Butch Harmon
Sports Scene
It was called a rebuilding season by the coaching staff, but with the tennis talent that is developed each year in Williamston, it’s more like reloading.
With a young team that was low on experience heading into the season, the Williamston boys tennis team again developed into one of the top tennis teams in the state in Division 4.
“Again, it was another rebuilding season,” Williamston coach Phil Brillantes said. “We had a lot of new guys in our lineup. A lot of young guys and a few new guys who came and joined our team. Our expectation was to get to states. We knew being in regionals with Portland and Lansing Catholic, we knew if we can compete against them at a handful of flights we could get to states.”
Williamston capped the season in a big way, as it finished third at the Portland regional to earn a trip to the Division 4 state finals in Jenison. The Hornets were led by their singles lineup at the regional tournament. Junior Michael Sienko finished runner-up at No. 1 singles, while junior Brandon Erickson was second at No. 3 singles, and junior Eric McCoy was second at No. 4 singles.
The play of the singles players was key in Williamston making it out of the regional.
“What we do have is we always have a couple of flights that compete very well,” Brillantes said. “Our number one, Michael Sienko, was undefeated in Division 4. He was the number one seed going into the state tournament. My other singles flights are also very competitive against a lot of the top teams in the state.”
At the state meet, Williamston’s singles players turned in a solid effort across the board. Sienko reached the championship match at No. 1 singles before he suffered his first defeat of the year.
At No. 2 singles, senior Andy Johnson reached the quarterfinal round. Erickson reached the quarterfinals at No. 3 singles, while McCoy also reached the quarterfinal round at No. 4 singles.
The Hornets also received points from the doubles lineup. At No. 1 doubles, senior Alex Mullin and sophomore Andrew Fedewa reached the second round, while at No. 4 doubles, senior Nate Rivard and junior Evan Fox also reached the second round.
“We’ve competed with some of the top teams in Division 4,” Brillantes said. “Everyone in the top ten we’ve seen at least once. For a rebuilding year, we’ve been able to hold our own with all the top teams in the state. That in itself is an accomplishment, as going into the season, I had no idea how we would stack up against anyone else.”
SOCCER
The Williamston soccer team continued its late-season surge by winning both the CAAC White league title and the district tournament that it hosted.
The team finished conference play in a strong way, with a 2-1 win against Lansing Catholic Central and a 3-2 win against Corunna.
The Hornets continued their strong play in the district tournament. Williamston started district play by blanking Laingsburg 8-0 in the opening round. The Hornets then defeated Perry 3-0 in the semifinals.
Williamston then met Lansing Catholic Central in district title game. After falling behind 1-0 early, the Hornets tied the game late in the first half on a penalty kick by sophomore Hunter Lyle.
The game remained tied until 1:20 remaining. That was when senior Matthew Sovis fired home the game-winner off a feed from Zach Sundin.
Charlie Coon registered seven saves in goal for the Hornets, who improved to 13-9-1 with the win.