The North Fort Myers High boys’ tennis team had to replace both it’s top two singles players from a year ago. They were set back further when one-third of the way through this season No. 2 player Jonathan Rodriguez suffered a broken collarbone, forcing him out of the lineup.

“That was a huge loss for us,” coach John Swaiko said. “We’ve had to move everybody up.”

Facing adversity, the Red Knights have leaned heavily on sophomore Jesus Lugones.

The Daily Breeze Male Athlete of the Week improved to 9-1 with a win over Dunbar last Friday, and has become a stabilizing force for the Red Knights, during this transition season.

“I felt pretty confident,” Lugones said of moving up to No. 1. “I felt comfortable because I improved a lot by training a lot last summer.”

Lugones, who moved to Southwest Florida from Argentina five years ago, has a strong serve and forehand and has added confidence.

In his freshman season at North, he compiled a 7-4 mark at No. 3 singles and has adjusted well to the step up in competition, dropping just one singles match.

Next up is Wednesday’s district tournament at Florida Gulf Coast University. The singles competition, as usual, figures to be stellar at No. 1 with Fort Myers senior Michael Wardell undefeated and the projected favorite.

Lugones has focused on making a run at the finals and gaining experience for next season.

“Hopefully, I don’t get (Wardell) until the last round,” he said. “Next year, I may have a better chance.”



Honorable mentions:



Dustin Mishka, Ida Baker baseball: Mishka hit a solo home run Saturday, sparking the Bulldogs’ 15-12 win over Fort Myers, and had an RBI double in Baker’s win over Bell County (Ky.) last Thursday.



Bobby Borchering, Bishop Verot baseball: Borchering hit three home runs, one in each of the Vikings’ first three games in the Sarasota Baseball Classic. He continued his hot hitting with two more hits and four RBI in the consolation bracket title game.