Jung climbs to victory

The elevation was steep and rocky for JJ Jung after he lost the first set, but the Camas High School sophomore was up for the challenge.

“I just closed my eyes and relaxed,” he said. “I was ready to climb the mountain. Just took things one step at a time.”

After a 3 hour, 30 minute marathon of a tennis match under the hot sun Wednesday, Jung defeated Andrew Bastian of Washougal 0-6, 6-4, 6-2. The hard fought victory solidified a 6-0 sweep for the Papermakers over the Panthers in Washougal.

“It was quite exhilarating,” Jung said. “A long match like that strengthens your mental state. Mentality is what separates the good players from the great players. It’s not just about the brawn, but also the brain.”

The top singles match between Jonathan Ho of Camas and Regan Townsend of Washougal also caught the eye of the fans. The ball kept bouncing back and forth all over the court, before Ho emerged with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Matt Brumfield used his size and experience to handle Brian Choi 6-0, 6-1.

The three doubles matches featured a variety on untested varsity players. Christian Gmelin and Jeffrey Lee defeated Josh Warren and Ethan Dayley 6-1, 6-1. Andrew Lee and Tim Liu topped Matt Wade and Christion Rambousek 6-0, 6-1. Alec Gantar and Jonathan Liao beat Al Tkach and Josh Bischoff 6-0, 6-2.

“It was good for our boys to have some success. A lot of them are new to varsity,” said Camas head coach Jonathan Burton. “I love competing against Washougal. The Balholms are a joy to be around.

“It’s nice to keep that Camas-Washougal competition going on,” he added. “I’ve been here for 20 years, and I still enjoy that Camas-Washougal rivalry.”

The Papermakers also swept R.A. Long 6-0 Friday, in Camas. Ho (6-0, 6-2), Jung (6-2, 6-2) and Brumfield (6-1, 6-1) won their singles matches. Gmelin-Jeffrey Lee (6-1, 6-3), Liu-Andrew Lee (6-0, 6-0) and Gantar-Liao (6-1, 6-1) earned victories in doubles.