This past Saturday, September 29, the boys tennis team held their senior morning to honor senior, Harrison Clark. Clark is the only senior on the team this year and has participated in tennis all four years of high school. In tennis, senior nights look a bit different than those in other sports. Instead of announcing seniors before a match or game, the seniors draft the tennis team into two opposing teams. They then play a series of small tennis games to determine the winning team. Clark was the team captain of the BKs (which stems from the Burger King logo that was used on this year’s uniforms), and senior manager Katie Hurst was the team captain of the Animal Crackers.
The team arrived bright and early, some as early as 7:30. The day began with games of volleyball. Team leader Harrison Clark, along with Junior, Liam Ellington, and sophomore, Xander Ousley, faced off against team leader Katie Hurst and her teammates, junior, Jayden Ramer, and senior, Kennedy McLaughlin. Clark’s team won 2-0. Despite that early lead, Katie’s team pulled ahead in the next volleyball and short-court games. The final event was “Team Around the World”. If Harrison’s team could win, they would tie the overall score. It all came down to freshman Jacob Dixon against two players from Harrison’s team. Despite being known as Jacob “The Wall” Dixon, he was unable to come away with a win. Harrison’s team won “Around the World,” bringing the final game score to a tie. I guess we will never know which team was truly better. Katie Hurst was asked how she thought her team performed, and she replied with, “Good, I think we had a really strong team. We played well and had a good outcome.”
After the games were over, the team gathered around the pavilion to enjoy breakfast. The Johnson family brought their grill and made some delicious food, while other team members pitched in by bringing sides and drinks. Liam Ellington said, “My favorite part of senior morning was probably the food and being able to hang out with all my friends and play tennis.” Teammate Jayden Ramer said the best part of senior morning was “having fun as a team one last time. There was no pressure like a match does, and we just went out and played. The food was amazing too, probably the best part of the morning, but playing was fun too.” The day was a success, and the team is now looking forward to sectionals this week.
This year, the Kings were drafted into the first round of sectionals against Logansport. They play on Tuesday, September 30. The tennis team played Logan earlier in the season and lost in a close match. When asked how he feels going into sectionals, Coach Hurst stated, “The guys have worked hard this year and have used every match to prepare for sectionals. Now they just have to come out, play, and give it their all!”
This year’s sectionals bring an end to Harrison Clark’s four-year tennis career. He was asked if he was ready for it all to come to a close, and he responded with, “If you had asked me at the start of the season, I would have probably told you I just want it to be golf season already. Now, I would say this is the most fun season of tennis I have had in my four years of playing, so I am really not ready for it to end.” Over the years, the team has made countless memories together and has become close friends. Clark stated that one of his favorite memories from tennis was winning sectionals last year for the first time in school history. He also said some of his favorite memories were “the bus rides with the guys after a match, whether it was just sitting there cracking jokes or playing ‘Imposter’ with the managers.” Coach Hurst was also asked what his favorite memory of Harrison was, and he replied with, “It is not just one memory of Harry, but all four years with him that make me smile. He always came out to the courts with a positive attitude and made the season fun. Harry was always supportive of his fellow players and the coaches. My thanks go out to Harry for his commitment to the program and all his time spent on Engle Courts.” This week wraps up the 2025 boys tennis season. From senior morning to sectionals, this team has come together on and off the courts. Go Kings! Best of luck in their postseason!
