North Hall High School tennis is a program on the rise -- and the Trojan boys will make history on Monday when they travel to take on Marist in the state semifinals for the first time.
North Hall's boys feature a strong mix of experience and talent, and that group believes it has the ability keep it rolling when they battle the War Eagles.
On the eve of the Trojans' big match, AccessWDUN sports editor Morgan Lee talked with North Hall boys coach Robert Woodworth about his team's historic run, how they've gotten there, and what the future holds for the Trojans.
QUESTION: Did you think this team would make history back at the start of the season? If so, why?
ANSWER: Well I hoped they would make history and I knew they could! This group of boys is the leading edge of the youth program in our schools. Because of that, I have known the boys for years and knew how talented they were and how hard they work. This group doesn’t make excuses or quit, they make progress by working harder with positive attitudes. They don’t get down. That’s how I knew they could make history... a group of talented kids with great attitudes and supportive families. Each boy has his own way of affecting others
Q: Describe what has made this team so special.
A: This group of boys has been working year-round for at least five years. As freshmen they were determined and hard working. Although they made state that year they were not satisfied. Again, no excuses – they just decided to get better. As sophomores they won a Class AAA region championship over Buford – this after Buford had beaten them in the regular season – and they made the Sweet 16. Then they won a Class AAAA tournament match over another team that had beaten them in the regular season and again went to the Sweet 16. They wanted more this year. They make no excuses about not exceeding the previous year – they just decided that they would get better and achieve more. They have.
Q: Who are the leaders on this team? How do they inspire their teammates?
A: There are five leaders on this team – all seniors. It may seem odd that I am telling you five out of seven are leaders – but they all have their own way of helping others get better – and they each affect the younger players in our program, JVs all the way down to kindergarden.
Jackson Davis is No. 1 singles, selected by his team as a captain. He has the steady attitude and humor helps too. Players look for him to earn a win – and to keep the mood light and fun.
Dalton Patterson is No. 2 singles and leads his team with a quiet confidence. Players look for wins from Dalton too – always gives 110 percent no matter what... Sick? No problem... Sore knee? No problem. It’s just win, win, win.
Reid Lattanzi is No. 3 singles. He also was selected as a captain by his team. Reid usually leads the team in prayer and since he’s usually the last player to go on, he is one of the biggest cheerleaders.
Paxton Gillespie is No. 1 doubles; he’s the serious one. He’s completely focused on getting better and helping his doubles partner get better every time he steps on the court.
Matthew Chewning plays No. 2 doubles. With Matthew it’s like having another coach but playing a match instead of watching. He’ll keep his partner focused on the positive – and he keeps the rest of the team focused on the positives too.
So I can’t pick just one or two leaders. Each senior has his own way of influencing the other members of the team and the overall program at North Hall.
Q: Team tennis is unique in that it is still an individual sport (in three of the matches). How difficult is it psychologically for players to excel when they know it comes down to their individual match?
A: Well they love that. They want the match to be on their racquet. So it’s fun and exciting when that happens. We practice the situations, the pressure, and the process of focusing on the point. The reward is when the team runs on the court to congratulate you for clinching.
Q: North Hall tennis seems to be on a continued upward trajectory. Is that the case? What do you put that down to?
A: I think it is on the upswing for sure. All programs will have peaks and valleys but what has happened at North Hall is that the peaks and valleys we have are all at a higher level. The factors leading to this improvement include supportive parents who support their kids, supportive administration that supports the program, and supportive feeder schools that allow us to market Junior Trojans Tennis to their kids. That leads to a tennis pro that helps all these kids learn tennis in the Junior Trojans program. That program takes advantage of USTA and ALTA tennis formats to put kids into competition.
This all leads to three schools, a middle school, a high school, and parents all supporting an overall program. Kids aren’t learning tennis in ninth grade, they’re learning in second and third grades. That makes a better high school team.
Q: What will it take for you to knock off Marist and reach the championship?
A: Well we're a much better team than anyone thinks. We need to win three matches. That's it. I have an idea which lines we're likely to win but we never, never know who will play the match of his life and win against a talented opponent. I will promise you that, irrespective of the outcome, Marist will know who we are and they won't want to play us again. They are absolutely going to have to earn everything.
