Broadneck erases 4-1 deficit, upsets Arundel, 5-4

It isn’t often that the Broadneck tennis team can call itself the county front-runner. After yesterday’s 5-4 upset of host Arundel, however, the Bruins have plenty of fodder to finally make that lofty claim.

Trailing 4-1 after the first five matches, Broadneck won the final four in a row against the defending county champions, with the team of Shannon Callahan and Julie White scoring a straight-sets win in No. 2 girls doubles competition to clinch the victory.

“This is an all-time first for us,” said Bruins coach Phoebe Kelly, who couldn’t remember another time when her team (2-0) was in the role of county favorite. “We’ve worked hard for this. Last year we were young, but we’ve developed nicely and gained a lot of poise.”

A big key to the win came in the No. 2 boys singles, where Broadneck’s Mike Leonard upended Arundel’s David Flage, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, in the best match of the day.

Though he’d never played Flage, the senior said he knew what it would take to beat him.

“I knew I’d have to play up to my potential,” said Leonard, who scored points by playing the baseline and occasionally charging the net. “I just went out there and gave it my all, and it paid off in the end. I knew I was in control in the first set, because all the balls were just falling for me.”

Arundel (1-1) was led by senior Andrew Carlson, who also had a day to remember. After defeating Broadneck’s Eric Horine, 6-0, 6-0, in No. 1 boys singles, he returned home to sign a letter of intent to attend perennial national power Ohio State.

Other winners were Broadneck’s Jenny Hellier (No. 1 girls singles), Camilla Rasmussen (No. 2 girls singles) and Jason White and Sam Weston (No. 1 boys doubles), and Arundel’s doubles teams of Shawn Kapoor and Jason Hoyt (No. 2 boys), Lindsay Carlson and Heather Frick (No. 1 girls) and Neely Harris and Dave Durose (mixed).

Pub Date: 4/11/96