Demon netters carry on tradition

Tennis icon and 2012 state champion Colton Buffington has moved on but the 2013 Westlake Demons men's tennis team worked hard in the off-season and has returned with plenty of fire-power.

Led by ebullient senior captain and doubles wizard Kevin Wang, the Demons season has exceeded all expectations. Coach Jeff Mannies has expertly shuffled a deep roster of players.

First doubles tandem of Kevin Wang and Kent Dinchman have taken on and defeated some stellar teams. Sophomore Connor Michelik has stepped up with a powerful game to more than ably fill the void left by Colton Buffington. Michelik dominated opponents in leading the Demons to a sweep of the Southwestern Conference tournament which capped off an undefeated conference campaign for the team.

In the state team competition the Demons knocked off Kenston and Willoughby in the first two rounds before being ousted from the tourney 4-1 by a Copley team that is currently ranked fifth in the state. Next up is the sectional tournament with Aakash Shah, Krish Shah and Thomas Reusser playing singles and Michelik and Cal Craven partnering to join Wang and Dinchman in the doubles tourney. Both doubles teams are seeded and hope to play well and advance. Full draws are on the Northeast District Athletic Board's website at www.NEDAB.org.