WATERLOO • The Waterloo High tennis courts are only a year old, but that’s nothing.
The Bulldogs’ opponents Wednesday, while draped in familiar colors, have been at it for just a matter of months.
Waterloo made its experience pay off, beating crosstown rival Gibault’s fledgling racketeers 7-2.
Though they have met and shed blood on nearly every other field, this was the first meeting between the schools in boys tennis, as the Hawks were brought together for the first time this spring.
Waterloo coach Matt Mason said the Bulldogs have improved by beating up on each other.
“The kids have been battling pretty well, as they should,” he said. “In practice, they have been competitive with one another and that has been what has helped us build to this point. We are happy with the performance today.”
Freshman Michael Lesko took the lone singles match for Gibault, topping Waterloo's No. 1 player, Jacob Quernheim. Lesko led 5-4 in the opening set before falling to Quernheim’s comeback.
Lesko launched a comeback of his own to take the second set 6-0 and won the tiebreaker 10-3.
“I just started hitting more consistently and didn’t hit as many shots out,” Lesko said. “I just played better overall. I feel like I have become smarter and more experienced. I am better able to cope with things and come back to win.”
The comeback is in keeping with Lesko’s continued growth. Having played for seven years, Lesko is the only Hawk with any experience before this spring, but he is far from the finished article yet.
Gibault coach Margaret May said the body language of her freshman No. 1 would sag when things weren’t coming up roses in the season’s early days, but the upswing in Lesko’s play of late has been dramatic.
“He has grown as a player over the past few matches, so that when he gets down, he doesn’t get shook up,” May said. “He is able to re-focus and he takes advice very well. His full game is coming around and I have seen a big improvement in the past few weeks.”
Jamen Helton got the Bulldogs going in the No. 2 match, beating Gibault freshman Frank Mantia 6-2, 6-3.
Helton has proven himself a fine athlete on the cross country team the past few seasons and Mason said he can do the same on the tennis courts with a little bit of concentration.
“Jamen needs to just keep playing and keep gaining confidence,” Mason said. “Right now, it seems like he has all the shots and he does a good job of moving his feet. As long as he stays in the match mentally, he is very tough for us.”
Waterloo’s No. 3, Damon Lange, beat James Deterding 7-5, 6-0. Clayton Bourgeois beat Gibault No. 4 Dustin Schrieber 6-2, 6-4, and the Bulldogs’ No. 6 Chris Cook took out Colin Juengling 6-0, 6-1, but Waterloo’s No. 5, Todd Breitenstein, was taken to the brink by Gibault freshman Jacob Weiler before putting the frosh away 6-4, 5-7, 10-6.
Waterloo won the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches, but Lesko teamed up with Mantia to knock off Quernheim and Bourgeois in No. 1 doubles 6-1, 6-3.
Mantia has only been playing the sport for a little over two months, but his athleticism comes in handy and Lesko is happy to have him by his side.
“It is fun,” Lesko said. “He is learning quickly, which is good. He is a good athlete and we make a good team together.
“For a first-year program, we are doing really well. Everyone is learning extremely quickly and we all have a good passion for it. We are all enjoying it.”
With the win, the Bulldogs improved their match record to 6-4.
Mason spoke with May about arranging another match in the next few weeks when both squads are off, but the first-year Waterloo boss is happy with the way things are heading.
“I have been very pleased with the effort up and down the line,” Mason said. “Everybody has improved tremendously in the last month that we have been working with them.
“Clayton Bourgeois has played a strong No. 4 for us and Chris Cook is doing a nice job at No. 6 singles. Our doubles kids are working well with each other, too, so I have been really pleased.”
Gibault fell to 4-6, which is four more wins than a lot of people guessed they might have at this point in their inaugural season.
They may not have beaten their neighbors this time, but the test was another step in the right direction.
“It is a rivalry, just like Belleville East and West and Althoff, but the one thing I want these guys to do is just be honest and play their hardest,” May said. “It doesn’t matter if it is against a really good team or a team they should beat, I just want them to play their hardest and do their best. That’s all I can ask from them, especially as a first-year team.
“We have already won four matches and, for players who have never picked up a racket before to come out and win matches, I think it says a lot for the kids.”
