MASON, Ohio — It was billed as a rematch for the ages, and it didn't disappoint.
This time, it was Ben Pomeranets who came out on top.
The Orange High School junior defeated Chagrin Falls senior Andrew Zimcosky on Saturday 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to win the Ohio High School Athletic Association's state championship for boys tennis in Division II. The two Chagrin Valley Conference rivals also met in the finals a year ago, which Zimcosky won after falling in the first set.
Pomeranets breezed through the sectional and district brackets through May, including a straight sets win over Zimcosky in the district semifinals. He didn't even lose a set in the tournament until the state semis, when he fell to Legacy Christian's Tucker Culpepper 1-6 in the opening tilt before coming back to take the next two 6-2 and 6-3.
After beating Zimcosky 7-5, 6-1 in districts, Pomeranets took the opening set of Saturday's finals in Mason before losing the second, just as he had done in 2021. But unlike last year, he recovered to win the decisive battle, bringing the hardware back to the Pepper Pike area.
Also on Saturday, the Orange team of Jake Goldstein and Gabi Kalir played for the doubles title, but lost 4-6, 4-6 to RJ Poffenberger and Tejas Pisati from Indian Hill. Lions junior Alexis Nyborg advanced to the girls D-II championship match last fall, where she fell to Eaton's Macy Hitchcock.
