By Teddy Rydquist

Leader Sports Writer

On a picturesque 75-degree afternoon, Oxford tennis defeated Goodrich, 8-0, on Thursday, Aug. 22 to begin their 2019 season in impressive fashion.

Riding their on-court chemistry, the duo of senior Dane and junior Silas VonAllmen led the Wildcats to victory in the top doubles flight.

The VonAllmen brothers defeated Goodrich senior Mason Rich and junior Robert Rasegan, 6-1, 6-0.

In the second doubles flight, junior Gabe Smith and sophomore Chase Maier guided Oxford to another two-set victory, 6-1, 6-1.

The most exciting matchup of the afternoon was the top singles match between Oxford senior Hayden Durant and Goodrich’s Will Nicklas. Durant cruised to a 6-2 win in the first set but had to fight for every point in a 7-6 second set win.

Only a sophomore, Nicklas did an excellent job of holding his own against an experienced player in Durant. The Oxford senior was able to control most of the pace of the match, but Nicklas came up with several response shots to keep things interesting.

Fellow seniors Brock Heilig, Trevor Wallace and Cameron Mumbrue led the Wildcats to wins in the other singles matches.

“8-0 win. Nice way to start the season,” head coach Ryan Ruzziconi simply stated post-match.

Long benefiting from playing in the small Genesee Area Conference, Goodrich is beginning their first year in the more competitive Flint Metro League.

The Holly Bronchos have been a traditional power in the FML, winning 24 of the last 26 league championships.

However, 2018-19 was one of the two years they did not take home the crown; the Flushing Raiders won their first league championship in school history.

These two teams – and the other FML schools – will provide longtime Goodrich head coach Roger Conn with some opportunities to see his team grow and learn from experience.

Fielding a lineup against Oxford that featured one freshman and four sophomores, Goodrich has some young players that should get to play a lot of competitive tennis over the next couple of years.