When the Newton-Conover boys' tennis team set out its goals for the 2008 season, one of them was to reach the state finals for the second straight year.

Mark off Round 1 of the state 2A dual-team playoffs as an obstacle standing in the Red Devils' way.

That year, the Red Devils were upset in the second round of the dual-team playoffs by East Lincoln 5-4 — a year in which they defeated the Mustangs 9-0 in an earlier nonconference match. "Our juniors and seniors remember that match," Tate said. "I constantly remind them about the loss to East Lincoln. They don't want to let that happen again."

And they didn't.

One of those juniors, top-seeded Won Lak Choi, did his part to make sure his team advanced. Ben Miller was no match for the southpaw, whose spinning serve gave Miller fits for the entire match. "People have no idea how the ball is coming," Choi said of his serve. Choi said he can either cut the serve to the right or to the left, and add to that the natural curve of a left-hander, and it spells trouble for teams who've not yet seen him.

Choi, who was seeded ninth two years ago, had the power then he has now, but the ball was all over the place. After much practice, he's worked his way into the No. 1 slot, and his serve is under control. "It's very honorable," Choi said of being the top seed. "I've worked really hard to be No. 1."

So have the Red Devils.

Newton-Conover is currently the top-ranked 2A public school in the state, and second overall behind Cardinal Gibbons, a private school from Raleigh. In the latest polls, the Crusaders garnered 79 votes, the Red Devils 72. Those same Crusaders are the ones who defeated the Red Devils 6-0 in last year's 2A state championship. And it's those same Crusaders the Red Devils want another shot at in this year's finals. "That's what we're playing for," Choi said.

Alan Pernell is the only one who didn't walk away with a win quite so easily. After winning the first set 6-1, he found himself in a 4-0 hole in the second before winning six straight points for the victory.

Just like East Lincoln was in 2006, West Henderson (6-8) was a team the Red Devils were supposed to beat. But unlike 2006, the Red Devils did their job. "They took care of business," Tate said. "Overall, they did good."

Newton-Conover (17-1) will host a second-round match on Tuesday against Starmount, a 7-2 winner over East Lincoln. On Friday, the state individual tennis tournament begins, with the Red Devils having six in the tournament. Choi and Josh Gill will participate in the singles, and the duos of Pernell-Will Huggins and Hang Choi-Alex Burchins will partake in doubles play.