Capping off their season, junior Brayden Jurgensen and sophomore Cooper Williams took third in the #2 Doubles category at the Nebraska Schools Activities Association (NSAA) Class B State Tennis Championship on Oct. 22.
“I didn’t know what to expect from State since it is my first year going, and everyone was playing their best all season there,” Jurgensen said. “But, I’m very happy with the outcome from this season.”
The pair was seeded fourth out of 12 in the doubles competition and won matches against Omaha Roncalli Catholic, Adams Central and Grand Island Central Catholic, but were beaten in their match against the eventual second-place winner, Elkhorn North. Afterward, Jurgensen and Williams defeated York in the battle for third place. The Mount Michael duo took first place.
“To play doubles, you need to be calm and understand that mistakes are going to happen, like your partner is going to mess up from time to time, but you are also going to mess up, so you can not talk down on your teammate when they do something bad,” Jurgensen said. “During State, it is a little bit harder to stay calm because of the stress of losing in the first two rounds, with the chance of your season being over then. Also, the third match is very stressful with the thought of getting no better than fifth place.”
To Sealer, Jurgensen and Williams’ success was a reflection of the team’s improvement throughout this season.
“Brayden and Cooper’s medals were a testament to how deep our team was this year and were a reflection of the entire team’s work and success during the season,” head coach Maxwell Sealer said. “They fought a lot of close battles throughout the season, which in turn prepared them for some tough matches in State.”
Gretna East also had four other varsity players compete at State. Sophomore Taylor Wiitanen played in #1 Doubles, senior Wyatt Estee played in #2 Singles and junior Max Pearson and senior Ethan Boukal played together in #1 Doubles. The team placed 11th overall.
“Overall, I was very proud of our team’s effort,” Sealer said. “None of our boys went down without a fight.”
The team had an 8-3 record in duals this season, including a first-place finish at the Kearney Catholic Boys Invitational on Sept. 30.
“Our team improved by playing tough competition throughout the year,” Sealer said. “We played some of the best teams in Class A and Class B, and seeing those teams helped us a lot. My proudest moment of the season would be when we beat Pius X in a dual. They ended up finishing second in State this year, and it showed our team that we could compete with anyone.”
The tennis team consists of varsity and JV; each team has six players.
