WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
OrangeObserver.com
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019
and not as a team,” Mach said. “So when I joined the tennis team, you’re not playing for yourself — you’re playing for everyone else, and you don’t want to let anyone else down. It’s a lot more fun and you have everyone supporting you.” Most folks would think that as the de facto leaders of a team filled with players who are their grade and lower, there would be added stress. That’s not the case. “I wouldn’t say it’s a lot of stress, but there is definitely some pressure knowing that there are more eyes on you than if you were playing lower positions or you didn’t have the title that you did,” McGarry said. On the tennis court the Warriors will help one another go through the growing pains rebuilding, but the support won’t stop there. Every day after school, the team meets in a study-hall session where they work on homework and help one another better learn their subjects. That hour or two of help means a lot to each individual, including freshman Christian Rosa — whose math grades have improved alongside his tennis game. “When you join this (team), it’s not a sport, it’s a family,” Rosa said. “You’re doing something you love with people who care, and you know that if you need anything you can go to them.”
Ocoee falls 70-51 in districttitle game loss to Windermere
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n a night filled with blisteringpaced basketball at Windermere High School, Ocoee (14-11) was overwhelmed by a Windermere (24-4) blitzkrieg during a 70-51 loss in the 8A, District 5 championship game Friday, Feb. 15. The Knights were led by junior guard Sadeem Blake, who picked up 15 points, six rebounds and four blocks. Kordell Brown added 13 points, while David Green had 12 points. The good news for Ocoee is that by simply making the district-title game, the Knights have sealed a spot in the state playoffs, for which they will travel to Melbourne for a first-round playoff matchup against the Bulldogs (24-4) Thursday, Feb. 21.
Above: Ocoee’s David Green and Sadeem Blake flew in for the rebound. Right: Kordell Brown drove to the basket.
— TROY HERRING
9th Annual
GOLF TOURNAMENT FUNDRAISER Join us for a fun day of golf and good food, to benefit the Jimmy Crabtree Cancer Fund.
Monday, March 4th, 2019
at The West Orange Country Club Register online: www.jccancerfund.org Per player - $100 pre-registered ($110 the day of the event) Per foursome - $400 pre-registered ($440 the day of the event) Check in: 11:30am • Shotgun Tee off: 1pm Includes light lunch and BBQ pork dinner. Dinner will begin at 5:30 and is open to golfers, guests and public. (Additional BBQ dinners will be available for a donation) Award Ceremony to follow tournament (cash bar) Seniors, Ladies and Regular Divisions Available Silent Auction all day until 7 p.m. The public is invited. For more information email: jccancerfund@aol.com SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE
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“And then the other school is right next to us, so they have sort of become our rival,” he said. “So I just approached it that we just have to take the kids we have, and we are going to grow those kids into young men and use tennis as the vehicle to do that.” Baker took over the program three years ago, and since then his main job — besides coaching — has been to get kids to buy into the program. It takes a lot, especially mentally and emotionally, for highschool players to put faith into the rebuilding process, but if you ask any of the 10 athletes on the West Orange roster if they are up to the challenge, they all will give you the same answer: Yes. And in some cases, having a team comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores is seen as a positive for the team’s lone upperclassman. “(Because) we are all new, we still have like a year or two to build on each other, so it won’t be like as if we all came during senior year and only got to be together for a year and leave,” junior Evan Newland said. “We get to actually see each other get better through the years, which I think is going to be interesting to see how people change in the next year or so.” Baker will look to sophomore duo Lucas Mach and Jack McGarry as his leaders. Mach, Baker said, will be his No. 1. Although some on the team are just picking up a racket for the first time, Mach has been playing for a good while now. The biggest difference, however, is now there is a team element involved. “For most of my life, I’ve been playing tennis by myself — trying to win for myself — for my parents,
Lucas Mach, sophomore Jack McGarry, sophomore Tyler Tran, sophomore Josh Epi, sophomore Christian Rosa, freshman Mark McHale, sophomore Tanner Leach, freshman Sean Herlihy, freshman Evan Newland, junior Allen Biju, sophomore
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