Maize South tennis star Evan Goates elevates to win Kansas 5A singles title
In order to become a Kansas high school boys tennis state champion, Maize South junior Evan Goates had to prove he could handle adversity like a champion.
So when he trailed 4-0 in the second set of a semifinal match at the Class 5A state tournament in Salina against Bishop Carroll freshman Brandon Steven, who had defeated him just one week prior, Goates’ mental strength was put to the ultimate test.
“I could have tanked it, but I didn’t think going to a third set would be in my favor,” Goates said. “Brandon is really fast and doesn’t run out of energy, so I felt like I had to finish him off in the second because I might run out of energy.”
So in between games after going down 4-0, Goates closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then summoned some of the best play of his career.
He knew after last week’s loss, Steven wasn’t going to make mistakes to fuel his comeback — he was going to have to go make it happen. Point after point, Goates began chipping away at the deficit.
“Evan is the type of kid who never gives in,” Maize South coach Frank Reyes said. “After that first set, Brandon really stepped up his game and played phenomenal. But Evan never gives up. He always thinks he can win and he’s proven this year he can come back and win.”
In the back of his mind, Goates carried the confidence after rallying from a 5-2 deficit twice earlier this season against a quality opponent in Maize’s Hayden Herrera.
That allowed Goates to stay in a flow state against Steven and not let panic set in. He simply remained relaxed, trusted his training and executed nearly flawlessly to steadily work his way back against Steven and ultimately complete the comeback in a tiebreaker.
“The biggest thing for me was just staying calm,” Goates said. “There were a lot of times where I could have gotten really high or really low, but I try to just stay calm during those moments and stay focused. That’s what helped me the most.”
After losing to Blue Valley Southwest’s Sanjay Rajkumar in last year’s 5A final, Goates had always pictured he would need to win in a rematch to claim his first state title.
But Arkansas City senior Dawson O’Donnell had his own dream scenario and he unseated the defending champion in the other semifinal, outlasting Rajkumar in a three-set thriller.
With each player coming off massive victories, Goates knew it would be a surgical battle in the final between the two opponents who were all too familiar with one another from their time in the Wichita area. The high-level duel came down to which player could pick at the other’s backhand the most.
In the end, Goates prevailed with another locked-in performance to win in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, over O’Donnell.
“Last year in the final, Evan was super timid and he didn’t go out there and try to show he was the better player,” Reyes said. “We knew going into the final that Dawson was a huge hitter and we couldn’t expect him to miss. Evan had to go out there and chase it and man, he put pressure on Dawson the entire time and just dominated. That was awesome to see, especially after having such a heartbreaking loss last year after such a great year.”
Goates finished the season with a 29-2 record and most importantly, saved his best for last.
“It was such a relief to finally win it,” Goates said. “There’s very few people who can say that they are high school state champions. It’s a really big accomplishment. That’s something that you can tell your kids about.”
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