Norwalk tennis advances three to district

PORT CLINTON — The Norwalk tennis team advanced three players to next week's district championships following the first day of action on Thursday at the Division II Port Clinton site. The No. 1-seeded doubles team of Carson Colahan and Ashton Coe won three matches to advance to Saturday's semifinals against Perkins. In singles action, unseeded Bryan Sommers also won three matches to advance to the semifinal round and earn the opportunity to play next week. He is joined in the other half of the bracket by Edison senior Lincoln Meredith. Colahan and Coe opened with a win over Fremont St. Joseph's Macos Sanchez and Alex Dumminger in a two-set sweep (6-0, 6-0). They also made quick work in another two-set sweep over Huron's Nick Walls and Bryce Putman, then beat St. Mary Central Catholic's Mason McGuire and Casey Crooks by a 6-3, 6-1 score in the quarterfinals. On Saturday, the pair will face third-seeded Ian Hemphill and TJ Blue from Perkins. The other semifinal features No. 2-seeded Noah Shaw and Owen Auxter (Port Clinton) and fourth-seeded Joey Lenczyk and JT Murray (Huron). Also in doubles action, the Norwalk team of Dylan Peaco and Braden Lloyd finished their season with a 2-1 showing. They opened with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Edison's Noah Pulaski and Marcus Medina, then topped Tiffin Calvert's Reed Warnement and Jack Shultz (7-5, 6-2) before falling to Lencyzk and Murray by scores of 6-4, 6-2. In singles play, Sommers opened with a sweep of Calvert's Samantha Weltman (6-0, 6-0), then defeated Edison's Nate Spence — the No. 4 seed — by scores of 6-2, 7-5. He then defeated Oak Harbor's Kyle Glaser by scores of 6-4 and 6-1 to clinch his spot in the districts. Sommers will face top-seeded Brennen Ish (Oak Harbor) in the semifinals on Saturday. Meredith, seeded third, opened with a sweep of Clyde's Sean Raby (6-0, 6-0). He then beat Fostoria's Zach Ward (6-2, 6-1) and swept Vermilion's Kostya Lopez (6-0, 6-0) to reach the semis, where he will face Port Clinton's No. 2-seeded Elliott Auxter. Also in singles play, Norwalk's Josh Newhouse and Ethan Brown each won a match. Newhouse defeated Fostoria's Wyatt Cobb (6-0, 6-0) before falling to Perkins' Mike Ingram (6-2, 6-2). Brown beat Perkins' Matt Harrington (6-0, 6-1), then lost to Fostoria's Dom Settles in a three-set match that went to a tiebreaker, 7-4, 6-1, 7-6 (5). The district championships will also be held at Port Clinton on Wednesday and next Saturday (May 22). The top four placers in singles and doubles at the district will advance to the state championships held May 28-29 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.