The Lafayette Tennis Team is faced with a big challenge this year, winning their first state championship in the history of the school. Historically, Lafayette has not been a tennis school. They struggle to win big matches and can never get past Maggie Walker or Tabb. The last two years, Lafayette has been the regional runner-up in 3A, but lost at the hands of Maggie Walker. This year is completely different, however. In past years, there had been some inexperience in our roster. We had players that had never played tennis before, and even players that did not even own a racket. This year, however, the entire starting le up plays year-round. We will have the most experienced roster in school history, as we have 7 players that play year-round and 6 open starting spots. The competition will be fierce for these spots, but it will help the team become the best version of itself. Another promising aspect of our team is that we only have three seniors, two on the starting lineup. We also have two freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior that are extremely experienced. With all this underclassman potential, the future of this team will also be in good hands. Even though the future is bright, this year is the best chance that Lafayette has to win a state championship. With the lineup of Xavier Jones, Gabe Rosen-Turrets, Zach Wright, Rishi Vora, Wesley Muse, Jack Stratton, and Aubin Ayers, this team has great potential to win now as well.
Not only do the Rams have a good team, but they also have a great coach in Mrs. Thompson. Coach T has several years of experience, but this is her first year with the boys’ team. Coach T was with the girls’ team for more than 15 years but decided to switch over with the opening in the boys’ coaching position.
Although the Rams are a very go team, the competition will not be easy. Teams such as Tabb, Grafton, and Jamestown may give the Rams some problems this year. Grafton’s Reigner Christenson is one of the top players in the area, as well as their number two John Cloud. This dynamic duo challenged the Rams last year, and since they have improved significantly. These two players have been playing at a High-Performance clinic with players from Jamestown, York, Lafayette, Warhill, New Kent, Tabb, and several others. Tabb has also had a significantly better team than Lafayette for the last three years, but they have now lost some of their better players. They have retained their number 1, Nick Crespo, one of the best players in the district. This team will still be a challenge for Lafayette, as the team has one of the best coaching staffs in the BRD, which has given them an edge over many teams in the past. The last big threat to Lafayette is Jamestown, an all-around powerhouse in the Bay River’s District and the state. Jamestown has one of the best tennis programs because of their districting and coaching, but this year they have had to replace their coach, so it may give Lafayette an opening to win the BRD.
Lafayette is being presented with one of the best teams they have ever seen, but they need to be able to use this to their advantage and win big matches, which has been a weakness in the past. I truly do believe that the Rams can get it done this year with this roster.
