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 already, 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 another sport in the spring just to stay in shape. The fact Lopez also was the new tennis coach made it an easy choice.
Fast forward to Friday. Those same players who didn’t know a tennis racquet from a flyswatter two years ago made a little Penns Grove tennis history, 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.
“This is great,” Lopez said. “We haven’t won since 2022 and we couldn’t have done it without these athletes. These guys are all soccer guys. None of these guys are true tennis players
“We’re the underdogs. Our school builds these athletes. We don’t play tennis, we come here, we learn. They don’t even know how to hold a tennis racquet. I tell them all the time make sure you get the right-handed racquet when you go buy one. It’s good to see that (development). You can learn and teach them something they can use their whole life. It’s very special.”
Sophomore third singles Juan Ortiz was in sixth grade the last time Penns Grove won a tournament match and he, for one, “never expected” he’d be playing tennis.
“I don’t think anyone here expected to play tennis, to be totally honest with you,” he said.
The Red Devils’ last tournament win before Friday was a 3-2 opening-round upset at seventh-seeded Pennsville almost four years ago to the day. All three of their points that day were won in three sets, with two going to intense third-set tiebreakers. They were swept out in the next round and while they made the tournament each of the next three years they were swept in the first round each time.
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 and Adan Gonzalez (6-3, 6-1) and freshmen Jordan Hernandez and Fernando Palacios (6-2, 6-3) to clinch the match.
They played on after the clinch and Anthony Pacheco won at No. 2 singles and Stuart Mondragon won a second-set tiebreaker at first singles with a couple beautiful passing shots down the line to complete the sweep.
“It means a lot to be in the history of the school and representing,” Ortiz said.
“I knew (the history), that’s why I was really excited for this,” captain Arredando said. “There was a lot of pressure but we overcame it. We did great.”
The Red Devils (7-8) had to overcome a lot to get where they are. The lineup Lopez rolled out Friday only slightly resembled the one that started the season. It underwent a major shift after they lost their first single player to work obligations.
Mondragon moved up to first singles where he consistently faced the opponent’s best player, Pacheco went to second singles and Ortiz went to third singles after beating out doubles partner Arredando in two challenges matches. Arredando stayed in doubles and the freshmen Arredando helped recruit from the soccer team were put together when another player wasn’t available.
The Red Devils have gone 5-7 since the shakeup and earned the bracket’s No. 8 seed for their first home match in the tournament since before 2017. .
“It was terrible at first; it was really, really difficult,” Ortiz said of the switch. “Since I was used to playing with a partner and (now it was) me just depending on myself it was hard, but I stuck to it and now I’m here. At first it was difficult, but then you get used to it. I just got used to it. I started to practice with the other singles and now it is more fun to play singles than doubles.”
Since the shakeup, Arredando has had so many doubles partners even Lopez has lost count (it’s actually been six), but the sophomore has remained steady throughout. He has a 10-4 record in all doubles, 5-3 at first doubles.
“It’s a little difficult to adjust, but it’s good experience to play with different players,” he said. “Being able to adjust to different teammate is really good and is good for my growth.”
The Red Devils’ reward for winning Friday is a trip to once-beaten top-seeded West Deptford (21-1) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. It’s a daunting task, the Eagles have won 13 in a row, but in the big picture an experience worth having.
“It’s a nice challenge, but it gives them an eye opener that you’re not bound to just this small pond,” Lopez said. “There are lot of more better players out there. There are people who’ve been doing this since they were little, but for you to show up and represent Penns Grove and let them know this is what I got and you’re gonna get what I have, that’s really what we embody here.
“We embody sportsmanship and at the end of the day just overall effort. I keep saying effort, but that’s what I want from them. I want the best they can provide and show every time I see them on the court or on the field. I always tell them it’s either you win or you learn. I don’t say the word lose,. You win or learn because every day you’re learning how to get better.”
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-Adan 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.
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