Boys tennis: Collegiate eyes run at another state title

As defending Class 4A boys tennis champion, it might be assumed that Collegiate’s senior-laden lineup would have had to be considered a clear-cut favorite when regional play began Thursday.

Not so fast, Spartans senior Easton Ewy said. Collegiate does have some unfinished business from the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League meet Monday at Buhler.

“We lost by two points to McPherson at league,” he said. “That’s how we’re looking at it.”

Classes 5A and 3A, which have one-day regionals, will play Friday. Class 6A will begin Friday and run through Saturday.

Ewy is one of four seniors in Collegiate’s lineup, joining doubles team Austin Gartner and Matt Regehr, and Ben Murphy, who is paired with sophomore Max Wheeler on the Spartans’ other doubles team.

Junior Lakelin Conrad, who defeated Ewy for third place at Collegiate’s Tournament of Champions on April 22, rounds out the lineup.

Ewy said the Spartans are hungry for a second consecutive 4A crown.

“It would be coach (Dave) Hawley’s 50th state championship,” Ewy said.

Trinity Academy joins Collegiate in the Pratt regional.

McPherson is in the Buhler regional, where it will battle tough teams such as Andover Central, Abilene, Augusta, Smoky Valley, Maize South and Circle.

Still, Hawley said he expects a strong challenge from the Bullpups at state.

There are strong teams in the other 4A regionals. Bishop Miege’s Will Grier won Collegiate’s Tournament of Champions singles title, rolling over top-flight competition. Independence boasts Zack Schroeder, who captured singles titles at Ark City and Goddard and teamed with Luke Bass for the Tournament of Champions doubles title.

“The competition is amazing,” Hawley said. “If we win (the state title), we will have earned it. If someone beats us, they will have earned it.”

His Tournament of Champions has something to do with that, too. Collegiate won the team title by 15 points over McPherson.

“In some ways, it’s better than the state tournament,” he said. “We have some of the best players from Class 3A through 6A.”

Hawley said this group of seniors has been a pleasure to coach.

“They’ve been pretty amazing,” he said. “Easton was good as a freshman, and the others were good then, but now they literally coach themselves. They want to play to their highest level.

“In the four years I’ve coached them, they have never presented me with an issue that would make me say, ‘Why am I coaching these kids?’ I can’t think of a group of guys I’d rather go into battle with. They have grown their game.”

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Boys tennis: Collegiate eyes run at another state title."