VW boys win 1st tennis title in 47 years

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

LIMA — The year 1969 was a long time ago — 47 years ago, in fact. Richard Nixon had just taken office for his first term as president, and the war in Vietnam was just starting to enter a new phase military officials called, optimistically, “vietnamization” (and we all know how that worked out).

That year was also the last time the Van Wert High School boys’ tennis team won a Western Buckeye League championship.

While the Cougars have had some decent teams in those nearly five decades, none could unseat traditional powers Shawnee and Elida, which between them have won 34 league tennis titles. That is, until this year.

The Cougars capped a program that has seen steady improvements under Head Coach Mitch Price and former coach Chuck Rollins with a stellar season that included 11 overall wins, 8 victories in WBL play, and a win in the league tournament that ended Monday evening at Westwood Racket Club in Lima.

Van Wert edged Shawnee 50-44 in the WBL tourney, winning individual championships at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles in the process, and beat out Wapakoneta, which also had an 8-1 WBL record, in the final league tally, with 19½ points to 17 for the Redskins.

Winning league tourney titles for Van Wert were Nick Etter at No. 2 singles and Davis Munroe and Gabe Rollins at No. 1 doubles. The No. 2 doubles team of Michael Etter and Spencer Teman finished second in the league, while Brandon Amstutz at No. 1 singles and Ryan Keber at No. 3 singles earned third-place finishes in the tournament.

Ottawa-Glandorf finished third in the tournament, while Wapak was fourth, St. Marys ended up in fifth place, while Celina was sixth, Elida seventh, Defiance eighth, Bath ninth, and Kenton finished in 10th place.

It was a great season for both Price and former head coach Chuck Rollins, who now coaches on a volunteer basis. For Rollins, it was a family triumph as well, with his son, Gabe, also winning a doubles title with teammate Davis Munroe.

“It’a great moment for the team and the program,” Price said. “It’s been a long time coming, and I am really happy for all of our guys on this team.”

Price noted that, after the Cougars fell short in their quest for a league title last year, the team has been on a mission to get win a WBL championship.

“We had a lot of doubters about whether we could do it, and if we were committed enough,” the coach said. “We like proving people wrong.”