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For the first time in six years, Warsaw's tennis team enters today's regional as the big dog, the team to beat, numero uno.
Head coach Andy Lewis would have it no other way.
"We have to be favored in the regional," Lewis said. "That's probably the first time that's happened in years. People have to come beat us. If we don't beat ourselves, we'll be in great shape."
Six years, to be exact. Goshen has won the last six regionals.
The source for Lewis' optimism?
A 13-2 record overall. A 6-0 Northern Lakes Conference record. The NLC Tournament championship the Tigers won two weeks ago. A 5-0 win over 13-5 Wawasee in the sectional championship.
And, oh yeah, his team beat Goshen, the top challenger in the regional, 3-2 in the regular season. They followed that by finishing ahead of the Redskins in the NLC Tournament.
Goshen had owned his Tigers the last four years and seven matches, until this season. The Tigers were 0-7 in their last seven matches until they beat the Redskins this season.
"I still like the way our guys are playing," Lewis said. "We showed up this (sectional) weekend. Wawasee had a good team, one of its better teams in recent years, but we were ready to play.
"At the NLC, Warsaw showed its ability to play in big matches."
Playing is what Lewis' team does on this 80-something, sun-drenched October Monday afternoon. Lewis, still sporting his shirt and tie from his workday, takes a seat in the bleachers and watches his players practice.
With everything his team has accomplished this year, he's asked how hard he has to work now to make sure his team keeps its focus.
"I need to remind them every once in a while what their focus is, what their focus is on - where it was last year, and where it is this year," he said. "They've given themselves an opportunity to get to the next level. I don't want them to take that for granted."
The next level arrives today at the regional at Northridge High School, and it wears the name DeKalb. Lewis admits he doesn't know a whole lot about DeKalb - scouts for high school tennis are few and far between, if they even exist. Warsaw never played DeKalb in the regular season. All he can say about the team is he knows Warsaw beat a team that beat DeKalb.
What is known is DeKalb is 11-8 and has few seniors.
If the Tigers beat DeKalb, they would meet the Elkhart Central (13-3)/Goshen (16-1) winner in Wednesday's regional championship. Warsaw beat Elkhart Central 3-2 in the first match of the season, and that was without No. 3 singles player Peter Anders, who is 17-0.
To get ready for DeKalb, Lewis has his players face off against each other. Sometimes this wouldn't work because the talent drops off at each singles position.
Lewis has said all year he firmly believes he has three No. 1 singles players in Craig Harman, Ryan VanPuffelen and Anders, even though VanPuffelen and Anders are his second and third singles players in the lineup. Talentwise, he believes they are near equals.
As if to prove his point, Anders goes through Harman, the No. 1 singles player, 6-2 in a game at the Monday practice.
"Right now, I'm having them play different kinds of points, pressure points - to make sure they're ready to win," Lewis said. "We have a strong enough team that we can play each other and get good competition from each other."
At times players get frustrated. Anders gets disgusted at one point and yells at himself.
Lewis likes this. It stokes those competitive fires
"He's a friend, a teammate and he has to try to make him his enemy," he said. "It doesn't always work that way, and it can be a stressful time. If I can put them in stressful situations in practice, they will know how to deal with stress in a real match."
Lewis, who has visions of his team winning the regional, is asked about the worst-case scenario, losing at regional.
He shudders to think about, let alone answer, that question. Instead, he reiterates a point he made earlier.
"Like I said, if the kids are ready to play and don't beat themselves, they'll be fine," he said. "We have already accomplished some great things this year."
Elkhart Regional
Tuesday matches
4:30 p.m.
Warsaw (13-2) vs. DeKalb (11-8) at Northridge High School
Elkhart Central (13-3) vs. Goshen (16-1) at Elkhart's McKnaughton Park (beside Elkhart General Hospital)
Wednesday match
4:30 p.m. at Elkhart's McKnaughton Park
Warsaw/DeKalb winner vs. Goshen/Elkhart Central winner
