WILKES-BARRE – Only one team was able to beat Dallas in boys tennis this season and the Mountaineers made sure it was not easy.

Dom Rizzo earned an early victory, then John Toussaint and the doubles team of Dan Flynn and Danny Dudick put together spirited comebacks before falling short Tuesday afternoon when Wyoming Seminary captured the District 2 Class 2A team title with a 3-1 victory.

The same two teams met late in the regular season with the Wyoming Valley Conference title on the line and Wyoming Seminary prevailed, 3-2, to go unbeaten in the WVC. Dallas was the only conference team to score a point against the Blue Knights.

The final was headed toward a possible 3-2 conclusion with Alex Rome leading his singles match that was halted because the team title had been decided.

Flynn-Dudick created a momentum shift when Wyoming Seminary appeared to be closing in on the win much earlier than the hour and 45 minutes that were ultimately needed to decide the match.

They lost 11 of the first 12 games before overcoming multiple match points and rallying from a 5-0 deficit to win the second set.

“I’m extremely thrilled with how well they played,” Dallas coach Joe Pugliese said of his team. “The number-(one) doubles was just fantastic, the way they came back from down love-5 in the second set to extend their match really made for an exciting overall match.”

Toussaint won two straight games after trailing 5-3 in the second set, but Will Ziegler came back with a break, then four straight points on serve to close out a 6-3, 7-5 win at first singles.

Minutes later, Jake Shoemaker-Wolfgang Frable completed a 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 victory over Flynn-Dudick.

“These guys are fighters,” Pugliese said. “They fought right to the end.”

The match was tied, 1-1, early when Rizzo defeated Rounak Lele, 6-0, 6-2, at third singles.

DeRome was leading the number-two singles match, 7-5, 3-3, over Jerry Tang.

“Alex made a nice comeback to win his first set,” Pugliese said.

Wyoming Seminary’s early win came at second doubles where Ferdi Leube-Keefer Lu defeated Robbie Lauer-Caleb Waslick, 6-3, 6-0.

After winning conference and district titles last season, Dallas came back with a 10-1 regular season and wins in the first two rounds of the district tournament.

“Dan Flynn, the one doubles player, has been playing tennis less than a year,” Pugliese said. “He’s come a long way. He worked all summer long on his game and did a lot of winter workouts.

“It really proves that if you put in the work, you can improve dramatically. Dan Flynn and Danny Dudick work really well together.”

Rizzo went 3-0 at third singles during the tournament.

Dallas won at home Saturday, 3-1, over Scranton Prep in a quarterfinal rematch of last year’s district final.

The Mountaineers swept singles with Rizzo winning, 6-0, 6-0, and Toussaint and DeRome also winning in straight sets.

Lauer-Waslick had split the first two sets in the second doubles match, which was halted.

That win sent Dallas to the district semifinals, the first of two matches at Kirby Park Tuesday.

For the second straight match, the Mountaineers swept singles in straight sets for a 3-0 victory over Valley View in a match that was moved to early morning in anticipation of late afternoon weather issues.

Toussaint beat Carlo Possanza, 6-0, 6-3; DeRome topped Ryan Carotto, 6-0, 6-1; and Rizzo beat Kevin Duffy, 6-1, 6-1.

Both Dallas doubles teams also had leads after long first sets.

“The morning match was grueling,” Pugliese said. “With Valley View, the type of team they are, they’re a bunch of grinders. They’re a bunch of good athletes who go out there and chase every ball down and hit every ball back. What that does is take a toll on you.

“What I did notice getting later in this (final) match, I saw a lot of tired tennis, but from both teams, from the heat we had today and the grinding matches we had this morning.”

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By Tom Robinson

For Dallas Post