler and Central Columbia's Nathan Lang that came in with only one combined singles loss all year.

It was Hensler that won the big points at the right time, coming back to win the first set and holding off a late charge in the second set from Lang to win 7-5, 6-4.

"I was just trying to be as locked in as possible. I played him in doubles, so that helped me know what his weaknesses were and stuff, and I was just able to focus," Hensler said.

The domination at singles was all Jersey Shore needed to capture the district championship and pull off an impressive sweep of all three championships.

"It's sort of surreal. We won singles first, and I didn't even think we'd win doubles. And now we're here. It's just a really great moment for the boys and for us as a team," Jersey Shore coach Seth Hensler said.

Jersey Shore will host District 3 runner-up Pequea Valley in the first round of the state tournament at the Central PA Tennis Center in South Williamsport on Tuesday at 1 p.m. The winner of that match will advance to Hershey Racquet where the top eight teams will battle it out to crown a state champion next weekend.

"It's an honor. I think you make it to this point and you're already excited. They feel like they've kind of crested the mountain, but there's one more step up," coach Hensler said. "The first round of states, you never really know what you're going to run into. They're excited, and they're going to keep working and show up ready to win."

Jersey Shore 3 Central Columbia 0

SINGLES

1.Ryder Fink (JS) def. David Toscano (CC) 6-0, 6-0. 2. Ezra Paulhamus (JS) def. Joey Pecora (CC) 6-2, 6-1 3. Saul Hensler (JS) def. Nathan Lang (CC) 7-5, 6-4

DOUBLES

1. Luke Sarge/Abram Paulhaums (JS) led Aiden Mahamadov/Tanner Fensch 7-6, 4-6 (pulled); 2. Connor Litchfield/Elijah DeCarlo (CC) led Dillon Harsand/Dylan Hensler (JS) 6-2, 2-6, 5-4 (pulled).

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