Spring-Ford’s Moore repeats as PAC boys tennis singles champion

GRATERFORD >> The program’s legacy remains alive and strong.

So, too, does Cameron Moore’s standing in the Pioneer Athletic Conference boys tennis community.

The capper to a “championship week” for Spring-Ford came Saturday, when Moore repeated as champion in the PAC Singles Tournament at Perkiomen Valley. Two days after he and his teammates completed a sweep of the league’s dual-match opposition, the Ram senior completed a strong tournament run with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Methacton’s Dylan Wen.

“The finals was the toughest,” Moore noted. “Almost all the games went to deuce. I was more focused in the finals.”

Moore got off to a 3-0 start in the first set. A split of the next four games made his lead 5-2, but he finished up with a flourish in the sixth game.

The second set started out closer, Moore leading 2-1 after three. But he swept the rest of the way to the 6-1 win.

“My net game was pretty good,” Moore said. “The forehand was my power shot. The backhand was consistent.”

Moore started his strong run off a first-round bye with a 6-1, 6-3 verdict over Perkiomen Valley’s Evan Bolton. He followed by dispatching Pottsgrove’s Wyatt Lear 6-1, 6-4, then handled Owen J. Roberts’ Talan Nguyen in their semifinal 6-2, 6-1.

He cited his net game as a particular strong suit.

“It was pretty good,” he said. “My forehand got my power shots, and my backhand was consistent. It was a bit of both.”

Like Moore, Wen had a good run to the championship match. But his scores were tighter than his Spring-Ford counterpart: 6-0, 6-1 on Owen J. Roberts’ Josh Sawicki off a first-round bye, 6-2, 6-0 against Phoenixville’s Nicolas Rambla in the quarters and a 6-0, 6-2 result on Upper Merion’s Josiah Kotright in the semis.

“My approach shots worked well,” the Warrior freshman recalled. “They were the best overall. A lot of my winners were off them.”

“Overall, it went well, especially the last match,” he added. “I just had too many unforced errors.”

Moore’s two singles titles gives the Spring-Ford program nine champions since the 2011 season. It started with a pair from Tyler Triolo, was followed by three from Patrick Pascual through 2016 and two more by Patrick’s brother, Malchu Pascual, prior to the COVID-interrupted 2020 season.

“We’ve done all right,” SF head coach John Brennan said. “All our guys had their own ways. Cameron is like a savvy veteran. He’s crafty, knows what he’s doing and maximizes it.”

The next quest for Moore is repeating as part of the championship tandem in the PAC’s Doubles Tournament May 5-6. He teamed with the graduated Joshua Pergine for the gold medal in 2021, and is waiting to see with which teammate he will be paired this time around.

“It would be nice to win that both years,” he said.

Moore has thrived on the program’s inclination to line up the best competition available on the non-league portion of its schedule.

“Playing Harriton and Radnor — they’re both among the Top 10 in the state — helps me focus mentally,” he said. “A higher level of competition helps.”

The third-place match between Nguyen and Kotright saw the Viking sophomore win in three sets, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1. In the fifth-place match, Lear prevailed over Ye in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-5), 6-0.

NOTES >> The top five placers will represent the PAC in District 1’s Class AAA. They will be joined by Pope John Paul II’s Aidan McCarel in Class AA. … Brennan complimented the showing by other SF varsity players at Saturday’s session. “They came out to see him (Moore) play,” he said. “That shows what the team’s like.”

Pioneer Athletic Conference Singles Tournament

At Perkiomen Valley

Friday’s Results

First Round

Cameron Moore (Spring-Ford) bye; Evan Bolton (Perkiomen Valley) def. Dane Crook (Norristown) 6-0, 6-0; Nick Gehringer (Boyertown) def. Xavier Francis Williams (Pottstown) 6-0, 6-1; Wyatt Lear (Pottsgrove) def. Leo Doberenz (Phoenixville), 6-0, 3-6, 10-5; Talan Nguyen (OJR) def. Aiden McCarel (PJP) 6-1, 6-0; Ricardo Spadea (Perkiomen Valley) def. Nick Pence (Upper Perkiomen) 6-1, 6-2; Ethan O’Brien (Methacton) def. Elian Kuznits (Upper Merion) 6-2, 6-2; Troy Watts (Pottsgrove) bye

Josiah Kotright (Upper Merion) bye; Michael Krueger (Pottsgrove) def. Chris Cossa (Pope John Paul II) 6-2, 6-0; Henry Damiani (Spring-Ford) def. Evan Rotushny (Upper Perkiomen) 6-1, 6-1; Henry Ye (Perkiomen Valley) def. Nolan N’goran (Methacton) 4-6, 6-2 10-5; Navein Suresh (Spring-Ford) def. James Ryder (Pottstown), 6-0, 6-0; Nicolas Rambla (Phoenixville) def. Brayden Burkhardt (Boyertown) 6-1, 6-4; Jack Sawicki (OJR) def. Nijel Parks (Norristown) 6-2, 6-2; Dylan Wen (Methacton) bye.

Second Round

Moore (SF) def. Bolton (PV) 6-1, 6-3; Lear (Pg) def. Gehringer (Bt) 6-1, 6-2; Nguyen (OJR) def. Spadea (PV) 6-2, 6-2; Watts (Pg) def. O’Brien (Meth) 6-2, 6-3; Kotright (UMe) def. Krueger (Pg) 6-0, 6-2; Ye (PV) def. Damiani (SF) 6-2, 4-6, 10-6; Rambla (Px) def. Suresh (SF) 6-3, 7-5; Wen (Me) def. Sawicki (OJR) 6-0, 6-1.

Quarterfinals

Moore (SF) def. Lear (Pg) 6-1, 6-4; Nguyen (OJR) def. Watts (Pg), 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (0).

Kotright (UMe) def. Ye (PV) 2-6, 6-0, 6-4; Wen (Me) def. Rambla (Px) 6-2, 6-0.

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Saturday’s Results

Semifinals

Moore (SF) def. Nguyen (OJR), 6-2, 6-1; Wen (Me) def. Kotright (UMe) 6-0, 6-2.

Consolation Semifinals

Lear (Pg) def. Watts (Pg) 6-1, 6-3; Ye (PV) def. Rambla (Px) 6-0, 4-6, 12-10.

Championship

Moore (SF) def. Wen (Me) 6-3, 6-1.

Third Place

Kotright (UMe) def. Nguyen (OJR) 6-2, 1-6, 6-1.

Fifth Place

Lear (Pg) def. Ye (PV) 7-6 (7-5), 6-0.