Kankakee Valley High School

The sun was brutal and the heat was unique for this far into September, but everyone was incredibly excited to honor our seniors. Fences lined up with parents and friends, posterboards filled with collages of memories were displayed, and laughter everywhere. Seniors paired up with their families while Coach DeVries read off their achievements and future plans post-graduation. Highland was stiff competition, and matches were not going to end quickly. This was clear for the moment the first few rallies began. Three varsity matches were pushed into third sets and on top of that, #2 singles Jeremy Vanblaircom had two tie breakers as well. His match lasted almost four hours in total! Rallies lasted long even until the very end of play. Both teams pooled up around the fences and screamed at every point. The tension was thick in the air with no one wanting to back down or concede. Even though Vanblaircom did not win the final tie breaker, his match will go down in my memory as one the best and most action packed matches I have ever seen in my years as a coach. His growth as a player was on full display with his fantastic serves and aggressive placement hits. Afterwards, parents helped set up pizzas, drinks, and desserts for everyone to enjoy while the coaches and seniors gave speeches about their time with the team. It was a late night for the team, but one full of fun and expressions of love for what tennis has meant to them. - JV Coach Anderson