The 1998 season was one of transition for Metamora tennis.  The Redbirds took the courts with a new varsity coach (Kelly Willard), after seven-year head coach Ron Kiesewetter hung up the racket.  Metamora also looked to replace the class of 1997, an exceptional group which compiled a two-year varsity record of 22-6.

Metamora returned a fair amount of experience in 1998, with Scott Shoff, Chris Marchand, Blake Stewart, and Dallas Engel all having had at least a taste of varsity action.  However, the top three from 1997 were seniors, leaving the very challenging task of creating an all new top half of the line-up.  Pre-season expectations of the Redbirds were shaky, but not for long.

Morton was the only Mid-Illini team to challenge Metamora during the regular season, defeating the Redbirds 5-4 and 6-3, winning the first match via a thrilling third set in the ninth match of the dual.  The conference tournament was anti-climactic, with Metamora and Morton taking every semi-final spot in both singles and doubles while scoring 54 of the 58 total points for the day.  Blake Stewart was third in singles, while teammate Jason Vanecko was fourth, including a first-round upset of #2 seed Wes Dyke of East Peoria.  In doubles, Josh Finnell and Scott Shoff were second, and the duo of Chris Marchand and Dallas Engel finished third.

Perhaps Metamora’s crowning achievement of the season was challenging perennial power Bloomington for the sectional crown.  All six Redbirds earned seeds for the sectional tournament, with Chris Marchand finishing 4th in singles and the team of freshman Andy Gravlin and Blake Stewart ending 4th in doubles.  Stewart and Gravlin advanced to the state tournament, becoming the first Redbird non-seniors since Dan Ritschel to qualify for the state’s best tournament.

Metamora succeeded in 1998 due to the depth of its line-up.  The Redbirds did not have an overwhelming top of the line-up but rather won matches due to their overall strength from #1 through #6.  As evidence of this overall strength, Metamora was undefeated in 1998 at #3 doubles, finishing a perfect 14-0.

With six juniors and a freshman on the roster, things appeared to be quite bright for the 1999 season.  The ’98 seniors succeeded in continuing the tradition established in the past few years, finishing with the school’s fourth consecutive winning record.  This would also be the last Mid-Illini season prior to the addition of Dunlap into the league, a change which would forever alter the competitiveness and excellence of the conference.