Talent and smarts: Lex has it all; wins its sixth straight OCC tennis crown

WOOSTER – Repeating as a doubles champion in the Ohio Cardinal Conference tennis tournament wasn’t even the best part of Jake Halfhill’s day.

On Wednesday morning he found out that his fellow students chose him to deliver the senior commencement address at Lexington’s graduation ceremony this year.

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Then he and freshman partner Philip Etzel went out and won No. 2 doubles in the OCC tourney with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Wooster’s Aidan Cleveland and Tony Rammel as Lex swept all five courts at the new College of Wooster tennis facility.

Last year, Halfhill won No. 2 doubles with then-freshman Cooper Remy.

“I don’t know if I have within me the prerequisite drive that others (on the team) clearly showcase,” said Halfhill, who after spending his first two years with the Minutemen in relative obscurity cracked the seven-man lineup last year for a team that finished No. 2 in the Division II state rankings..

“I’m a decent enough tennis player, but I’m by no means a first-round draft pick.”

He would be if a draft were held to pick an Academic Challenge team. Halfhill carries a weighted GPA of 4.65 and casually mentions Aristotle the way some of his teammates might Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz.

He plans to attend Ashland University and is thinking about majoring in either biochemistry or math.

“I really like biochemistry because it’s the nexus of math, chemistry and biology,” ‘Halfhill said, “all of which I’m intensely interested in.”

As an athlete, he’s the very definition of team player, doing whatever is asked, even if it means slipping back into a part-time role this spring to accommodate the arrival of Etzel and another promising freshman in Tony Palmer.

“I’ve never once heard him complain,” coach Ron Schaub said. “He shows up and works hard. He’s a coach’s dream. He’s not worried about himself. He’s like, hey, what do you need for the team? I’m there. If you need me for support, I’m there. If you need me to play, I’m there. He’s unbelievable.”

Until a couple years ago, tennis was “just a “hobby” to Halfhill.

“He never really played much and then he just showed up his freshman year,” Schaub said. “I tried to tell him, this is what it’s going to take. Then his sophomore year he got better and, last year, I thought, all right, he’s going to be one of our starters.

“He’s improved a lot over his career and become a vital member of the team.”

Owan Gongwer, like Halfhill, began his Lex career as an afterthought. Now the Lex junior is a three-time OCC champ, thanks to his 6-2, 6-1 win over Ashland’s Oscar Haynes at No. 3 singles.

That was one of five straight-set victories in the finals for Lex, which won its sixth straight OCC title and 17th in 20 years (not including the Covid year of 2020). Add in 12 straight Ohio Heartland Conference titles before the OCC began play in 2003-04 and that’s 29 championships for Lex in 32 years. Phenomenal.

Gongwer was coming off a title in the Lex Invite, where he played No. 2 doubles with senior Karl Etzel. They’ll pair up again for the postseason but used the OCC tournament as a chance to play a few more singles matches.

Etzel won his fourth OCC title with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Wooster’s Garrett Ronny at No. 2 singles.

“Me and Karl both wanted to play singles today, just because we knew we were going to be playing doubles the rest of the season,” said Gongwer, who was the News Journal’s 2023 co-Player of the Year with teammate Jake Chilcote after they earned second team All-Ohio honors in doubles by reaching the state tournament quarterfinals.

“It was nice to finish (the OHSAA season) with a win in singles,” Gongwer said. “Doubles is different because you also have your partner’s mind-set in mind, too. The Lex Invite was really good practice. We solidified a lot of things mentally and just in terms of our chemistry, so we’ll be ready for state.”

Ethan Remy won OCC Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row by virtue of his 7-6, 6-4 win over Wooster sophomore Henry Pozesky at No. 1 singles. Remy, a four-time OCC champ, also beat Pozesky last year at No. 1.

Pozesky has never won a set off Remy in duals or the league tournament, but the matches have always been competitive.

“He hits a good, high-quality rally ball,” said Remy, whose ceremonial signing with Tiffin University – arguably the best NCAA Division II tennis program in Ohio – took place on Monday. “He’s also really into the matches and that definitely helps.”

Dylan Catanese is likely to step into Remy’s No. 1 slot next year and have a chance at adding to Lex’s lengthy list of conference POYs. But, for now, he’s reveling in his success as a doubles player.

On Wednesday, he and Cooper Remy won No. 1 doubles with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Wooster siblings Brock and Saxson Ronny. It was Catanese’s 10th doubles title in tournaments or invitationals with another full season to go.

The only blemish on his doubles resume is a loss with Ethan Remy in the first round of last year’s OHSAA state tournament. The team they lost to in three sets made it all the way to the finals.

“It’s been a good run in doubles. Pretty amazing,” Catanese said. “My doubles game has grown quite a bit. My volleys started to get better my sophomore season and my game continues to get better. I’m definitely excited (about the postseason).”

Catanese and Ethan Remy are the No. 1 seed in doubles for next week’s sectional tournament at Shelby. Gongwer and Karl Etzel are No. 2, while, in singles, the top two seeds went to Cooper Remy and Philip Etzel, respectively.

Looking even farther down the road, Wednesday’s team championship was the perfect housewarming gift for the Minutemen to give themselves. This month, the College of Wooster courts are Lex’s home away from home since the venue will also host the OHSAA state tournament and the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association state team tournament.

Lex sent five players to OHSAA state last year and has been a fixture in the OTCA team tournament, finishing as Division II runner-up last season.

“It’s nice knowing all the other teams at state haven’t played on those courts,” Gongwer said, “and we have.”

The Minutemen, thanks to their first place finish Wednesday and their perfect mark in league duals, finishing with the maximum 75 points to out-distance runner-up Wooster (57). Ashland was third (46), thanks in part to top four finishes on all the courts except No. 3 singles.

Caleb Sinchok was fourth for the Arrows at No. 1 singles and Eli Glazier was third at No. 2. In doubles the Ashland tandems of Reid Wash-Grant White and Landon Davis and Drew Friesen finished third at No. 1 and 2, respectively.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Talent and smarts: Lex has it all; wins its sixth straight OCC tennis crown