Tennis has always been a large sport in Ann Arbor with several tennis clubs around the area. Chippewa Tennis Club and The Racquet Club are among the many. In the past two years, Huron High School has settled itself at the top of high school tennis spectrum.
Having won the state tournament twice in a row, they’ve set a new standard in Ann Arbor as well as the entire district. This record is something players entering the program will have to work hard to live up to while this year’s sophomores and juniors need to adapt to new leadership roles on the team. These longtime players are one of the many prides of the Huron sports program and this team hasn’t let down just yet.
Hard work and perseverance won out for this team in the state championships, with 33 points the River Rats topped Novi and Birmingham Brother Rice by six points each, completing their second state championship run in a row.
For every team playing any game at any level, there will always be a minimum on the amount of work you have to put in to keep up. If you want to be the best at any game, you have to be willing to put in more effort than the next player, and that is exactly what the Huron River Rats did all the way up to the state tournament which they won on the Saturday afternoon of Oct. 20, 2012. It’s well known that in all sports, there is a floor on how much effort you can put in, but there’s never been a ceiling. Only through hard work and determination can a team come away with the win.
Though the River Rats were without eight seniors from last year, they still powered through to the end with three of their five individual state champions having been alternates just last year. Colin Williams was one of those five. “With so many new players coming in this year, I think we’re all looking for a chance to ‘Tri-peat’ next year.” he said with a little chuckle. Though the team is indeed young, Williams also believes that it’ll be harder next year than ever. With all teams gunning for them after their repeat, it certainly will be, but even if they don’t come away with the win, they are definitely still a dangerous team.
In the opinions of many River Rats players, hard work is the only way to victory, and from the perspectives of both coach and older players, many newcomers have been pushing themselves to the limit.
According to Stefan Welch, many newcomers to the program don’t want to fall behind a single step to the juniors and seniors and Colin Williams says that the determination of the younger players fuels the older players as well. This is a firm program from the start in drive, determination and sheer willpower. This team can’t see themselves as anything but the best and hope to keep it that way for awhile.
