​Eagles gain momentum before districts, crush Chrisman 9-0

by Michael Smith


The Grain Valley boys tennis team will go into next week’s Class 2 District 8 Tournament with a little bit of momentum.

The Eagles played in their regular season finale against William Chrisman Wednesday at home, and head coach Randy Draper said his team is playing some of the best tennis it has all season.

That reflected in the Eagles 9-0 victory over William Chrisman.

Senior Ben Drinkwater and Draper noted that the team’s early season schedule, which featured a bevy of good teams in the Kansas City area, helped prepare them for the postseason.

“It hurts your feelings some when you don’t win as much,” Draper said, “but we get over our feelings and just get better. We have gotten a lot better. We must keep our foot on the gas, or it won’t matter.”

Added Drinkwater: “We play some teams that are tough at the beginning. As we kept going, we played some of our conference opponents and got to see how much better we’ve gotten. Playing tough teams early because it doesn’t give us a false sense of reality if we don’t play teams that aren’t as good.”

The Eagles will attempt to have a lead foot and push down on the gas when they take on Winnetonka Monday in the first round of the districts.

“Chrisman will be a tough match and Platte County is really good,” Draper said of the district tournament. “I love the way we’re playing, though. This is the time to do it.”

Drinkwater was one of those who played well on Wednesday as he teamed up with junior Trace Compton in the No. 1 doubles match as they topped John Eppert and Jeremy Campos 8-3.

He also won his singles match with Brandon Keltner 8-3. He said he was able to figure out his opponent’s weaknesses, which contributed to his success.

“I was able to put the ball where I was supposed to put it,” Drinkwater said. “I was able to figure out what he wasn’t good at. He kept leaving the ball short and in the middle of the court. As long as I put pace on the ball in the middle of the court, I was going to be fine.”

Senior Campbell Childers has been on a roll since being inserted into the lineup for singles. He dominated Emerson Rensing in the No. 6 match 8-0. In the No. 3 doubles match, he joined sophomore Riley Spencer in an 8-5 win over Noah Guldner and Trevor Jolley.

“We were down early to start,” Spencer said, “but we figured out a way to win the last three games. Our motto this year is to see the ball and keep it in play. That’s worked really well for us.”

Added Childers: “We have really great chemistry, and it shows on and off the court.”

Grain Valley’s No. 2 doubles team of senior Carter Williams and junior John Cassidy edged Keltner and Giuseppe D’angelo 9-7.

Williams took down Eppert 8-2 at No. 2 singles, Compton defeated Guldner 8-5 at No. 3, Cassidy cruised to an 8-1 win over Campos at No. 4 and No. 5 Blake Galvan beat Jolley 9-7.

Senior Campbell Childers, left, and sophomore Riley Spencer teamed up at No. 3 doubles to win 8-5, helping the Grain Valley boys tennis team cruise to a 9-0 victory over William Chrisman Wednesday at home. Photo credit: Michael Smith