By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES – A few things have happened since the last time the Brandywine varsity tennis team captured a Division 4 regional championship.
The Lady Bobcats won the crown back in the fall of 2006 and then had to wait until this spring to defend their championships.
And defend it they did.
Brandywine captured Friday's regional title with 27 points going into today's No. 4 double championship match against Bridgman.
Buchanan and Dowagiac tied for second with 18 points, which advances both the Lady Bucks and the Chieftains to the state finals in two weeks.
Bridgman is currently fourth with 14 points.
And as the saying goes … "now the rest of the story."
You see, the Michigan High School Athletic Association was forced to chance its seasons, thus moving the boys to the fall of 2007 and switching the girls to the spring time.
Long-time coach Joe Marazita resigned his position after the 2006 regional title because he had coached boys tennis for three years and got tired of the cold weather.
A group of parents got together and raised money so that the Lady Bobcats could practice indoors while it was cold.
Then, Marizita's daughter told her dad that she would be his assistant coach and everything fell into place.
Brandywine won yet another Lakeland Conference championship last weekend and backed that up with another regional title – its second straight and third in the last four years.
Marazita said that it takes hard work and dedication to accomplish the things that the Lady Bobcats have this season.
Brandywine was 16-1 during the regular season and showed no mercy at the Lakeland Conference tournament and again on Friday.
The Lady Bobcats advanced to the finals in seven out of eight flights.
The only flight that didn't feature a Brandywine players was No. 1 singles where top seed Amelia Harrison was injured during her match against Bridgman and she ended up losing.
"It takes team depth to win tournaments and that's why we won the Lakeland Conference last Friday and I think that's why we won the tournament today," Marazita said.
Brandywine lost have of its team from 2006, but put together another dominant squad in 2008.
"So the fact that we can put seven of our eight flights in the finals tells me how hard the kids worked this year," he said. "I was very proud of the kids' efforts. We had to overcome that injury at No. 1 singles, where our No. 1 seed, who was undefeated against all those kids, went down on a tumble. We hope to have her back for the state finals."
The No. 4 doubles championship will be decided at Buchanan High School beginning at 10 a.m.
In case of rain, the finals will be played at the Lakeland Athletic Club.