Late last month, the Chesterton Boys Tennis Team began its 2024 season. The team consists of 25 players, most of whom are underclassmen. The roster is made up of five seniors, just two juniors, twelve sophomores, and six freshmen. Though the majority of the team is young, the senior leadership is definitely present. Senior Cole Smith is excited to help and guide the freshman as they navigate their first high school season. He says that being a senior in a leadership role adds to his fondness for tennis.
“I love the game even more. I have started taking a more active role in helping the freshman,” Smith stated.
This guidance that Smith and the other upperclassmen can provide will be critical to this team as they extend further into their season.
The boys started out their varsity season with a ‘double duel’ match at South Bend St.Joe on Saturday, August 24. It was a day of learning, as they suffered losses to both Indianapolis Westfield (1-4) and South Bend St. Joe (1-4). The following Saturday, they competed in an 8-team tournament in Noblesville, IN, which featured some of the best teams in the state. The team played hard, but slid into a 6th place finish.
After some matches against some of the best Indiana has to offer, the team began DAC play on September 3, in Merrillville, where the Trojans beat the Pirates 5-0 in Varsity, and 2-0 for the JV. The very next day (Sept 4) they would host Illiana Christian in their home opener, and again come away with the win, 4-1 (V) and 9-1 (JV). The boys then played a third straight day, bringing in their rivals from down the road: Chesterton vs Valpo. The match would last into the night, and the varsity boys sneaked past Valpo to earn another win (3-2). Junior and No. 1 Singles player Luke Sorgic had this to say about what the team hopes to achieve this season.
“So our goal for a team is to win regionals. So we have to beat Valparaiso and then South Bend St Joe, so those legit teams have to win the regional. So that’s the goal,” Sorgic said. However the JV boys would fall to Valpo with a score of 4-6.
The boys traveled to another Saturday tournament in Crown Point on September 7. This time, the team would place 4th out of 8 teams. Wins by Sorgic increased his record to 8-3. Also helping out was sophomore Peyton Belegal, who plays No. 2 singles, and went 2-1 during the day. It was sophomore Brady McWhirter, however, who had the most playing time of the day. McWhirter says that he has learned the key to success from his team.
“The things that I’ve learned as a tennis player from my coach and teammates is always just be patient with when you’re playing, don’t lose control, and just keep energy, effort and enthusiasm,” McWhirter stated. He used this advice on Saturday, logging almost 5 hours of court time in his 3 matches.
Since the Crown Point tournament, the Trojans have continued their dominance of the DAC, recording wins over LaPorte, Michigan City, and Lake Central last Tuesday on Senior Night. Most recently they also won matches against Crown Point and Lowell, and JV placed 6th in the Penn 8-team tourney. The boys look to continue their quest for another Duneland Athletic Conference Championship and ultimately advance deep in the state tournament.
