Weston’s Wayne Odesnik and Josh Cohen traveled all the way to Palm Springs, Calif., to play some of the best tennis of their young lives.

Odesnik won five matches before losing a taut final in the boys’ 14s division of the prestigious national Easter Bowl Junior Tennis Championships. Cohen dropped a first-round match, but bounced back by winning 10 straight matches to win the consolation title of the boys’ 16s 128-player draw.

Nestor Briceno, the second seed, who lives about 10 miles from Odesnik in Pembroke Pines, made his cross-country trek worthwhile by toppling the fourth-seeded Odesnik in a three-set thriller, 6-7 (7-5), 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).

The Easter Bowl is one of the major national tournaments on the junior circuit, and is often referred to as the U.S. Open of the juniors.

Odesnik, 13, enjoyed his most significant victory of the tournament in the semifinals when he dispatched No. 1 seed Brendan Evans of Key Biscyane 6-0, 7-5, before losing the final against his Weston neighbor.

In a dM-ij vu of sorts, Briceno had beaten Odesnik in similar style in the state semifinals last year.

Odesnik received a bye in the first round and defeated Jamie Friedland of Glen Cove, N.Y., 6-3, 6-0 in the second round. He then knocked off Jeremy Sonkin of Wheaton, Ill., 7-5, 6-0. In the round of 16, he eliminated Tony Piro of Clifton Park, N.Y., 6-1, 6-1 before eliminating Ruben Gonzales of Terre Haute, Ind., 6-1, 6-1 in the quarters.

Odesnik finally got Evan’s number after losing to him twice last year in state tournaments. But there was no bad blood between No. 1 and No. 4 as the pair teamed up for doubles where they lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual winners.

Odesnik, who trains under Kyle Mayberry at the Bonaventure Tennis Academy, is on his way to the second major junior tournament of the year at Ponte Vedra to compete in the Gator Bowl, where he’ll be playing up in the 16s.

Briceno had an easy run through the brackets on his way to the Easter Bowl title. In the round of 64, he defeated Kelubia Mabatah of Houston, 6-2, 6-2 and then beat Adam Loucks of Irvine, Calif., 6-1, 6-1. In the round of 16, Will Plyler of Raleigh, N.C., became Briceno’s next victim, 6-2, 6-2.

In the quarterfinals, Briceno defeated Matthew Kendall of Bryn Mawr, Penn., 6-3, 6-1 before knocking off another Floridian, Jarrett Chirico of Bradenton, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

Cohen went 10-1 in the boys’ 16 draw, losing his first-round match before bouncing back to win the consolation title, which all counts toward his national ranking. Cohen defeated Sukhwa Young of Wesley Chapel, 6-4, 6-3 for the back-draw title.

Other local Easter Bowl results

Girls’ 14 singles: Fort Lauderdale’s Julie Blackmore went 2-2; Audra Cohen of Pembroke Pines went 2-2; Danielle Mousseau of Palm Beach Gardens went 0-2.

Boys’ 14 doubles: Brendan Evans and Wayne Odesnik went 2-1; Nestor Briceno and Lake Worth’s Vahid Mirzadeh went 4-1.

Girls’ 14 doubles: Julie Blackmore and Miami’s Jennifer Lee Heinser went 1-1; Audra Cohen and Miami’s Gabriella Braga went 0-1.

Boys’ 16 singles: Boca Raton’s Chris Kwon went 4-2; Plantation’s Christopher Clayton went 2-2; Pembroke Pines’ Jordan Dalberg went 6-2; Parkland’s Adam Fass went 1-2; Port St. Lucie’s Michael Green went 0-2; Boca Raton’s Brett McKeon went 0-2; Boca Raton’s Evan Tindell went 2-2.

Boys’ 16 doubles: Chris Kwon and Aaron Yovan went 2-1; Jordan Dalberg and Wesley Chapel’s Dillon Brozyna went 2-1; Christopher Clayton and Miami’s Robert McNally went 0-1; Adam Fass and John Isner went 1-1; Brett McKeon and Evan Tindell went 0-1.

Girls’ 16 singles: Coral Springs’ Alli Pillinger went 1-2; Delray Beach’s Jennifer Jett Smith went 4-2; Palm Beach Gardens’ Blair DiSesa went 1-2; Wellington’s Carla Pallares went 0-2.

