Ben Clary is an adolescent tennis player on the verge of adulthood. But at this point, Clary possesses the ability to compete with adults and kids his age with equal success.

 Recently, the 17-year-old Clary captured the championship of the Mount Gretna Men’s Club’s 52nd annual summer tournament. The Palmyra senior-to-be defeated 42-year-old Mike Rohrbach 6-0, 6-2 in the championship match.

 Using overwhelming ground strokes from the baseline, Clary broke Rohrbach’s serve three times during his sweep of the first set. Then with the second set tied at a game apiece, Clary won four consecutive games to take control of the match.

 Clary had barged into the championship match by edging fellow Cedar Crest teenager Dylan Tull, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the semifinals.

  All Clary’s second straight championship at Gretna did was to confirm his standing as the top male tennis player in Lebanon County. Scholastically, Clary has won two Lebanon County singles’ championships and three Mid-Penn Conference singles’ titles.

 Come spring of next year, even bigger things appear to be on Clary’s horizon.

 – Jeff Falk