PEPPER PIKE, Ohio – The Orange High School boys tennis team achieved the rare feat of capturing both the singles and doubles state championships in Division II at the OHSAA state tournament May 25-26 at The Ohio State University in Columbus.
According to OHS head tennis coach Rich Bole, it marked only the third time in the history of Ohio high school boys tennis that one school has won both the singles and doubles state titles.
The tennis team was recognized by the Orange Board of Education Monday (June 12) for its outstanding performance at the state tournament.
Members of the Orange High School boys track team who qualified for the state meet in that sport were also honored at the meeting.
“We had another remarkable season of tennis at Orange,” Bole told the board. “It culminated in six out of our seven starting varsity players qualifying for the state tournament.”
Senior co-captain Ben Pomeranets repeated as Division II state singles champion, as he defeated Cincinnati Seven Hills’ Avi Mahajan, 6-0, 6-3, in the final.
Bole said Pomeranets is only the second Orange tennis player to capture two state singles titles. The other was Marc Rothchild, who won titles in 1985 and 1987.
Pomeranets, who was unable to attend the board meeting, will continue his tennis career at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., where he will study engineering.
“He’s an outstanding student in addition to being an outstanding athlete,” Bole said.
For the second time in three years, Orange captured the state doubles title. This year, juniors Chika Nwaozuzu and Gabi Kalir defeated Oakwood’s Arick Baldwin and Noah Boyce, 6-1, 6-1, to win the state championship.
As a freshman in 2021, Nwaozuzu and his brother, Josh, then a senior, captured the state title in doubles. Nwaozuzu played singles last year and placed fourth in the state.
Winning the doubles title this year with a new partner makes Nwaozuzu possibly the best doubles player in the history of Orange tennis, Bole said.
Last year, Kalir and Jake Goldstein were state runners-up in doubles. Kalir also advanced to the state tournament in doubles as a freshman, losing in the first round.
Senior co-captain Krish Mehra qualified for the state tennis tournament for the second time but for the first time as a singles player this year. He advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Pomeranets, 6-2, 6-2, and was named to the All-Ohio Division II second team.
Sophomore Gabe Guiler and junior Ace Bloom also qualified for the state tournament in doubles. They lost in the first round.
Orange was the only school to enter the OHSAA state tournament with two singles qualifiers and two doubles qualifiers.
The Lions also finished fourth in Division II as a team in the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association state tournament May 28 at New Albany High School.
In boys track, senior Brian Gent and Orange’s 4-by-400-meter relay team were recognized as state qualifiers.
Gent finished ninth in the state meet in both the 1600 meters and 800 meters. He placed second in the state in the 1600 meters last year and is the school record holder in both events.
Orange’s 4-by-400-meter relay of Cam Evans, Dominic Ankewe, Galvin Dovgan and Vincent Ononogbo did not advance to the state finals of that event.