Victories came in threes for senior J.P. Budzinski.
For the third consecutive year the Clarkston High School Varsity Tennis player won his flight at the Van Dyke Classic on Saturday, this year for Singles #2.
“He continues to be our steadiest player,” said Coach Chas Claus. “He has had 18 wins for the season. He is the one we can count on most often to take care of business and do his job.”
Also, senior Andy Heuerman won Singles #2 at the tournament and freshman Brendan Greenlee won his flight in Singles #4.
“I was really proud of Andy’s play on Saturday,” added Claus. “Whenever you win a tournament at Singles #1 it is a huge accomplishment. Brendan played really well. He has played older than his year. You expect freshmen to go through some struggles and he played well.”
Every flight won at least two matches during the tournament and the team won five out of the eight flights.
“It was the highlight of the year so far,” said Claus. “It was our best tennis.”
The boys also avenged their loss against Rochester from Sept. 20. They lost to the Falcons, 6-3. During the Van Dyke Classic they won five out of seven matches.
“It was a nice turn around,” said Claus. “When we played the dual match we were just flat. On Saturday they understood what they needed to do as a team. They understood the importance of avenging previous losses especially to Rochester. It just unfolded right for us.”
Senior Jordan Kincaid benefited in Singles #4 by beating Rochester’s Colin Perdzich during the tournament. He lost to him in two out of three sets during the dual meet.
“He won a close third set,” said Claus. “It really made a big difference to lock up the victory for us.”
The Wolves also won a dual meet against Avondale, 7-2. They also lost to Rochester Adams, 9-0, putting their record at 4-3.
“We played well,” said Claus. “Adams is one of the best teams in the state. We had our work cut out for us.”
The Wolves headed into the OAA White tournament on Tuesday.
“Our success on Saturday give us some hope to accomplish some things,” Claus said before going into the tournament. “A lot of our first rounds are against Lake Orion or Rochester. We are looking to finish third and definitely challenge the top couple of flights.”
The boys will then prepare for MHSAA Regionals set for next Thursday where they will take on Lake Orion, Pontiac, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Walled Lake Central, Waterford Kettering, Waterford Mott and West Bloomfield.
“I think we can challenge,” said Claus. “We are a team that has to be dealt with. It might be a longshot but we will help determine the top two teams going to the state finals.”