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Are you playing for a Top-10 team (boys edition)

A couple of days ago we ranked the top girls tennis teams in South Hampton Roads. Now, it's the boys turn. Feel free to tear it apart.

By the way, we derive our information in large part from scores reported by coaches - and/or their significant others - on our Facebook page Game, Set, Match HR.  So make sure you let us know how your team did after every match. We can't do this without you.

1. Norfolk Academy
    - Two 5-4 losses to a fully-loaded Cape Henry squad are the only blemishes on the resume of the defending TCIS champion Bulldogs (12-2), who have otherwise run through a gauntlet of area and state powers - E.C. Glass, Collegiate (Richmond), Jamestown, Potomac School, St. Christopher's, among others. It's pretty clear this is now the best team in this area. The real question - is this the best team in the state?

2. Landstown
     - A competitive 6-3 loss to Norfolk Academy in a preseason scrimmage was the first indication these Eagles are legit. The latest came Wednesday, when they cruised past tough Norfolk Collegiate 7-2. With two No. 1-caliber stars in Ryan Charles and Nathaniel Gedamu and enviable depth throughout the lineup, Landstown has earned front-runner status as the class of area public schools.

3. Cape Henry
     - The Dolphins have actually had three seasons so far, The Dolphins were scary-good in March with freshmen twins Alexey and Boris Lunin fronting the lineup, as evidenced by the two nail-biter victories in their Duke-Carolina rivalry with Norfolk Academy. They became merely "good" when the Lunins decided to step away from high school team after Cape Henry's 5-0  start. But about a week ago, Boris Lunin opted to re-join the team. With Lunin, Andrew Roberts and Flynn Somers comprising the top half of the order, the Dolphins are once again extremely dangerous.

4. Cox
     - The Falcons, with Bryon Toner and Jonathan Mo leading the way, actually match up pretty well with the Eagles on paper. We're extremely interested to see how the actual match plays out Tuesday (weather permitting).

5. Norfolk Collegiate
     - The senior-led Oaks scored a 6-3 victory over Lunin-less Cape Henry and have a decent shot of being undefeated in TCIS play heading into their May 2 showdown with Norfolk Academy.

6. Grassfield
     - The defending Monitor Merrimac champs sport a 10-0 record and are coming off an eye-opening (at least for us) 9-0 victory over Ocean Lakes. More info about these Grizzlies will come on Friday when Western Branch gets its rematch with conference and Chesapeake supremacy - in that order - at stake. Grassfield prevailed 7-2 when the teams met at Western Branch on March 24.

7. Ocean Lakes
     - Any team that can take four matches against Cox, as these Dolphins did just a few days ago, has to make this cut. As for that bagel they swallowed against Grassfield, well, full credit to the Grizzlies, but it should be noted that the shutout loss came less than 24 hours after the Dolphins' near-miss against the Falcons. In NBA parlance, that's known as the second half of a tough back-to-back - always a tricky spot, particularly on the road.
      Update: Ocean Lakes coach Matthew Tefft reports via e-mail that the Dolphins sat their top 10 (!) players in the Grassfield match. "We wanted to play our freshmen," Tefft said. "Our freshmen are promising. I wanted them to get experience against a strong team."
     Thanks, Coach. We still like our NBA analogy, but hey, facts are facts.

8. First Colonial
     - Full disclosure - for some reason we don't get scores from this team, and the Patriots haven't played the toughest schedule anyway so we're kind of guessing here. We recognize a couple of the names so we know there's talent there. But we sure could use some cooperation. Hey, Patriots, can you help a brother out?

9. Princess Anne
     - There were several heroes in the Cavaliers' 5-4 victory over defending Atlantic Conference champion Maury last week, but none stood taller than senior Bryan Vasta, the team's lone captain who overcame cramping in his right calf, left leg and forearm to outlast determined Commodores freshman Luke English in a three-hour, three-set epic so taxing the finish took Vasta by surprise.
     "We'd been playing so long I actually didn't realize I'd won," he said. "Then I was like, 'Oh, yeah, it's over.' "

10. Maury
     - The loss to Princess Anne capped a tough week for the Commodores, who also dropped an 8-1 decision to Norfolk Collegiate. The Commodores will look to get back on track this week against Hickory in a key Atlantic Conference match.

Lurking - Western Branch, Norfolk Christian

Girls tennis rankings


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