Eagles claim 7-2 victory over Patriots on Senior Night

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News


Grain Valley had just won two of the three doubles matches against visiting Truman Tuesday afternoon on the Eagles home court.

And coach Randy Draper was focused on the singles competition.

“This is going to be close,” Draper said. “I'm happy we won those two doubles matches.”

A strong finish in singles play helped the Eagles claim a 7-2 victory over their White Conference rivals in a win that brought a smile to the veteran coach's face.

“This match was a lot closer than the score indicates,” said Draper, whose team improved to 8-7-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

“Any time you play Scott (Lett's) team you know you're going to be in for a battle. But our guys played great.
It's nice to see all their hard work pay off because we've lost a lot of one- and two-point dual matches."

“This was a perfect day for tennis, and a great ending. I'm really proud of our guys.”

When the match was still razor tight, No. 5 singles player Drew Drinkwater picked up a win that clenched the match.

“We were up 4-2 and I knew that if I won, we'd win the match,” said Drinkwater, a sophomore whose older brother Ben, a 2024 graduate, was No. 1 on the Eagles last season.

Drinkwater won the match 8-4.

“We have a lot of great guys and great leaders on the team this season," Drinkwater added. "Monday was our Senior Night and we have to say goodbye to 10 seniors. That's going to be tough, but I want to keep improving and do my best to be a leader next season.”

Grain Valley's John Cassidy won 8-3 at No. 2 singles, Riley Spencer 8-1 at No. 3, Marius Cooper 9-8 (7-4), Drew Drinkwater 8-4 at No. 5 and Blake Galvan 8-2 at No. 6.

Spencer and Cooper won 8-1 at No. 2 doubles and Drinkwater and Aidan Wilson 8-3 at No. 3.

There was one highlight for the Patriots as senior No. 1 singles player Josh Bush won 8-1 at No. 1 singles to pick up his milestone 50th career win. 

Bush also teamed with Isaac Ulberg to claim a 9-7 victory over Truman's Compton and John Cassidy. 

Bush was presented a plaque after the match.

Bush, whose grandfather Tom Bush is an American Legion and amateur baseball icon in Eastern Jackson County, was on hand for his grandson's 50th victory.

"I'm so proud of Josh," Tom Bush said. "He really picked up tennis as a freshman and has enjoyed a lot of success the past four years." 

The first time Bush picked up a tennis racket was his freshman year.

The younger Bush admitted that he enjoyed great success and felt comfortable the first time he stepped on a court.

"I think my real strength in consistency," said Bush, who improved to 11-1 on the season. "When I was a freshman, I really felt comfortable and confident the first time I played. And I've continued to improve as a player thanks to our great coaches. I owe them a lot."

Truman head coach Scott Lett said Bush is one of the most talented players he's ever coached.

"I've coached kids who grew up with a racquet in their hands, and along comes Josh - who had never really played the game before high school - and he starts out at our No. 6 singles spot and works his way up to No. 2 before the end of his freshman season.

"Tonight we wanted to honor him for his 50th career singles win. He just keeps improving season by season and match by match. He's been fun to watch this season."

Bush said this season means so much to him because he will no longer play after graduating from Truman.

"It's great to have this much success as a senior," said Bush, who helped Truman win it's own tournament earlier this season with a 10-2 victory over Compton.

"I really enjoy singles play because I can get frustrated in doubles because I don't want to let my doubles partner down.” 

Ten senior members of coach Randy Draper's tennis team were honored Monday on Senior Night. This is one of the largest senior classes Draper has coached in his iconic career with the Eagles. Photo credit: Bill Althaus

Grain Valley sophomore Drew Drinkwater helped the Eagles claim a 7-2 victory over the Truman Patriots Tuesday afternoon at home. His 8-4 victory at No. 5 singles secured the win as it was the fifth victory of the match. Photo credit: Bill Althaus