From 2001 through 2005, Metamora’s tennis teams experienced success at a level previously unseen at MTHS.  The Redbirds won their first two sectional titles in school history, compiled 64 dual wins against only 12 losses, won three Mid-Illini Conference regular season titles, and sent 21 players to the state tournament.  In 2006, however, the Redbirds finished with a dual record of only 8-6, did not compete for the sectional title, and sent only two players to the state tournament. 

As the 2007 season began, the varsity schedule became more and more difficult.  Dual matches were added against Belleville West, Belleville East, Ottawa, LaSalle-Peru, and Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, while perennial state power Deerfield was invited to join Metamora’s annual indoor quad.  Three of Metamora’s top four players from 2006 had graduated, and the 2007 Metamora line-up was to consist of two juniors and four freshmen.

Very few people would have expected the 2007 group of Redbird tennis players to achieve some of the fantastic results that were obtained throughout this glorious season.  Certainly, there was optimism about the future of the program.  However, the players on the 2007 team decided that they wanted to have success not only in the future but also right from the start.  That the ’07 squad was able to finish with a sparkling dual record of 13-3, a Mid-Illini Conference championship, a sectional championship, and was able to qualify five players for the state tournament was nothing short of spectacular.

The Mid-Illini Conference title was a slightly unexpected one for Metamora.  The Redbirds began the season in grand style, beating Dunlap 6-3 after winning five of the six singles matches.  Although it was Metamora’s eighth win over Dunlap in the last thirteen tries, it was only the second time the match had been clinched after singles.  However, Morton was clearly the team to beat in the Mid-Illini in ’07.  The Potters defeated Metamora 6-3 in the dual match, but the conference title would come down to the league tournament three days later in Metamora.

The entire Redbird team achieved at or above its potential in the conference tournament, scoring 23 points after being seeded to score 16.  Every single point was necessary, as Morton scored 22.  Metamora secured the league title by winning the final three matches on the courts; Ryan Donnelly won the third place match at #1 singles, Tyler Lampe and Stephan Rauh won the #1 doubles title, and David Stewart and Nate Wilson won the #2 doubles title.  That Friday afternoon in Metamora may have been the single greatest example of over-achieving by an entire team that this coach has ever witnessed.

One week later, the Redbird tennis team validated its conference title by running through the Ottawa sectional, capturing the school’s third sectional plaque in the last five years.  Tyler Lampe and Stephan Rauh won the sectional doubles championship (Lampe’s second in a row and the third MTHS sectional doubles title in school history), while Stewart and Wilson finished 3rd.  Ryan Donnelly (state qualifier – 4th in the sectional) and Justin Cregger (quarterfinalist) also added points to Metamora’s team total of 27.  Runner-up LaSalle-Peru scored 23. 

Tournament play in 2007 was hampered by poor weather.  Metamora was rained or frozen out of three tournaments on consecutive Saturdays.  However, the dual season was sensational.  Metamora posted a 13-3 record against outstanding competition, with the highest quality wins coming over Normal U-High, Dunlap, Ottawa, and LaSalle-Peru.  The U-High match contained the most drama, as Metamora won a third set super tie-breaker at #1 doubles to win the match, 5-4.

For the thirteenth year in a row, Metamora was unbeaten against Limestone, East Peoria, and Washington, extending the school’s overall winning streak against those three teams to 75.  Pekin entered the Mid-Illini in 2007 and represented itself well in its first campaign, finishing 5th.  Dunlap was 3rd and East Peoria 4th, while Limestone finished 6th and Washington 7th.

Mid-Illini teams experienced outstanding post-season success.  Metamora won the Ottawa sectional, Morton won the Bloomington sectional, and Dunlap was second at the Richwoods sectional.  Those three squads qualified twelve players for the state tournament, while East Peoria added a pair of doubles players as well.  The Mid-Illini had seven of those fourteen players playing on the second day of the state tournament, tying an all-time record.  Morton’s Brock Reiman finished in the 13th-16th group in singles, while teammates Mike LaHood and Michael Christison finished 17th-24th in doubles.  East Peoria’s Dewey Kim and Ben Morrow, their school’s first state qualifiers in thirteen years, finished 33rd-48th in doubles.

Individually, the season was also a success for Metamora.  Freshman Stephan Rauh and junior Tyler Lampe were named to the Mid-Illini All-Conference first team, Tyler’s second time being so honored.  Freshmen David Stewart, Nate Wilson, and Ryan Donnelly and junior Justin Cregger were all named to the All-Conference second team, giving MTHS all six players all-conference status for the first time ever. 

