ALLENTOWN - A veteran Allentown Central Catholic team ruined Palmerton's return to the District 11 Class AA team tennis tournament on Saturday on the Cedar Crest College campus.

The Bombers, making their first district appearance in three seasons, dropped a 4-1 opening round decision to the Vikings.But the loss didn't happen before the Bombers' doubles teams put on a light-up-the-sky, fireworks showing.The tandem of Logan Miller and Jordan Dopsovic gave an especially brilliant showing for Palmerton. They defeated Charlie Carbonetto and Peter Rittenhouse in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.With Miller dominating at the net and Dopsovic owning the back court, the pair controlled the tempo most of the day.On the adjoining court, Central's Nick Patruno and Dario Sorrentino bested Jake Brown and Marc Roselli, 6-2, 6-4. Brown and Roselli started slow, but once they warmed up, they engaged in an explosive duel with their opponent.While the Bomber doubles teams held their own, Palmerton's singles competitors had a tough time with the Vikings.Nate Andress, Seth Andress and Sal Melo all suffered defeats.Palmerton, 12-6 entering the tournament, was seeded fifth. Central, now 11-5, was seeded fourth and will now face top-seed Moravian Academy on Tuesday."I think we did well," Palmerton head coach Alex Knoll said. "I knew our doubles would be competitive."This was our best regular season in school history. I'm proud how they played all season."Despite losing some seniors, Knoll remains optimistic for the future years."We have a couple of underclassmen," he said. "Success breeds success. They will continue to build the program."Most impressive was Central's Adam Werner, who blanked Nate Andess, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles..Werner was playing in new sneakers and with a new racket that he used for the first time."We think it's magic," joked Central coach Jeff Biro. "Our singles players across the board took care of business pretty well."Coach Biro had praise for Palmerton, stating, "We didn't know what to expect since we never played Palmerton before. It took awhile to adjust to some of their things.""They're a nice group of kids and they're competitive. "I'm glad to see Palmerton's (tennis) program progressing."Central went up 3-0 in the match with three quick singles wins, putting things out of reach.The win by Miller and Dopsovic made it 3-1, before the final Vikings team won their match.Central Catholic 4, Palmerton 1SINGLESAdam Werner (ACC) def. Nate Andress 6-0, 6-0; Johnson Zhou (ACC) def. Seth Andress 6-3, 6-1; Chris Alvarez (ACC) def. Sal Melo, 6-0, 6-3DOUBLESLogan Miller/Jordan Dopsovic (P) def. Charlie Carbonetto/Peter Rittenhouse, 6-3, 6-3; Nick Patruno/Dario Sorention (ACC) def. Jake Brown/Marc Roselli 6-2, 6-4.