Norwalk's Brown, Thomas win sectional

MAUMEE — The Norwalk first doubles team of Drew Thomas and Ethan Brown won a Division I sectional championship on Saturday. The two seniors won a pair of matches at the sectional, which was held inside Shadow Valley Tennis Club in Maumee. Both matches they won on Saturday were three sets and took multiple hours to complete. Facing Fremont Ross' Jackson Swinehart and Zachary Bishop in the semifinals, Brown and Thomas won by scores of 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-2. "They did not play up to their potential (in the first match), but fought through some rough games in order to win," Norwalk head coach Eric Mozina said. The pair had a 30-minute break after their two-hour match to face Ashland's Reid Wash and Grant White. After falling behind 5-0, Brown and Thomas were able to gain some momentum in a 6-3 loss. They then won the second set, 6-3, and won a tie-break in the third set, 7-6 (5) to earn a better draw at the district tournament. "They figured some things out and their true competitive nature came out," Mozina said. "They lost the first set, but you could see that things were starting to change for us. The second set, Ethan and Drew both started to find "the zone" with their serves which then lead to some easier points. "They were extremely active throughout the match and that led us to a victory in the third set." The district tournament is set for Wednesday morning at Port Clinton High School. "We couldn't be prouder of how Drew and Ethan came out and played today," Mozina said. "The determination of these two and competitiveness was off the charts in the second match. It was great to win that match and come out of the sectional as the No. 1 seed. "Our hope is that they come with that same fire on Wednesday at Port Clinton."