By Victor Tse, Staff Writer

Knocked out of the quarterfinals at the Ohio tennis state tournament in a 6-1, 6-1 defeat, the BHS doubles team of Mark Goldberg and Ricky Bortz left undoubtedly disappointed.

“We had a good shot of winning,” said Goldberg, but “the opponents were tough, and they overpowered us.” The tournament this year was challenging from the start, perfectly embodied by their first round, which saw them pitted against the doubles team that won third place in the state last year. In spite of that, Goldberg and Bortz would defeat them with a sound score of 6-2 and 6-1.

So they’re still proud of their performance at the tournament, and-as seniors- they can be even more proud of their tennis career in high school; Goldberg and Bortz will leave Beachwood’s tennis team as some of the most accomplished athletes of the school.

Mark Goldberg, alone, will finish high school as an astounding four-time district champion, and at one point ranked as one of the top 25 Junior tennis players in the Midwest by the USTA.

Athletic Director Ryan Peters said, “Mark has been district champion for four state years. As far as I know, that is the only time in Beachwood history that has happened in any sport.”  He has qualified for the state tournament for four straight years as well.  This is the second time that a Beachwood tennis player has done that.

But that’s not to say Mark’s a one-man army. In an interview with Mike Peticca of the Plain Dealer, the duo admitted that, as a doubles team, the level of teamwork was what got them to the state tournament in the first place. We always tried “to keep each other pumped up in between points,” Bortz told Peticca, “we go back and talk to each other.”