By DAVID WOOD, for The Democrat
Clawing their way back from behind in three out of five matches, the boys varsity tennis team narrowly defeated Triton Central 3-2 on Aug. 38 in nail-biting tiebreakers.
Upperclassmen Chase Watson and Aaron McCann had fallen 0-2 against stiff competition; two out of the other three matches took similar turns as the Eagles either trailed or dropped the first set entirely.
However, what seemed like sure defeat turned to victory with resilient efforts from the team’s underclassmen.
“I thought tonight was a turning point for us where it could have gone one way or the other. After last season, our sophomores came back and played with experience,” Head Coach Kevin Roush said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]“Josh (Miller) had a good comeback and our doubles played pretty well. I honestly thought Chase and Aaron played solid, but they just had really good players to play against.”
Sophomores Aiden Burt and Noah Cochran, No. 1 doubles for the Eagles, led the charge, clinching a 2-0 victory following tight 6-4 and 7-6 score lines.
“There’s always room for improvement, but I felt like we played to our level and we didn’t drop down too much … like if we played our game all of the time, we would have a great season, and today we really did that,” Burt said.
The two had the easier afternoon not having to go into a third overtime set, but they admitted the win wasn’t without its difficulties.
“We struggled at times and would drop down to their level, but we were able to pick it back up and come back and get that win,” Cochran said.
Fellow sophomores and No. 2 doubles, Nolan Patterson and Spencer Blee, didn’t take the easy road. The pair brought Triton Central to overtime where they clinched the win after comebacks from large set deficits.
Freshman Josh Miller, the No. 3 singles player, didn’t make it easy either, after having to win a tiebreaker following a 2-6 set.
Watson, the lone senior on the team, remained positive about the season outlook. “I was happy with my performance, but I’m disappointed in how I finished because I slacked off a little bit. … Overall it was a good game and we’re doing really well as a team this year,” he said.
Watson, alongside McCann, a junior, could be heard cheering for their teammates across the courts.
“Usually we just try to cheer on everybody. Throughout the matches you’ll hear us calling out to different teammates. I always just try to keep the energy high and keep everyone calm, cool and collected to help them play their best game,” McCann said.
Watson said they’re doing well for being such a young team with himself and McCann as the only upperclassmen. Their 4-2 standing after this win is even more impressive considering the young team’s 4-19 record in 2017.
Unfortunately, they would go on to receive losses against Columbus East (3-2) on Wednesday and conference rivals Owen Valley (1-4) on Thursday.
Now 1-1 in the WIC East conference, the Eagles will return to the courts Sept. 6 against Edgewood with a 4-4 record. If they win, the Eagles will be in the running to play for the third- or fourth-place crossover match.
