Jack Robbins and Dallas work out a comeback district tennis victory

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ Reid McNeill’s physical play sets him apart from a crowded blueline

TUNKHANNOCK &#8212; Jack Robbins had three days to construct his comeback.When the skies greyed and delivered a quick-moving downpour that made conditions too slick to continue on Friday, it gave the Dallas top singles player a breather after dropping the first set. Like anyone living in California, rain was his saving grace &#8211; Robbins went back to the drawing board.Robbins won the deciding match to lead fifth-seeded Dallas to a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Tunkhannock in the District 2 Class 2 boys tennis team quarterfinals Monday. The match was resumed after a 1-1 tie on Friday.In the semifinals, Dallas will face top-seeded Scranton Prep Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre. The district championship will follow at 3 p.m.Robbins came back with a vengeance from his 6-4 first set defeat in the top flight. He turned the tables on Tunkhannock&#8217;s Packie Cronin with a pair of 6-4, 6-4 set wins Monday to pull in the win for the Mountaineers.&#8220;Well his back hand was a lot weaker so I tried going for that most of the second set,&#8221; Robbins said. &#8220;He&#8217;s not very strong on net so I tried that as well, and it worked.&#8221;Robbins&#8217; confidence, which plummeted Friday when he lost the first three games to Cronin, multiplied after winning the second set. He rode the momentum and made several key shots to his opponent&#8217;s backhand.&#8220;My confidence became a lot stronger, and my serves were getting in a lot more,&#8221; Robbins said. &#8220;They were flatter serves, harder for him to hit.&#8221;The win was crucial because on the other side on the court, teammates Joe Bevevino and Adam Niznik were trailing a set (6-3) to Tunkhannock&#8217;s Alex Greenip and Justine Philllips in second doubles. Robbins&#8217; win meant that the match wouldn&#8217;t come down to a pair of green-behind-the-ears doubles players. Fortunately for them, it was halted with Dallas&#8217; third match win.&#8220;It just puts so much pressure on inexperienced players,&#8221; Dallas coach Joe Pugliese said. &#8220;I had the confidence that they could probably pull it out. They had such a slow start today. (With Robbins&#8217; win), they don&#8217;t go into the rest of that match.&#8221;Dallas&#8217; other singles win came from Frank Bevevino at third singles. Frank Bevevino topped Avery Newhart by a 6-4, 6-3 score.&#8220;Frank had a great year. He started off the year in No. 1 doubles and wanted to play singles,&#8221; Pugliese said. &#8220;He put up the challenge to play No. 3 singles, and he really came through. I believe he&#8217;s only had one loss in singles the whole season.&#8221;The Mountaineers&#8217; Cameron Tuck and Anthony Brominski won No. 1 singles by 6-3, 6-3 scores over Gerard Mirabelli and Colin Franko.Tunkhannock&#8217;s lone point came from Luke Straley in the No. 2 singles. Straley came out on top in two sets by 6-4, 6-4 scores.A quick turnaround and a formidable opponent will be a tough challenge for the young Mountaineers team.&#8220;We&#8217;re being realistic; Prep is the best around. There is no doubt about it,&#8221; Pugliese said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been watching that team for five years coaching and I feel this is going to be one of their strongest teams.&#8221;Valley View 4, Berwick 1Giuseppe Baratta and Nick Oliver teamed up to win the top doubles match for the Bulldogs, but Berwick didn&#8217;t have much success anywhere else while falling in the opening round of the District 2 Class 3A team tournament.Joey Ferretti started Valley View&#8217;s singles sweep with a 6-0, 6-1 victory.District 2 Class 2A QuarterfinalsDallas 3, Tunkhannock 1Singles: 1. Jack Robbins (DAL) d. Packie Cronin 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; 2. Luke Straley (TUN) d. Anthony DeLuca 6-4, 6-4; 3. Frankie Bevevino (DAL) d. Avery Newhart 6-4, 6-3.Doubles: 1. Cameron Tuck/Anthony Brominski (DAL) d. Gerard Mirabelli/Colin Franko 6-3 6-3; 2. Alex Greenip/Justin Phillips (TUN) vs. Joe Bevevino/Adam Niznik (DAL) 6-3, halted.District 2 Class 3A QuarterfinalsValley View 4, Berwick 1Singles: Joey Feretti (VV) d. Luke Whitenight 6-0, 6-1; P.J. Sova (VV) d. Blake Whitmire 6-0, 6-3; Alec Rodway (VV) d. Dominic Scicchitano 7-5, 6-1Doubles: Giuseppe Baratta/Nick Oliver (BER) d. Nick Barber/Vitt Romano 2-6, 7-6 (8-6); Rob Pazzaglia/Austin Mackey (VV) d. Roopesh Kumar/Jake Demler 6-1, 6-3