Evening Sun Report

Boys’ Tennis

OWEGO - The lesson for Norwich Saturday afternoon is that every match counts, every point counts.

The Tornado, without the benefit of a tournament champion, repeated as Section IV Class B champions scoring 40 points to outlast runners-up Maine-Endwell and Owego, who each polled 36 points.

The sectional title follows up a STAC Central division title that was clinched last week. NHS head coach John Stewart said it was the first time since 1992 that Norwich swept division and sectional titles.

“I really didn’t think we could win this tournament without winning the doubles,” Stewart said. “In the end, a lot of things right had to happen, and to win all four of our opening matches, that’s what set this up.”

Norwich was the lone team among the nine schools in the tournament to have all four of its entries win their opening-round matchups. Billy Whaley, playing singles for the first time, defeated Owego’s Joshua Raftis, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. NHS’s second entry in doubles, Sal Cole and Roman Cwynar, also won in the opening round downing Oneonta’s McKenna Rowe and Erin Earl-Richardson, 6-7 (8-10), 6-0, 6-1.

Those two wins were worth three team points apiece, Stewart said. “If Billy loses the opening match, Owego wins the team title and we finish in second,” the NHS mentor said.