Two entrants from area schools played in the PIAA boys' tennis championships last weekend in Hershey. And each had similar fates.

Quaker Valley junior Alex Sinu was the WPIAL's top seed in the Class AA singles tournament; Eric Fischer and Adam Jones of Hampton were the top seeds in the Class AA doubles tournament.

Each defeated the District 3 runner-up in the first round of their respective draws, won their second-round matches and lost in the semifinals to a District 1 champion that ultimately would win the entire tournament.

Then each won its consolation match to earn a bronze medal.

"I noticed that, it was pretty cool," said Fischer, who has trained with Sinu. "I was pulling for him in all his matches."

"I got to see some of [Sinu's] matches," Jones said. "He was playing pretty hard. We were happy for him that he won, too."

The plights of Sinu and the Hampton team last Friday and Saturday at the Hershey Racquet Club mirrored each other.

Each won a first-round match in three sets, won its quarterfinal match in straight sets, lost in the semifinals in straight sets and relatively easily won the third-place match.

"In between matches, I talked to [Fischer] to see how he was doing," Sinu said. "He's my friend, so I just wanted to support him."

Sinu, who had advanced to the PIAA quarterfinals as a freshman, lost the first set of his event to Conrad Weiser's Tommy Meyer before rebounding for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory Friday. He followed later that day with a 6-4, 7-5 win against Julian Sullivan of Philadelphia's Girard Academic Music Program in the quarterfinals.

"The second match was the toughest match of the tournament for me," said Sinu, a regular on the USTA tournament circuit that made him familiar with most of the players in Hershey.

The quick turnaround for the Saturday morning semifinals did not benefit Sinu, who lost to longtime USTA tournament rival Taylor Cohen of Lower Moreland, 6-2, 6-2.

But Sinu bounced back in defeating Peter Cognetti of Scranton Prep, 6-2, 6-2, for third place later that afternoon.

"I wasn't on the top of my game [in the semifinals], especially after two big wins the day before," said Sinu, who has been playing Cohen since they were in the 12-and-under age group. "He just played much better than me.

"By 1 [o'clock] I was recovered and I knew it was my last match so I could give it my all."

Fischer and Jones had their semifinals opponent, Phoenixville's Kyle MacLelland and Tom McAvoy, on the ropes -- leading, 3-1, and 4-3 in each of the two sets -- but ultimately lost, 6-4, 6-4.

The Hampton duo's trip to Hershey was nearly abbreviated. They trailed, 4-1, in the third set against a team from Lancaster Catholic in the first round before rallying for a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory.

Fischer and Jones won a 6-1, 6-2 match against two players from Somerset in the quarterfinals and beat Fairview's entry, 6-0, 7-5, in the consolation match.

"Before the tournament, we both said a good goal would be to medal," Jones said.

"That's what we ended up doing, so we feel pretty good about it."

Like Jones, Fischer -- who will play for the Allegheny College tennis team next year -- was a winner in his final high school match.

"It was a nice way to end," he said. "Especially since I had never made the state tournament before, this is all I could ask for."

In an odd aside, Winchester Thurston's Matt Belenky missed his first-round Class AA singles match. Belenky, a senior who earned the trip to Hershey after one player was DQ'd in the WPIAL final and the replacement, Dan Becker of Carlynton, chose to attend his school prom, said a miscommunication led him to believe his match was Saturday, not Friday.