With a dominant regular season behind them, the tennis boys have continued their onslaught in districts. Now they hope to carry that success into sectionals.

The tennis boys absolutely dominated districts. Overall they claimed the team district title. In addition, individual honors went to junior Derek Fesser, who won first in singles, Nate Heiligenstein and Josh Miller, who took first in doubles and Nathan Kamp and Theo Pardee, who took third in doubles.

All this success raises a question: Why are the boys so good? It’s a combination of hard work, good coaching and sheer talent.

“I think our team is so successful is because we practice hard and we communicate well with each other when we are out on the courts. The tennis team has great chemistry. We are like a family and some of us have been playing together for awhile, which helps a lot,” said Fesser.

There’s no doubt that the team’s determination and grit are the main reasons why they are so successful, but winning matches goes far beyond that. Behind every good team is a great coach. Coach Noah Duncan has a way of bringing the best out of his players in any situation.  

“Coach Duncan helps us individually during our matches, especially if we are losing. He gives us pointers and motivation that we need in order to make a comeback and win,” said Miller.

The motivation stretches far beyond districts. The boys are hungry for the state competition, and there is nothing that can stop these boys from attaining state glory.

“It’s a great accomplishment to win districts, but we don’t really have time to celebrate because the journey to state is only going to get tougher, and we need to prepare for our upcoming matches,” said Fesser.

With one obstacle behind them, they now turn their attention to sectionals. They will face Boonville in the team sectional match this Saturday. It will be no small task, but the boys will for sure give it their all.