Patriots crush Southside

This season has mostly been an all-or-nothing affair.
All of the Patriots’ four losses this season have come in shutout fashion. On Tuesday, they picked up their second shutout victory.
Jay County High School’s boys tennis team needed only about an hour to dismantle the visiting Muncie Southside Rebels 5-0.
“I feel like we’re doing some things we’ve been talking about,” said JCHS coach Barry Weaver. “The kids are starting to come along and really concentrate on some things that are going to help them be stronger and be better.”
The Patriots gave up just five total games in the victory, with Derek Smith setting the pace at No. 1 singles.
Smith jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead over Southside’s Joey Locke and finished off the opening set on a double fault. He cruised to a 5-0 advantage in the second set and broke Locke’s serve at love in the 13th game to complete his victory in just 34 minutes.
“That’s nice, because he’d been on the other end of that twice already this season,” said Weaver. “So he was really antsy to try to get 0 and 0, but just fell a game short of it.
“He’s learning to be a little more judicious, picky, as far as his game goes. For about three matches he just wanted to blast everything. Now he’s learning there’s a time to do that … but he’s also learning to use his backhand much better. You’ve got to be able to choose your shots.”
Tony Schwieterman teamed with Landry Inman, who generally plays No. 3 singles for Jay County, to turn in the team’s only shutout in the No. 2 doubles match.
The Patriot pair cruised through its first 11 games and had a 30-love lead in the 12th before Southside’s Tanner Morte and Caleb Wilkins won consecutive points to even the game. But the Rebels couldn’t handle Schwieterman’s return of the next serve, and the JCHS duo went on to earn the 6-0, 6-0 win.
Inman moved to doubles action for the night because the Rebels only had six players and had to forfeit the No. 3 singles match. Josh Martin got the forfeit win.
“Landry has been saying he wanted to play a little doubles,” said Weaver. “Part of his game in singles is he wants to hit and come in, but he’s not the most confident young man in some of his volleying and approach shots. Playing a little doubles I think may help that. …
“And we’re still trying to find out exactly the best combinations.”
Chance Fuller and Morton Garringer gave up a game in each set, but were in control throughout. Fuller ended the match with a volley winner after the teams went back-and-forth at the net several times, giving the Patriots a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Jasper Jameson and Elisha North.
Brad Leuthold dropped two games in his opening set against Devin May, but never trailed in the No. 2 singles match. He dominated the second set, completing the 6-2, 6-0 win when May got his racket on a Leuthold’s serve but failed to get it back over the net.
The victory marked the second shutout win of the season for the Patriots, who also blanked Union City 5-0. JCHS has suffered shutout losses to Marion, Norwell, Mount Vernon and sectional rival Northeastern.
“We’re 3-4 now as compared to last year we were 3-15 the whole season,” said Weaver. “So the boys are starting to feel a little more like we’re a tennis team now. We can get out and we can play against good opponents …
“Last week against Northeastern, that was a good team, especially at singles … and our kids got out and competed. The scores were still pretty lop-sided, but at least they felt like, ‘We can hit with these guys.’
“I feel like we’re going the right way. … Now we need to get a good quality win and they’ll really start to be believers.”[[In-content Ad]]