Bears match team win record
Boys have strong season in Suburban National
Jimmy Giles was among those responsible for North Royalton’s boys tennis team matching its school record for victories. Photo by BRUCE BILLOW
Having watched your team reach heights only experienced twice before in school history, it may be kind of tough to plan an encore.
Don’t bet against North Royalton’s boys tennis team, however.
The Bears finished second behind Hudson in the brutally tough Suburban League National Conference, beating out rivals Twinsburg, Wadsworth and Brecksville in a stunning turnaround for a team that won only two conference matches the previous year.
The reversal of fortunes was a milestone for the Bears and easily one of the most outstanding aspects of the season, according to coach Dave Kavander.
“Our greatest accomplishment this season would be equaling the school record for wins in a season, a record we would have broken except for some late-season weather issues,” Kavander said. “In addition, winning the Cuyahoga Falls Doubles Tournament got us on a roll heading into the league and sectional tournaments.”
North Royalton’s overall mark of 14-5 ties the school record for most wins in a season, which was set in 2005 and duplicated in 2007, early in Kavander’s tenure.
The Bears finished tied for second at the conference tournament with Twinsburg as each team scored 30 points, but North Royalton claimed second place outright on the strength of a 6-1 regular season record that was second only to unbeaten Hudson’s.
“Defeating a strong Twinsburg team 3-2 early set the tone for the team to believe in themselves and their ability to compete with anyone in or out of the league,” Kavander said.
The engine for the Bears’ run was fueled by contributions from three important seniors who will not be easily replaced.
The Bears’ first doubles team of Zade Shetawi and Jeff Kozik were named MVPs. Shetawi, a senior who earned his third letter, and Kozik, a sophomore who was also co-MVP in 2016, compiled an impressive 15-4 record in the regular season and finished second in the league tournament before falling to Hudson.
The pair also reached the quarterfinals in the Division I Akron/Medina Sectional before losing to a seeded team from Copley that finished second and advanced to districts.
Another important cog in the machine was Andrew Biegacki. Biegacki played a schedule that was loaded with numerous district and state tournament qualifiers.
“Andrew played perhaps his best match in the sectional quarterfinals before falling 7-5, 6-3 to state qualifier Aaron Yeh of Brecksville,” Kavander said. “Andrew was team captain and led the team both on and off the court.”
The senior is a third-year letter winner and was named first team all-conference for the second consecutive year.
Senior Adrian Czajka played second doubles with junior Sayf Shetawi. The pair won the Suburban conference tourney at second doubles, defeating Hudson. They were named honorable mention All-Conference and posted a 12-4 regular season record.
“Adrian showed tremendous racket skills at the net while Sayf surprised with his insane shot-placing ability,” Kavander said. “They came together as a team much faster and played a well-coordinated brand of doubles.”
Other contributors came from Jimmy Giles (9-10) at second singles and Ryan Newman (15-4) at third singles. The two juniors are both standout players on the Bears’ soccer team.
“Jimmy and Ryan also performed well in singles against a very difficult schedule which is not so much surprising but rather a tribute to their hard work and dedication on the court,” Kavander said.
Kavander will miss his talented trio of seniors, but don’t bet against the program’s continued success. After all, the Bears lost several seniors the previous year and look what happened.
“Our three seniors will be difficult to replace but we had a strong JV team coached by Brad Cerveny that finished 11-3, so there are a number of players who will be competing for varsity positions this spring at singles and doubles,” Kavander said.
Don’t bet against North Royalton’s boys tennis team, however.
The Bears finished second behind Hudson in the brutally tough Suburban League National Conference, beating out rivals Twinsburg, Wadsworth and Brecksville in a stunning turnaround for a team that won only two conference matches the previous year.
The reversal of fortunes was a milestone for the Bears and easily one of the most outstanding aspects of the season, according to coach Dave Kavander.
“Our greatest accomplishment this season would be equaling the school record for wins in a season, a record we would have broken except for some late-season weather issues,” Kavander said. “In addition, winning the Cuyahoga Falls Doubles Tournament got us on a roll heading into the league and sectional tournaments.”
North Royalton’s overall mark of 14-5 ties the school record for most wins in a season, which was set in 2005 and duplicated in 2007, early in Kavander’s tenure.
The Bears finished tied for second at the conference tournament with Twinsburg as each team scored 30 points, but North Royalton claimed second place outright on the strength of a 6-1 regular season record that was second only to unbeaten Hudson’s.
“Defeating a strong Twinsburg team 3-2 early set the tone for the team to believe in themselves and their ability to compete with anyone in or out of the league,” Kavander said.
The engine for the Bears’ run was fueled by contributions from three important seniors who will not be easily replaced.
The Bears’ first doubles team of Zade Shetawi and Jeff Kozik were named MVPs. Shetawi, a senior who earned his third letter, and Kozik, a sophomore who was also co-MVP in 2016, compiled an impressive 15-4 record in the regular season and finished second in the league tournament before falling to Hudson.
The pair also reached the quarterfinals in the Division I Akron/Medina Sectional before losing to a seeded team from Copley that finished second and advanced to districts.
Another important cog in the machine was Andrew Biegacki. Biegacki played a schedule that was loaded with numerous district and state tournament qualifiers.
“Andrew played perhaps his best match in the sectional quarterfinals before falling 7-5, 6-3 to state qualifier Aaron Yeh of Brecksville,” Kavander said. “Andrew was team captain and led the team both on and off the court.”
The senior is a third-year letter winner and was named first team all-conference for the second consecutive year.
Senior Adrian Czajka played second doubles with junior Sayf Shetawi. The pair won the Suburban conference tourney at second doubles, defeating Hudson. They were named honorable mention All-Conference and posted a 12-4 regular season record.
“Adrian showed tremendous racket skills at the net while Sayf surprised with his insane shot-placing ability,” Kavander said. “They came together as a team much faster and played a well-coordinated brand of doubles.”
Other contributors came from Jimmy Giles (9-10) at second singles and Ryan Newman (15-4) at third singles. The two juniors are both standout players on the Bears’ soccer team.
“Jimmy and Ryan also performed well in singles against a very difficult schedule which is not so much surprising but rather a tribute to their hard work and dedication on the court,” Kavander said.
Kavander will miss his talented trio of seniors, but don’t bet against the program’s continued success. After all, the Bears lost several seniors the previous year and look what happened.
“Our three seniors will be difficult to replace but we had a strong JV team coached by Brad Cerveny that finished 11-3, so there are a number of players who will be competing for varsity positions this spring at singles and doubles,” Kavander said.