The boys tennis team will look to conquer Johnson County with the beginning of their Sectional tournament.
Playing around highly competitive teams makes for tough Sectional matchups.
“The other teams in our Sectional are Indian Creek, Franklin, Whiteland and Center Grove. I’m hoping we draw Indian Creek or Whiteland first, but we’ll be ready to compete no matter who we play,” senior Carter Chatham, No. 1 singles, said.
GHS’s rivalry with Center Grove athletics runs deep, and tennis is no exception.
“The hardest team in our Sectional is easily Center Grove. They’ve won our Sectional multiple years in a row, and they’re ranked Top 5 in the state. It’s tough every time we play them, but we’ve been working really hard to compete with whoever we draw,” senior Keegan Lane, No. 3 singles, said.
Senior Nick Pruett, No. 2 singles, agreed.
“One thing about Center Grove is that every year they’re really deep in talent. They have a ton of players on their team, so no matter what, they have someone that can play. We don’t have as many guys as bigger schools like them,” Pruett said.
Because of Center Grove’s talent, the team feels like they have something to prove.
“CG is actually who knocked us out of Sectionals last year, so there’s definitely a bit of bad blood there. Knowing they’ve been so good for so long really fuels us to do our best against them,” Chatham said.
Preparing for Sectionals requires extra dedication and effort from the team.
“We know that our Sectional will be tough, so in order to get ready for our matches, we have more intense practices. It’s been a super hot season, but we’ve made sure to keep our energy up in practice. Even if the weather isn’t nice enough to be outside, we’ll go to the barn to practice,” Lane said.
Pruett agreed on the importance of training.
“We’ve made an effort to stay in shape throughout the season. We play a ton of matches which definitely helps us stay conditioned and ready for high intensity matches, like what we’ll play in Sectionals,” Pruett said.