Mason Deal and Sydney Deal play tennis and golf at an extremely high level.
J.D. Pooley | Sentinel-Tribune
PERRYSBURG — Siblings Mason Deal and Sydney Deal are excelling in two sports they can play for a lifetime — tennis and golf.
Mason, a senior, and Sydney, a sophomore, are state qualifiers in golf and have set the goal of reaching the state tennis tournament this spring.
It all stems from their family.
“I think it’s pretty much a family thing,” Perrysburg boys golf coach Ryan DeLauter said. “They are constantly playing with each other.
“Mason has a swing coach and that is something they’ve done together as a young age as family. I think we’ve always heard that they will mix the teams up with mom and dad and Sydney and Mason for them to go at it pretty hard and compete.”
Sydney, who placed 20th at the Division I state golf tournament last fall, said. “We’re both real competitive with each other and it is always real fun to play with him and try to beat him.
“You know he’s pretty good but it’s always fun and growing up playing with him made me a lot better.”
Perrysburg girls golf coach Rick Rettig has witnessed firsthand how the siblings have learned to become competitors.
“They have such a great relationship. They are both very strong competitors. I’ve always said of Sydney that she is really nice, but the young lady has tiger blood in her veins,” Rettig said.
“She’s super aggressive in her play and she doesn’t seem to have any fear. I love to see how competitive she is, and I know her brother is the same way, but you take them away from the competition and they are two of the nicest young people you ever could meet in your life.”
Signed and sealed to be a Rocket
A state qualifier for golf and tennis as a freshman and a district runner-up in both sports as a junior, Mason, with a 4.238 gpa, has already signed to golf at NCAA Division I University of Toledo.
“We are so thrilled that Mason decided to stay close to home and become a Rocket,” Toledo coach Jeff Roope said. “Mason absolutely loves competition, and he is more than willing to jump into events at all levels and push himself to be better.
“It’s one of the things that made him so perfect to join our team. He’s a really talented player already, but I can’t wait to see what he becomes when you surround him with players like we have our current squad.”
Mason says it was an easy decision.
“I talked to the coach at Toledo, and I really like him, and I like some of the guys on the team — they are awesome, and Inverness is their home course, and that is a pretty big deal,” Mason said.
Deal posted a scoring average of 70.36 and registered two first-place, three second-place and one third-place finishes in six Toledo junior events in 2021.
He was named the Toledo Junior Golf Association Player of Year in 2020 and carded a TJGA golf record nine-under 63 (35-28) at Belmont Country Club in Perrysburg.
Mason won OHSAA sectionals this fall at Stone Ridge Golf Club posting a five-under par 67. Deal has also excelled regionally and nationally, finishing third at both the 2020 George Holliday Memorial (72-74-68) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as well as the 2021 Ohio Junior Amateur (69-73) in Zanesville.
As a freshman, Mason helped Perrysburg qualify for the state tournament, finishing 10th as a team. He was Northern Lakes League Player of the Year as a sophomore and owns the school record for his nine-hole average (36.56).
Mason also has the lowest all-time 18-hole average (72.29) and nine-hole record low (32 at Belmont) in scholastic competition, even though he shot 28 during summer golf. He has the school’s 18-hole record low, 66, at Napoleon Municipal Golf Course.
Perrysburg golf coaches DeLauter, Dan Thompson and girls coach Rettig say Sydney will likely have the same fate, NCAA D-I golf, if she sticks with her game.
Rettig says for now that conversation will have to wait, but DeLauter says there is a good chance she may want to head south to golf. Both say she is already D-I material.
“When I was walking with her at the state championship this year, we have casual conversation,” Rettig said. “That is the best way to approach state is to just take a walk in the park, and so we never really talk about it.
“I don’t bring it up to her, she doesn’t bring it up to me. It is going to happen. She’s a big-time Division I player.
“But it’s not something we talk about or focus on because it distracts us from bigger goals, which are to compete at the highest level and take each shot for its own.
“I really believe that the sky is the limit and I think she is smart enough to know that is going to come, but not if she just focuses on it. Her focus is just to play great golf and to be competitive. That will come along in time.”
Climbing the brackets in tennis
In tennis this spring, both have moved on to the district tournament this weekend, Mason in singles and Sydney with senior Matthew Wiley in doubles.
One could argue that both could play collegiate tennis, but both say golf is their first love. Mason is 17-0 at first singles, only losing one set all season.
“Mason has an aggressive game-style that you don’t really see a lot in high school or tournament play, for that matter,” said Perrysburg coach Patrick Giammarco.
“He uses his big, heavy forehand to push his opponent back behind the baseline and then he comes to net when he sees they’re off-balance and on the defensive. He’s also a very focused and determined player.
“Even when he’s down in a set, I’m not super worried as I know he’ll find a way to clean up his game and pull ahead eventually. With Mason and Sydney, I believe their golf game helps their tennis, and vice-versa.”
Sydney, competing against the boys, is 10-3 at third singles and 3-0 at doubles.
“Sydney has an aggressive style of play. She has great patience but will come to the net off of a well-placed approach shot,” Giammarco said.
“Again, you don’t see that a lot in high school or tournament play. Her backhand is one of the best in the area, although I’d like her to hit more forehands,” Giammarco continued, laughing.
“Like Mason, I believe her golf game helps her with the mental side of tennis. I’ve seen Sydney grow exponentially on the court from her freshman season and can’t wait to see her grow even more as a junior and senior. We’re lucky to have her on the team and expect big things in the years to come.”
