After winding up the regular season 13-1 and 11-3, the Bridgeport High School boys’ and girls’ tennis teams went on to accomplish some impressive feats.

 

Both teams were named Big 10 champs with boys also being Region II champs and girls claiming the runner-up spot.

 

Even bigger things happened this past weekend in Charleston when the boys were named state champions. That’s a first-time accomplishment, said Coach Dan Oliveto.

 

“The girls have won on a state level, but not the boys,” he said. “That’s history.”

 

The WVSSAC Class AA boys’ championship was a very close race, Oliveto said.

 

“It was us and Charleston Catholic neck and neck all the way through,” he said.

 

The Indians ended up pulling through with 14 points as the Irish finished with 12 points. It was the doubles matches of defending line 3 champions Ben Smith and Emery Smith and the line 4 team of Nick Strogen and John Wilfong that were on the line.

 

“John and Nick got us an extra point to help us out, but if they would have lost, it would have taken Ben and Emery’s victory to win the state title,” Oliveto said. “And they handled things very well.”

 

As those two championship rounds took place simultaneously, either could have made the difference. As Wilfong and Strogen finished their match first, the entire BHS support team was able to witness the Smiths’ second consecutive state championship.

 

It’s that kind of support that makes the Indians a standout tennis team in more ways than one, Oliveto said.

 

“That’s what makes this group so nice. Even though the girls were eliminated, they stuck around with their parents so they could watch the finals,” he said. “They were so excited to watch the boys win four out of the five titles. They and their parents were very supportive.”

 

In addition to the pair of doubles victories, Wilfong and Strogen also won Class AA line 3 and line 4 singles, respectively.

 

“Both Nick and John have only two years playing competitive tennis,” said Oliveto about the pair of BHS athletes who have both played multiple sports. “What makes them so special is they are very competitive in whatever they do and that’s key with John and Nick as seniors. They wanted to end it on a good note and get as far as they could. And they ended up winning both their doubles and their singles matches … Their extraordinary competitiveness and their athleticism really put them above everyone else and they are both very coachable.”

 

Brady Hillegas didn’t claim a state title, but he fared well in the tournament, claiming the runner-up spot in line 2 singles and the All-State award.

 

 “That award goes to four semifinalists in the line 1 position and to the runners-up in the 2 positions for boys and girls. Brady was runner-up in that no. 2 position.”

 

Also qualifying for state tournament play were the Tribe's line 1 singles player Bryce Williams and line 1 doubles team of Williams and Hillegas. In singles play, Williams won his first round at states, but faced an extremely tough component in the second round. The same scenario was true for line 1 singles player Taylor Abraham.

 

“At that level of play you sometimes get some tough draws,” Oliveto said. “Bryce and Taylor both faced players who have been awarded scholarships to play on the college level.”

 

Also qualifying for states were Allie Lamm in line 2 singles, Leigh Hornor in line 3 singles and Anna Wilfong in line 4 singles.  In doubles play, the line 1 team of Lamm and Hornor qualified.

 

Overall, Oliveto was quite impressed with his team, their self-motivation and determination, particularly in light of the fact that he has a young team. He also looks forward to a very good season next year.

 

“We lose Nick and John and that’s huge, but we probably have seven juniors coming back and four of them were on the starting line-up,” he said. “We have a couple other kids coming up who will fill some positions next year.”

 

Returning will be Williams, Hillegas, Ben Smith and Emery Smith. Expected to see more playing time next season are Grant Duvall and Andrew Wilson.

 

“They played some doubles for us during the regular season,” Oliveto said.

 

On the girls’ side, the Tribe will lose senior Allie Lamm, but the remainder will be back, including freshman Caroline Furby, who had a nice first year.

 

“Leigh Hornor will be a senior next year and hopefully she’ll be a leader for us,” he said.