Published Friday  |  October 12, 2007

State Tennis: Lincoln East back at the top

BY GRAHAM ARCHER

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

From 1988 to 1995, the Lincoln East boys' team dominated the tennis scene. The Spartans won a Nebraska state-record eight straight Class A team titles during that time. Then the team fell off the map like a scene from the ancient Battle of Thermopylae.

Class A

When: Semifinals at 9 a.m. today; finals at 1 p.m.

Where: Tranquility Park's Koch Family Tennis Center, 124th and West Maple Road.

Six years later in 2001, Omaha Creighton Prep stepped in to claim its spot at the top of the mountain, and the Junior Jays haven't looked back since, winning six straight team titles. But now it appears the Spartans have taken to arms again, ready to defend their state record before the Junior Jays can wipe that off the map, too.

Lincoln East sprinted to the first-day lead with 36 points Thursday at the Koch Family Tennis Center. Omaha Creighton Prep is still threatening with 32 points and Omaha Westside remains in the chase with 28.

The Spartans can earn an additional 20 points in the final two rounds, while Prep and Westside could add 16 points apiece to their final tallies today.

"I think at this point it's anybody's ballgame," said University of Nebraska at Omaha tennis coach Bill Nichols, who was scouting the tourney for talent. The Mavericks announced last week that they will be suiting up a men's team for the 2008-09 academic year, when the school joins the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

Lincoln East's lead was built steadily, as all four of the school's contenders moved on to the semifinals. The Spartans were the only team to survive the first day without a loss, and won three of their four matches in two sets.

The top four seeds in each of the Class A tournament's four brackets advanced to the semifinals.

At No. 1 singles, freshman Jackson Withrow of Omaha Burke took advantage of his No. 1 seed, blowing through the first day with ease. He will face North Platte's Kyle Obermeier, a quarterfinalist at both the 2005 and 2006 tournaments.

Withrow "is just a solid player," Obermeier said. "You're going to have to have your best day against him, and I don't feel like I've had mine yet."

2005 state champ and 2006 runner-up John DeVose of Papillion-La Vista South will meet Lincoln East's Brandon Videtich, a quarterfinalist in the past two state tourneys, in the semifinals.

Videtich said he welcomes the depth that the state tournament offers.

"I think it's good because you play a lot of good competition, and you get a lot of match experience under your belt before you play someone that you want to take out," he said. "And I want to take out John."

DeVose, a senior, said he physically and mentally feels the greatest he ever has, and that he is fired up for the upcoming matches.

"It's my last year," he said. "I'm going to give it my best."

At No. 1 doubles, top seed Omaha Westside advanced convincingly, giving up only one game (during a first-set victory over Omaha Burke in the quarterfinals) after a first-round bye. But the Warrior duo of Andrew Mellen and Ke Arkfeld know how tough the road ahead is.

"The seed is just a number," Mellen said. "Anything can happen. We just have to play our game."

And if the Warriors advance to the finals, they could face Creighton Prep with a possible shot at the team title.

But that's only if the Spartans suffer a mental meltdown on the final day.

"It really comes down to now what I've always believed, and that's that at this juncture, competition is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical," said Lincoln East coach Jeff Hoham. "You either have the 'want' factor — where you really want it — or you don't."

"You want to win for yourself, for your doubles partner, for your team and for your school. All those things you just throw them in the blender and press mix," he added. "If you're looking at one reason or one thing, I think that's when you start to create paralysis through analysis, and I'm not about to make that mistake."