NHS Boys Win Three Tennis Titles

Newtown High School’s third and fourth singles and second doubles team all won championships at this past week’s South-West Conference Individual Tournament at Pomperaug High in Southbury. The tourney took place May 26-27.

Rob Beier won the third singles title, Casey Tenney captured the No. 4 singles championship, and the doubles duo of Rich Andreotta and Tyler Ruefenacht prevailed.

Eight players competed at first singles and eight doubles teams at first doubles; there were five entries at each of the other positions. The entries were the top finishers at their respective positions during the regular season.

Beier had twice this season played Bunnell’s DJ Karasik, and lost in marathons both times: 7-6, 6-1 in their regular season match and 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in the team semifinal.

In the individual tourney, Beier came back from a first-set loss to win yet another marathon that extended almost into darkness, long after all other matches were over; the scores were 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. 

Tenney won a rubber match with Bunnell’s Mike Dolph after falling in the regular season and winning the team semis. Casey prevailed 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the individual tourney. He was down 4-1 in the third set, then reeled off five straight games.

Andreotta and Ruefenacht won their final easily, 6-3, 6-0.

Newtown’s No. 1 doubles team of Colin Jacob and Connor Howell got all the way to the tourney finale, and had the satisfaction of defeating New Milford, the only team that posted a regular-season conference win against them, in the semifinals.