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Sports

Spartans Boys Tennis Continues Push Toward Top of Patriot District

Singles cruise to victory in rout of West Potomac

After years of languishing near the bottom of the Patriot District standings, West Springfield, under the direction of fifth-year Coach Brian Stagliano, has turned into a legitimate contender. Despite starting the season with a 9-0 loss to Lake Braddock, the Spartans are proving they’re still heading in the right direction, winning three out of four matches, including a 9-0 rout of West Potomac on Monday.

Andy Gholson was the only Spartan challenged in singles, as West Potomac’s Alex Browning kept things close all the way to the end of a 10-8 decision at the No. 5 spot in a match that lasted just under two hours. Every other singles win came by a margin of at least 10-4, including Matt Veenstra’s 10-0 win at No. 3.

“We’ve worked our way up to consistently be that third or fourth spot,” Stagliano said. “As far as our top six, we’ve been adjusting, but things are going well.”

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The only real adjustment the Spartans have had to make came as the result of last year’s No. 3 Jason Tate electing not to return to the team for 2011. Other than that, only two seniors graduated, and the top three seeds this year are all juniors.

While West Springfield may not be ready to compete with Lake Braddock this year, the Spartans’ results against the rest of the district compared to 2010 indicate a step forward. Two wins against the Wolverines last year came by a combined 11-8 margin, and a 6-3 loss to Woodson this year comes after an 8-1 loss in the same slot in the schedule in 2010.

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