While teams from small schools have not generally presented a problem for the Falcon boys tennis team this season, the bigger schools have.
Stuck in a conference where there are few competitors — Blaine, the only other North Cascades Conference school to have a team, has no players out this season — the 2A South Whidbey boys went north to play 3A Sedro-Woolley Friday in a meet that went mostly for the home team as the Falcons were gently backhanded home 5-2.
Winning for South Whidbey were second singles player Kai Fleming-Snow and the doubles team of Todd Berry and Devin Parrick. Fleming-Snow, who has been his team’s most consistent winner this season, took a 6-3, 6-3 victory in his match. Berry and Parrick, who play in the third position at doubles, also carried off a two-set win.
In the afternoon’s other matches, the Falcons didn’t last long against the Sedro players. First singles player Tim Klopfenstein fell 2-6, 0-6 early and was followed by teammates Jason Craig and Daniel Richards in similar fashion.
South Whidbey’s other two doubles teams also exited their matches quickly. At first doubles, junior Kenny Johnson and senior Alex Hoelting had little resistance to offer until the second set of a 0-6, 4-6 loss. One position down, at second doubles, Oliver Shafaat and Rhys Stanley — who had been coming on as the Falcons’ most consistent pairing this season — were shut down 2-6, 2-6 in their match.
The Falcons get a bit of a break Wednesday when they travel to Coupeville to play. They take on Burlington-Edison at home Thursday.