Childers, Compton come up big in Eagles’ 5-4 over Jaguars

by Michael Smith


Grain Valley head boys tennis coach Randy Draper made a change to his singles line up this week.

He made senior Campbell Childers his new No. 6 singles player.

Before, Childers exclusively played in No. 3 doubles matches with sophomore Riley Spencer. So far, it’s been a move that has paid off for the Eagles and that showed in Tuesday’s nonconference matchup with Blue Springs South at home.

Childers won at both doubles and singles and the Eagles also got a big win from junior Trace Compton near the end of the tennis match as they edged the Jaguars 5-4.

The senior defeated South junior Peyton O’Donnell 8-1 in singles; and he and Spencer battled for a 8-6 victory against Tommy Nesbitt and Will Griffel at No. 2 doubles to give Grain Valley two much needed wins.

So far, Childers has enjoyed taking on the challenge of playing an additional match.

“It’s fun to get to play two matches instead of just doubles.” Childers said. “I hit some more shots than I have in the past. I just kept the ball in play and made the other person mess up.”

Draper noted that Childers technique could use improvement, but his athleticism is what helps him be successful on the court.

“I tell him that some of his tennis strokes are not something we would teach other people,” Draper said, “but when you’re an athlete, you cover some stuff.”

After the Eagles won four games, Compton got the fifth and deciding win following his 8-6 victory against South freshman Zavier Broyles.

Compton noted that he and others had to contend with strong winds blowing toward the south end of the school. That caused him to have to adjust according to which side he was on. When he was on the north side, he had to put more touch on his shots, but on the south side, he had to hit it harder to get it over the net.

“I figured out toward the end that I had to be more aggressive than I was in the beginning,” Compton said. “I simply just had to keep the ball in play. I had to put more on my shots to make it harder for my opponent to control it.”

While Compton and Childers came up with some critical wins for the Eagles, junior John Cassidy had a significant hand in the team victory, as well.

Cassidy won 8-1 against Tommy Nesbitt at No. 4 singles. He said he played better once he got fully adjusted to the wind. That was also a big factor in him and senior Carter Williams overcoming a 6-3 deficit to take down Broyles and junior Landon Wickham 9-7 in the No. 2 doubles contest.

“The wind blew to the side toward the fence, so when you were on the side closest to the fence, you could get away with hitting it softer and the wind would push the ball for you,” Cassidy said.
“When you were on the other side, you really had to drive the ball to get it past the service line.”

Following the match, Draper, who had previously said his team struggled with singles matches this season, was impressed with how well Compton, Cassidy and Childers played on their own.
“Cassidy played the best I have seen him play all season,” Draper said. “Compton also played the best I’ve seen him play. We needed both of those wins. There is a lot of reasons to be happy even in matches we didn’t win.”

Grain Valley senior Campbell Childers won his singles match 8-1 and teamed up with sophomore Riley Spencer to capture an 8-6 win in the No. 3 double contest. Photo credit: Michael Smith

Grain Valley junior Trace Compton got a big 8-6 win over Zavier Broyles in the No. 3 singles match to help the Eagles capture a 5-4 win over Blue Springs South Tuesday at home. Photo credit: Michael Smith