One peat, two peat, 7 peat?- Brita Quello

With spring around the corner, the boy’s tennis season is upon us.  is is not an ordinary tennis season or tennis team.  e LHS boy’s tennis team has a 6-peat under their belt, but this accomplishment comes with added pressure and attention.  is new season will be exciting to follow, with anticipation to continue the reigning State champion streak and to watch the phenomenal matches.

Coach Tom Krueger leads six varsity boys to the top of their  ights by reinforcing the importance of playing with integrity and treating their opponents with respect, no matter the circumstances.

“ ere are two things that I want my players to remember whenever they are playing tennis for Lincoln,” said Krueger. “ e  rst is to act with integrity. Tennis really requires honesty from their players, so it is important that we are honest in everything we do. It’s also important to remember that no matter how many state titles we have won we still need to treat our opponents well.  e second thing is to give everything you have no matter the situation. I hope my players never give up on a match, point or even a single ball. But I am really looking forward to the group of boys that we have this year because they are such high-class people and it is really an honor to get to coach them.  ere aren’t any of them that I worry about what their behavior is going to be.” With the whole tennis community watching every move of these athletes, they With spring around the corner, the boy’s tennis season is upon us.  is is not an ordinary tennis season or tennis team.  e LHS boy’s tennis team has a 6-peat under their belt, but this accomplishment comes with added pressure and attention.  is new season will be exciting to follow, with anticipation to continue the reigning State champion streak and to watch the phenomenal matches.

Coach Tom Krueger leads six varsity boys to the top of their  ights by reinforcing the importance of playing with integrity and treating their opponents with respect, no matter the

“ ere are two things that I want my players to remember whenever they are playing tennis for Lincoln,” said Krueger. “ e  rst is to act with integrity. Tennis really requires honesty from their players, so it is important that we are honest in everything we do. It’s also important to remember that no matter how many state titles we have won we still need to treat our opponents well.  e second thing is to give everything you have no matter the situation. I hope my players never give up on a match, point or even a single ball. But I am really looking forward to the group of boys that we have this year because they are such high-class people and it is really an honor to get to coach them.  ere aren’t any of them that I worry about what their behavior is going to be.” With the whole tennis community watching every move of these athletes, they BY BRITA QUELLO

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have to present themselves in an honorable fashion. LHS sophomore Gage Gohl uses the crowd’s eyes as an incentive.

“Lincoln does have a big target on their back as the team to beat this year, so that is a good motivation for us as a team to continue to stay focused,” said Gohl. “I use the pressure as motivation. I love to play o of the crowd’s energy and just enjoy every moment.”

 e tennis community’s in uence has not hindered the performance of the boys. At the beginning of every tennis season, the players compete against their teammates in challenge matches in order to seal the fate of what  ight of singles and doubles they will play for the whole three month season.  ere are six varsity singles  ights and three varsity doubles  ights. Being such a competitive and talented team, challenge match week can be some of the hardest matches of the year. Not only are the matches di cult, but playing some of your closest friends in very intense make-orbreak matches can be grueling. In one aspect, it is a blessing that the LHS boy’s tennis team gets to struggle during challenge match week because of the skill that is present. While some talent on the court may come naturally, most of the players still work extremely hard to get to this point and prepare for the season.

“We are lucky as a team because our players play so many tournaments and pressure matches in the o - season that they are more than ready to handle the pressure of the high school season,” said Krueger.

 e boy’s tennis season is in the spring so weather can be a large factor to work around, but they make it work. Since it is quite impossible to play on a court covered in snow, the least favorite part of the season for many boys is shoveling.  ey get the privilege of spending their  rst week of the season shoveling the courts.

“I am nervous about the inconsistent weather this year and how that will a ect matches,” said EMS 8th grader Rocky McKenzie.

Each tennis season is special because the players are constantly changing. Some kids graduate or move away, and other kids join which makes the team a completely unique situation every year.

“ e best part of the season is getting to hang out with such awesome kids,” said Krueger. “I really look forward to it every year and enjoy the season so much. I am so psyched with the players we have this year. We are going to have a blast!”

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