Rauh and Lampe won three matches at the state tournament and represented Metamora on the second day of state, the sixth year in a row Metamora has had players on that day.  Metamora scored five points at state (four from Rauh and Lampe and one from Stewart and Wilson), its sixth year in a row with at least that many.

Rauh and Lampe shared the team’s Most Valuable Player award.  Justin Cregger received the Most Improved award, while Kyle Cunningham was named Best Teammate.

Expectations for Redbird tennis teams will continue to rise.  Metamora will return six all-conference players to the courts in 2008, including five state qualifiers.  The Redbirds will lose the services of seniors Kyle Cunningham and Matt Nosbisch, whose efforts and dedication to the MTHS tennis program over the past four years will not soon be forgotten.  It will be the job of the returnees to not be satisfied with this year’s results but to instead want to build upon them.  The opportunity exists for tremendous accomplishments in the future.

Any success Metamora has experienced on the tennis courts over the last several years has been earned through hard work and tremendous dedication.  This work ethic, established and continued by Metamora’s recent tennis graduates, has allowed MTHS tennis players to have wonderful memories created by these successes.  I have no doubt this work ethic and dedication will continue to lead to greater and greater memories and successes.

Mid-Illini and sectional championships are extremely difficult to capture.  The competition is fierce, which makes having success even sweeter.   This coach is extremely proud of this year’s group of players and expects nothing but good things from them in the future.

Congratulations to all Redbird players on an exceptional 2007 season!!

Peoria – The 2006-2007 school year was another successful athletic one for Metamora High School, as for the fifth straight year Metamora earned the Mid-Illini Conference All-Sports Trophy.  The trophy is awarded to the school with the best overall sports programs (determined by conference finishes in all 17 sports) for the school year.

Metamora won conference titles in four boys and one girls sport during the school year.  The Redbirds captured boys titles in football, cross country, track and tennis.  Metamora won the girls track title.  

The all-sports race was the closest one in the last five years, with Metamora outdistancing runner-up Morton by 350 points.  The Redbirds finished with 9400 points; Morton was second with 9050; Dunlap piled up 8550.  East Peoria was 4th, Washington and Pekin tied for 5th, Limestone was 7th, and Canton finished 8th.

Congratulations to all Redbird athletes on another exceptional school year.  Let’s make it six in a row in 2007-2008!!

Peoria – The 2006-2007 school year was another successful athletic one for Metamora High School, as for the fifth straight year Metamora earned the Mid-Illini Conference All-Sports Trophy.  The trophy is awarded to the school with the best overall sports programs (determined by conference finishes in all 17 sports) for the school year.

Metamora won conference titles in four boys and one girls sport during the school year.  The Redbirds captured boys titles in football, cross country, track and tennis.  Metamora won the girls track title.  

The all-sports race was the closest one in the last five years, with Metamora outdistancing runner-up Morton by 350 points.  The Redbirds finished with 9400 points; Morton was second with 9050; Dunlap piled up 8550.  East Peoria was 4th, Washington and Pekin tied for 5th, Limestone was 7th, and Canton finished 8th.

Congratulations to all Redbird athletes on another exceptional school year.  Let’s make it six in a row in 2007-2008!!

Stephan Rauh Becomes Youngest Champion in Event’s 19-Year History

Metamora – The 19th Annual Metamora Tennis Open was held the weekend of June 15-17, as a record number of entrants caused the tournament to be played over a three-day period for the first time ever.  Stephan Rauh, a 15-year old MTHS sophomore, won his first MTO singles championship, becoming the youngest winner in the tournament’s history.  In the final, he defeated the oldest finalist in the history of the event, 39-year old Vuong Ngo, 6-1, 6-2.  It was the fourth year out of the last five that a Rauh has captured the singles crown, as Stephan’s older brother Nate won titles in 2003, 2004, and 2006.

The tournament fielded a record number of participants in 2007, with 28 singles entries spread throughout three draws and 26 doubles teams participating in two different doubles events.  Past singles champions in the open division have their names etched on a plaque.  The list includes Dan Ritschel (7 titles), Kelly Willard (5), Nate Rauh (3), Daren Gravlin (1), Ty Wyffels (1) Kyle Shoff (1), and Stephan Rauh (1).

The championship match was played on Father’s Day in grueling heat and humidity.  Rauh showed no signs of fatigue throughout the weekend, as his game continued to look better the hotter the weather became.  His improved pace and phenomenal conditioning were too much for anyone to overcome during the weekend, as he dropped a total of six games in four matches, dominating a good field of players.