Girls’ 16 doubles: Delray Beach’s Jaime Peisel and Sara Anundsen went 2-1; Blair DiSesa and Leigh Tippins went 1-1; Jennifer Jett Smith and Bradenton’s Jamea Jackson went 3-1; Alli Pillinger and Debra Streifler went 0-1.

Boys’ 18 singles: Boca Raton’s Ytai Abougzir went 5-1; Boca Raton’s Alastair Jenkin went 3-2; Delray Beach’s Geoffrey Boyd went 4-2; Fort Lauderdale’s Stefan Tell went 2-2.

Boys’ 18 doubles: Ytai Abougzir and Jesse Witten went 2-1; Alastair Jenkin and Lake Worth’s Hamid Mirzadeh went 1-1; Geoffrey Boyd and Gregg Alpert went 0-1; Stefan Tell and Zachary Gallin went 0-1.

Girls’ 18 singles: Parkland’s Alyssa Cohen went 5-1; Boca Raton’s Susie Abromeit went 2-2; Delray Beach’s Whitney Benik went 2-2; Boca Raton’s Courtney Bergman went 4-2; Delray Beach’s Meredith Fish went 0-2; Boca Raton’s Natalie Mikolich went 3-2.

Girls’ 18 doubles: Whitney Benik and Wesley Chapel’s Ashley Harkleroad went 1-1; Courtney Bergman and Haines City’s Varita Sureephong went 2-1; Natalie Mikolich and Hillsboro Beach’s Kit Carson went 1-1; Meredith Fish and Alexis Gordon went 0-1.

West Broward YMCA

Men’s Sunday morning Flag Football standings: Teams were off last Sunday in observance of the holidays; current standings are: Team Craig, 3-0; Team Rich 2-0: Team Uncle Al’s, 1-1; Team Paul, 1-1; Team Vince, 0-1; Team Pedro, 0-3; Team Bill, 0-2. The next flag football season begins in July.

Men’s Sunday night softball league: The new season begins tonight, Sunday, April 30.

Annual Dellenbach/YMCA Charity Golf Tournament: The West Broward YMCA will host their seventh annual Jeff Dellenbach Celebrity Golf Classic on May 11-12. Proceeds from the event will benefit West Broward YMCA youth programs and the building fund.

An auction of celebrity memorabilia and a pairing party will be held on Thursday evening; the golf tournament will be played on Friday morning. The tournament is still in need of auction item donations; if you are interested in donating a unique item, product or service, contact auction chairperson Wendy Wuenker at 954-384-9418 or e-mail

Summer Camp 2000: Parents can receive an early bird discount if they register before May 12 for Summer Camp 2000, which will run from June 19 to Aug. 11. The camp will feature weekly themes, swimming twice weekly, special events and guests, sports and fitness fun in the sun and indoors field trips once per week, along with arts and crafts.

The location will be at Tequesta Trace Middle School from Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Extended hours from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. are also available at no additional charge. Camp fees include all leadership, field trip and swim fees, supplies and transportation and range from $115 for Y Camp for members to $130 for Sports Camp for non-members. Registration fees and deposits are required at time of registration.

Summer Sports Camp 2000: Positive Athletics is preparing for its sixth year of providing summer sports camps in Broward County. In conjunction with the West Broward YMCA, Positive Athletics Sports Camps are a complementary program to the Y Summer Camp, only with an emphasis on sports over arts and crafts and other typical camp activities.

Camp directors Steve Williams and Chris Fiedler, both with numerous years of coaching experience in Broward County, offer a hands-on approach to developing sports skills. The camp will be located at Tequesta Trace Middle School and Park. The school provides air-conditioned rooms for breaks and instructional videos; the park offers facilities for baseball, football, basketball, soccer and hockey. Other planned activities include scavenger hunts, water games and Camp Olympics. Swimming and field trips complete each week.

The camp begins June 19 and will run 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the sports program operating from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To obtain information about this summer’s sports program, call Chris or Steve at 954-370-1337.

Biddy Basketball Classes: Biddy Basketball is designed to teach basic basketball skills for beginning players ages 4-5. Biddy is a class, not a league. This class will focus on fundamentals such as dribbling, shooting, passing, teamwork and all around fun. Biddy Basketball is a great way for beginners to stay focused for the Y-Winners Basketball Leagues that are held in March and August. Held outdoors at Tequesta Trace Middle School on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Cost is $50 for members, $60 for non-members. Kids will receive a Biddy Basketball T-shirt and eight classes.