Reinartz finishes undefeated regular season, but Zebras fall to Northwestern

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Tanner Reinartz completed an undefeated regular season with a straight-sets win at No. 1 singles, but that was the Rochester boys tennis team’s lone point in a 4-1 loss to visiting Northwestern at the RHS courts on Sept. 25.

Reinartz handled Blake Wise 6-1, 6-4 to finish 13-0. Historical records are unclear, but he is believed to be the first Rochester player to have an undefeated regular season in at least the last 30 years.

The win over Wise was especially satisfying since Wise beat Reinartz in two sets last year.

“He hits really good spots, really good cut shots, but Tanner was just very patient tonight,” Heyde said. “He didn’t go for a winner every time. He would wait for it to come to him, and he took care of it when he came.”

Reinartz said he and Heyde, a 2008 Rochester grad, will often square off in practice. Reinartz smiled and said that Heyde’s serve has “gotten out of sorts” but said that “he can place the ball where he wants.”

“Other than that, he doesn’t win,” Reinartz quipped.

Reinartz also said he hits off a machine.

“It’s really good,” Reinartz said of Heyde’s coaching style. “I like it. Last year, I want to say, he got that machine, and that’s helped a lot of the guys with forehands and backhands and whatnot, just getting more lateral movement and getting more comfortable with balls coming hard at you. I play him and the machine and Wade (Bowers) every now and then. It’s fun.”

In the other singles matches, Northwestern’s Ian Woods beat Bowers 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2, and Landon Begley beat Jack Reffett 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3.

Both doubles matches went three sets. At No. 1, Ethan Fogg and Adam Lesko beat Harrison Dunwoody and Brady Morgan 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Kaden Dill and Conner Gaier knocked off Carter Merideth and Ashton Musselman 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 at No. 2.

“They’re not a powerful duo, either of Northwestern’s doubles,” Heyde said. “They just try to keep the ball in play and put away shots whenever we hit one that wasn’t where we should have hit it, they just tried to put those away. But Brady and Harrison played really well in the first set. They just started making some errors and not playing as well.”

Northwestern also won the JV match 3-0.

Rochester finished the regular season 8-5 overall and 3-4 in the Three Rivers Conference. They will play either Wabash or Maconaquah in a sectional semifinal at Peru at 5:15 p.m. Thursday.

“Just keep our focus, stay in and just work on anything that we’re lacking in,” Heyde said when asked what he hoped the team would accomplish before the sectional. “Try to keep the momentum. … We’ve played them all. It’s a tough sectional with Peru there.”

RESULTS: NORTHWESTERN 4, ROCHESTER 1

Singles

Tanner Reinartz (RHS) def. Blake Wise (NW), 6-1, 6-4

Ian Woods (NW) def. Wade Bowers (RHS), 6-1, 6-0

Landon Begley (NW) def. Jack Reffett (RHS), 6-0, 6-0

Doubles

Ethan Fogg-Adam Lesko (NW) def. Harrison Dunwoody-Brady Morgan (RHS), 4-6, 6-2, 6-0

Kaden Dill-Conner Gaier (NW) def. Carter Merideth-Ashton Musselman (RHS), 6-3, 1-6, 6-1

JV RESULTS: NORTHWESTERN 3, ROCHESTER 0

Singles

Landon Weaver (RHS) lost 4-2.

Jackson Frounfelter (RHS) lost 4-1.