Perfection. Not many teams or individuals get a shot at it.
Vicki Dunbar, a professional tennis player for 10 years, says she never has to tell her son Ethan to practice.
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(John Kuntz / PD)
Perfection.
Not many teams or individuals get a shot at it.
Cloverleaf senior tennis player Ethan Dunbar knows just how difficult a feat it is to perform. So does his family.
A year ago, Dunbar was 31-0 before losing his only match of the year in the quarterfinals of the Division I state tournament. Today, he enters the state tournament in Columbus with a 33-0 mark, needing four victories to cap a perfect season.
"Entering the season, I just wanted to do the best I could," said Dunbar, who will play college tennis for Richmond in the fall. "I didn't think about winning the sectional or winning the district. I just wanted to see how far I could go."
Dunbar added a second straight Oberlin District title to his r sum a week ago. While he may appear a bit philosophical about his winning ways, losing to Ryan Bandy from Cincinnati St. Xavier last year was not a good memory.
But if Dunbar needed some inspiration, the previously-undefeated Bandy provided it when he was upset and failed to make the final state field of 16. Dunbar said the tournament is wide open after the favorite was eliminated.
"I knew Ryan was real good and we had played before and I lost," said Dunbar, Cloverleaf's first sectional and district champion. "Obviously, I was a little upset. He was definitely one of the favorites. But the kid that beat him must be good. You can't overlook anyone."
You can't look past Dunbar's tennis-rooted family, either.
His mother, Vicki, was a member of the professional women's tour for 10 years. Keith Dunbar, an Olmsted Falls native, was a professional coach before going into the advertising and publishing business. Younger brother, Jacob, and sister, Emily, are playing the game, often on the Medina family's home tennis court.
While Mike McGee is the Cloverleaf coach, it doesn't hurt to have a former professional and three-time state champion from Wooster High teaching you the game at home. In one of the great bits of history, Vicki Nelson-Dunbar won the longest point on record -- 29 minutes, 643 strokes -- against Jean Hepner in a Virginia Slims match in September 1984.
She would rather talk about her son's abilities.
"He works very hard and is very good mentally," said Vicki Dunbar, who knows a bit about perfection after winning her first 136 high school matches before losing in the state semifinals as a senior. "It also helps he loves the game. He doesn't go out and do it for someone else. I don't have to tell him to go out and practice."
Playing on the summer circuit away from school, Dunbar said he knows nearly all of the players in the Division I field. He especially knows juniors Nolan Marks of Kenston and Tommy Marx of Shaker Heights.
He defeated Marx in the district semifinals, 6-3, 6-2, and took care of Westlake sophomore Colton Buffington in the finals, 6-1, 7-6 (3).
"I played well, but they weren't easy," said Dunbar, who meets freshman Miguel Cepeda of Mason in today's opener. "They stepped up and made it difficult. I'm happy how I played, but I think all of those guys from our district have a shot.
"I kind of like knowing everyone. You can prepare. But just because you beat them before doesn't mean you can beat them again."
Buffington, who plays Centerville junior Ruben Geearaet in his opening match, recalled losing to a 14-year-old Dunbar when he was 12.
"It's his consistency," said Buffington. "He does not miss the ball and his first-serve percentage is high. Our whole match was offense-defense. I would hit it in a corner and he was hitting it right back on offense."
McGee said Dunbar's mental makeup has made him all the better.
"He plays a match and then he goes home and plays some more," said McGee, who is also the school's swimming coach. "With his experience and determination, he thinks he can play with anyone. I think our district had four of the top eight players in the state and I could see all four of them in the finals."
Dunbar recalled making his first trip to state as a freshman. He lost to four-time champion Matt Allare, now playing at Ohio State.
"I was excited to play that match," said Dunbar, who has seen his freshman opponent, Cepeda, play his younger brother. "There was no pressure. I won a game, which was better than some people.
"I like a little pressure. Obviously, there is a little more pressure than when I was a freshman."
Going up against perfection doesn't seem to faze him.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jmaxse@plaind.com, 216-999-5168