Spartans’ Childers claims H-F sectional
Updated: May 21, 2011 9:38PM
Playing Homewood-Flossmoor’s Brad Holt in Saturday’s H-F sectional championship, Marian Catholic’s Julian Childers got pushed.
With history on the line, Childers pushed back.
The junior won the sectional singles title 6-4, 6-1 over Holt while the doubles team of Mitch Zavesky and Kyle Scheffers took first to give Marian Catholic its first ever sectional title.
“It’s great for Marian, the boys who have worked hard and all the boys in the past who have been so close,” Marian Catholic coach Scott Bodnar said. “It’s good for everybody who has been involved in the past and present.”
Marian Catholic scored 26 points, beating out host Homewood-Flossmoors 24 points in second place. Andrew (23) and Oak Forest (11) finished third and fourth respectively. All players and doubles teams who played in Saturday’s semifinals and third place matches advance to this weeks state tournament.
Narrowly ahead in a back and forth battle, Childers led 5-4 in the first set but quickly closed out Holt for the winner.
“Luckily that first game, I got the early break so that put me ahead the whole set, and that was crucial to choose serve-receive,” Childers said. “Otherwise I might still be out there. I was really tight that first game and missing some shots I shouldn’t have missed.”
After going through some early struggles, Childers regrouped in the second set and cruised, winning 6-1.
“This was really important, especially for seeding at state,” Childers said. “I think I should be a high seed, and this should help me get a better draw so I can go deeper at state.”
For Holt, the early deficit proved to be too much.
“Brad played a tremendous set and a half, but once your back is up against the wall, you try to do more and more,” H-F coach Michael Sacks said. “You have to play the same way even when your back is up against the wall.”
At doubles, Zavesky and Scheffers won 6-2, 6-2 over H-F’s Jack Schumann and Kodie Hayes. For Zavesky, it was his third sectional title, each of them coming with a different partner.
In the third place singles match, Andrews Kevin Karczynski defeated teammate Brian Moy 6-1, 6-1. In the third place doubles, Oak Forest’s Jan Neri and Tim Renshaw beat Andrew’s Orlando Lopez and Greg Faloona 7-5, 6-3.
Rounding out the team standings were Bremen, Tinley Park, and T.F. South in a tie for fifth place with six points each. Illiana Christian and Thornwood tied for eighth with four points each.
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