Abington Heights’ Addie Stark. (JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF PHOTO)
Abington Heights’ Kate Arp, left, and Addie Stark. (JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF PHOTO)
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Abington Heights’ Addie Stark. (JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF PHOTO)
WILKES-BARRE– An established champion fortified her place in tennis history, while a couple of new stars also showed the bright future.
At the District 2 Singles Championships, Montrose senior Cara Evans completed her dominant run to a second straight Class 2A gold medal.
In Class 3A, Abington Heights freshman Addie Stark captured the title on a sunny afternoon at Kirby Park.
In order to defend her PIAA championship, Evans first needed to win the District 2 title. She advanced to the final, beating Dallas’ Carlin Finn, 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinal.
MMI Prep freshman Avery Orozco battled Scranton Prep senior Lily Lengyel, the No. 2 seed, in the other semifinal.
Orozco earned a 6-3, 6-3 win to set up the match against the champion.
Not even the blasting of the Styx anthem “Renegade” through the nearby Ralston Field speakers for Wilkes football practice could pierce Evans’ focus.
“When the music started playing, I honestly just started dancing,” Evans said. “I just figured I’ll embrace it. I’ll embrace the conditions, the cold or the heat, it wasn’t going to matter.”
While also battling a cold, the powerful right hander, fired shots that whistled over the net and slammed inside the lines. Evans defeated the upstart Orozco, 6-0, 6-2.
“It felt really good, because coming into the season, I knew about Avery and played her a couple of times,” Evans said. “(Thursday), I felt more knowledgeable about her game when my sister Anna played her. I knew that I had to be at my very best tennis.”
After the match, Evans embraced Orozco and whispered words of encouragement. She gave similar advice to what Wyoming Seminary Ilana Rosenthal, a three-time state champion, offered her two seasons ago after beating Evans in the final.
“I’m just really grateful for everything that I did and how I played,” Orozco said. “I learned a lot. I really got a good experience out of this. It was something new and I am happy with how did in these tough matches.
“In the final, I still played very good tennis. We both did. I am just really proud of everything that happened this season.”
In Class 3A, the championship match featured a pair of Abington Heights players who led the Lady Comets to the Lackawanna League and District 2 Class 3A Championships.
Stark, who earned the No. 1 place in Abington Heights’ lineup by defeating Arp in a practice challenge match, rolled to the final with a 6-0, 6-0 wins over Coral Kelly in the semifinal.
Arp reached the title match, beating North Pocono’s Anna Clementoni, 6-1, 6-1.
Despite being teammates, Stark and Arp were fiercely competitive, but respectful, congratulating each other for good winning shots.
Stark won the key points and captured the gold, 7-5, 6-4.
“It’s kind of odd, because Kate is my close friend and teammate,” Stark said. “It’s kind of weird a little bit. It was a good match and it was fun playing her.
“It’s like all of my hard work, you know I’ve been playing for a couple of years now, we have been working toward this. It’s really great.”
While never satisfied with defeat, Arp was gracious and happy with the way she played in the two-day competition.
“I’m just really grateful to reach the final,” Arp said. “She played amazing and a real fighter. I just wanted to win a couple of games, because I lost 6-0, 6-1 in our challenge match. I wanted to put up a fight. She just played great.”