High school tennis: Brunswick beats Medina in thriller

MEDINA — Call him Tyler "Ice" Berg. With a Greater Cleveland Conference boys tennis match with Medina hanging in the balance Wednesday, the Brunswick freshman third singles player defeated Ian Schroeter 6-0, 2-6, 7-6 (4) to give the Blue Devils a thrilling 3-2 team victory. The Bees (3-2, 1-2) were up 2-1 in the match as Berg and Schroeter headed to a third-set tiebreaker, but Brunswick (7-2, 2-0) already was up 5-0 in the third set at first doubles, meaning the third singles court was going to decide the match. "I knew I needed to win for us to have a chance, but I wasn't sure what everyone else did," Berg said. "I just knew I needed to win." Berg fell behind 2-0 in the seven-point tiebreaker but won six of the next seven points to go up 6-3. Schroeter got to 6-4 on the first of Berg's two serves, but the Blue Devils ninth-grader won the next point to close the match. Two minutes later, Brunswick's Karson Faria and Nathan Meier completed a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 first doubles win over Kirin Laribee and Wyatt McRitchie and the Blue Devils departed Medina's John Paul Kelly Memorial Tennis Courts in celebratory fashion. Berg's match with the never-say-die Schroeter was the best of the day, but it didn't start that way. Berg won the first set without losing a game before Schroeter took 10 of the next 13 to go up 4-1 in the third set. Just when Berg looked like he was finished, he came back to life. "I talked to my coach (Mark Merchant) and he gave me a little pep talk," he said. "I got out of my head. My teammates helped, too. They were trying to make me laugh." There were no surprises between Berg and Schroeter, who have played numerous times at Paramount Tennis Club. "Our matches are always close," Berg said. "We're friends, but it was a pride thing. I needed to win that match." Brunswick got its first point from returning All-Gazette first singles player Christian Droz. The senior used a powerful topspin forehand and solid net play to down Owen Alber 6-1, 6-3 on a day when wind gusts made it difficult to keep the ball in play. "I was just trying to get balls in and be aggressive but not overhit the ball," the 5-foot-7, 125-pound Droz said. "I did a few times, but I kept my emotions under control." Medina got its points from second singles player Ian White, who didn't lose a game against Tyler Naugle, and the second doubles team of Keegan Kraft and Konner Leyden, which dropped just one game against Ben Kraft and Blake Petish. "Yesterday was just as windy, so I was used to it," said White, who was the first player off the court. "I used it to my advantage a lot. "I hit to his backhand deep and rushed the net. I'm pretty good at the net, so I'd slice it or get an overhead and finish it." It was "Ice" Berg, however, who pretty much finished the match from a team aspect. "I was hitting to his backhand and trying to hit a lot of inside-out forehands," Berg said. "I felt like I had to secure the win." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter. Brunswick 3, Medina 2 Singles: Christian Droz (B) def. Owen Alber, 6-1, 6-3; Ian White (M) def. Tyler Naugle, 6-0, 6-0; Tyler Berg (B) def. Ian Schroeter, 6-0, 2-6, 7-6 (4). Doubles: Karson Faria/Nathan Meier (B) def. Kirin Laribee/Wyatt McRitchie, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; Keegan Kraft/Konner Leyden (M) def. Ben Kraft/Blake Petish, 6-0, 6-1. Records: Brunswick (7-2, 2-0), Medina (3-2, 1-2).