SOUTH WHITLEY — Due to a long match Tuesday at Plymouth, Triton boys tennis coach Allen Peckham gave his No. 2 doubles team the night off Wednesday at Whitko, but it didn't really seem to matter. With the lineup mixed up due to the rest given to Wil Rettinger and Jackson Downing, the Triton Trojans (3-2) stayed the course, defeating the Whitko Wildcats (0-5) by a 4-1 count. "It's good to give my JV some experience," Allen Peckham said. "These matches are good for that, because it lets some guys that may not be able to play otherwise, a chance to play." In the victory, the Trojans weren't forced into a third set in any of their four wins, as they lost a total of five games in those victories. However, Peckham insisted he'd prefer to play in a loss to a strong team like Plymouth then to get an easy win against a weaker opponent. "I'd rather play the Plymouth match, because it really stretches your game," he said. "With (junior) Pete Kauffman (against Plymouth), I just saw his game elevate so well, then tonight, he looked drained." With the lineup jumbled, Kauffman moved from No. 2 singles to No. 1, where he lost 6-4, 6-2 to Whitko sophomore Tyler Baugher, who's won his last two matches. On the other singles courts, Peckham moved sophomore Lucas Shafer from No. 3 singles to No. 2, where he won 6-1, 6-0, and he promoted sophomore Dean Howdeshell from the JV to No. 3 singles, where he cruised 6-0, 6-1. At No. 1 doubles, Triton's usual No. 1 singles player, junior Jeff Ross, joined senior Josh Shafer in a 6-1, 6-1 win, while senior Austin Kanarr and sophomore Darren Harrell won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles. For a school with the enrollment Triton has, producing a competitive tennis team year-in and year-out can be tough, but Peckham has found a way to do it. "We've been getting a lot of good compliments over the years about how small we are and how competitive we've been," he said. "Every time I go to our district meeting in LaPorte, the LaPorte coach always says, 'I still can't believe how well you guys play every year for being such a small school.' It's a good compliment. Our program has been in good shape." And first-year Whitko boys tennis coach Kory Mettler shared that sentiment. "Triton's always been a pretty tough school," Mettler said. "They're small, but they've always been tough." The competitive Trojans have been in the race for the Northern State Conference championship over the years, coming as close as runners-up. But this year, Peckham is looking to get over that hump, having already defeated Knox and LaVille. "What I've been seeing with the scores, Bremen will be our next big test, because I saw they beat Jimtown," Peckham said. "They barely got past New Prairie, and Knox beat New Prairie 5-0. I don't know if you can read too much into that. Sometimes it depends on who shows up on a certain night. "I'm really excited for this year's conference," he added. "We've been really focusing on conference more than anything else." As Triton is pursuing the school's first conference championship, the Wildcats are in search of their first win of the season. "It's more mental than anything," Mettler said. "We are young team, but they all played last year and most of them have varsity experience. It's just a mental barrier that we need to get over. We need to think we can win, then go and do it." Triton plays its fourth match of the week Saturday, hosting Bethany Christian at 10 a.m., while Whitko's next match is Tuesday at Rochester.
