New kind of kicks

Penns Grove sweeps Palmyra for first win in South Jersey Group I tennis tournament since 2022, Pennsville swamps Audubon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE — Back in 2022, the last time Penns Grove tennis had any success in the postseason, the current players on the Red Devils’ team hadn’t given a second thought to picking up a tennis racquet.

They were all soccer players first and foremost and spent most of their time dreaming of being the next Messi, Junior or Neymar than the next Rafael Nadal.

Most of them, unless they had a brother playing the sport, didn’t pick up a racquet with a serious thought of becoming a tennis player until the summer of 2024 when they followed their buddies after assistant soccer coach Chucho Lopez told them to play any other sport out of season just to stay in shape. The fact Lopez also was the new tennis coach made it an easy choice.

Those were the same players who made a little Penns Grove tennis history Friday, sweeping past Palmyra 5-0 to win the school’s first South Jersey Group I tournament match since 2022, Lopez’ first year as a tennis assistant one year removed from playing in the program himself.

The Red Devils’ reward for the win: a trip to once-beaten top-seeded West Deptford (21-1) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

Penns Grove’s last win in the tournament was a 3-2 opening-round upset at seventh-seeded Pennsville in 2022. The Red Devils were swept in the next round and while they made the tournament each of the next three years were swept in the first round each time.

No. 3 singles sophomore Juan Ortiz ended the dry spell with the program’s first tournament point in four years when he beat Simon Jacobs in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. That was quickly followed by a sweep of the doubles points by Jesus Arredando-Adan Gonzales (6-3, 6-1) and freshmen Jordan Hernandez-Fernando Palacios (6-2, 6-3) to clinch the match.

They played on and Anthony Pacheco won at No. 2 singles and Stuart Mondragon won a second-set tiebreaker at first singles to complete the sweep.

This story will be updated.

PENNS GROVE 5, PALMYRA 0
Stuart Mondragon (PG) def. Jack Timlin, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4)
Anthony Pacheco (PG) def. Rian Austin, 6-3, 6-0
Juan Ortiz (PG) def. Simon Jacobs, 6-1, 6-0
Jesus Arredando-Adam Gonzalez (PG) def. Aiden Finch-Will Rossignol, 6-3, 6-2
Jordan Hernandez-Fernando Palacios Lima (PG) def. Gavin Holland-Jack Vitalie, 6-2, 6-3
Records: Penns Grove 7-8, Palmyra 5-13.

PENNSVILLE 4.5, AUDUBON 0.5
Sawyer Humphrey (P) def. Gavin Brown, 6-0, 6-2
Lucas Cooksey (P) def. Jake Vanderslice, 6-0, 6-0
Carter Willis (P) drew with Darsheel Salecha, 7-6 (7-0), 1-1
Coen Rinnier-Jacob Cheeseman (P) def. Ethan Reed-Ryan Wynn, 6-0, 6-0
Lucas Thomas-Ian Peacock (P) def. Jimmy McSweeney-Will Graham, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 18-6, Audubon 2-14

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I QUARTERFINALS
Tuesday’s matches
(8) Penns Grove (7-8) at (1) West Deptford (21-1)
(5) Pennsville (18-6) at (4) Point Pleasant Beach (13-4)
(6) Pitman (14-7) at (3) Woodstown (12-8)
(7) Schalick (9-10) at (2) Haddon Twp. (13-7)

Top photo: Penns Grove tennis coach Jesus “Chucho” Lopez talks with his team after it swept Palmyra in the South Jersey Group I tournament Friday.