Reaching the semi-finals for the first time ever were second-seeded Tyler Lampe and unseeded Ryan Donnelly.  Lampe defeated teammate Nate Wilson, 6-3, 6-2 in an entertaining quarterfinal match, while Donnelly upset fourth-seeded Andy Ngo, 7-5, 6-4 in another tremendous quarterfinal.  In the semis, Lampe experienced arm cramps, allowing Vuong Ngo to turn a close match into a 6-4, 6-2 triumph.  Donnelly played valiantly against Stephan Rauh in the other semi-final but found that winning games against Rauh is becoming harder and harder to do.  After a good effort, Donnelly lost to Rauh, 6-1, 6-1.

The consolation bracket was the Justin Cregger show, as the MTHS senior dropped seven games in six sets on his way to the consolation crown.  He defeated Kevin Rauh in the consolation final, who was playing his seventh match of the weekend in an incredible showing of stamina.

Doubles

The doubles portion of the MTO was also filled with quality teams.  The top four seeds advanced through the first two rounds to reach the semi-finals.  In one semi, MTHS tennis coach Kelly Willard and 2006 graduate Nick Vaughn, the top-seeded doubles duo, defeated Johnny Armstrong and Brian LeCleir, 6-1, 7-6 in a very entertaining match for the fans in attendance.  In the other semi, second-seeded Stephan Rauh and Tyler Lampe soundly defeated Andy Ngo and his cousin, Rachel, 6-3, 6-0.  Willard and Vaughn won the championship match, holding off Rauh and Lampe, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.  It was Willard’s 8th doubles title (with five different partners) and Vaughn’s second doubles championship in a row.

Boys 14s and 10s

Two more singles divisions were held for the 2007 MTO.  Eleven-year old Will Koehrsen won his second MTO title in a row, defeating Christoph Goettler, 6-1, 6-0 in the finals of the boys 14 and under division.  Nine-year old Paul Wang also won his second consecutive MTO title, beating Tyler Ngo, 6-3, 6-3 in the championship match of the boys 10 and under division.  The 14s and 10s were filled with many promising players that will hopefully continue to enjoy and improve their tennis games.

Congratulations to all on another successful Metamora Tennis Open!!!

Peoria – Metamora was again well represented in this year’s Tri-County tennis tournament, as all age divisions were loaded with current and future Redbirds.

In the boys 18 division, incoming senior Tyler Lampe reached the semi-finals.  He won two matches before dropping a 6-2, 6-1 decision to Notre Dame’s Peter Heidrich in the semis.  Two other Redbirds reached the quarterfinals.  Sophomores Nate Wilson and Ryan Donnelly both advanced to the final eight, with Wilson losing to Lampe and Donnelly falling, 6-1, 6-0 to the eventual champion, Chase Klaus of Richwoods.  Also competing in the boys 18 division was sophomore David Stewart, who extended fourth-seeded Scott Caughey of Notre Dame to a third set before losing, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

In the boys 14 division, Metamora had two players competing.  Seventh grader Christoph Goettler advanced all the way to the championship match before falling to top-seeded Chandler Clayton in the finals, 6-1, 6-2.  Seventh grader Kevin Wang had the unfortunate luck of drawing Clayton in the first round.  Despite playing well, Wang lost to Clayton, 6-3, 6-0.

In the boys 10 division, there were only two entrants this year.  Both were future Redbirds, as fifth grader Paul Wang defeated fourth grader Ryan Willard, 6-0, 6-1 to win the title.

On the girls side, Metamora had the 18s champion (Rachel Ngo), an 18s semi-finalist (Kayla Donner), and the 14s champion (Taylor Koehrsen).  

All in all, the 2007 Tri-County tournament was a great success for all involved, win or lose.  The experience and confidence gained from tournament competition are invaluable.  Congratulations to all current and future Redbirds on a successful tournament.

Metamora Will Send Five Players to State Tournament

Ottawa – The 2007 Redbird varsity tennis team accomplished another monstrous goal Saturday afternoon at the Ottawa tennis complex, capturing its third sectional title in the last five years in convincing fashion.  Metamora scored 27 points, while runner-up LaSalle-Peru scored 23.  Ottawa was third with 18 points.  The Redbirds piled up 22 points on the first day of play, allowing the second day to be more relaxing, as the sectional title was already nearly clinched.

The Redbird squad rolled through the first round Friday in dominating fashion.  All four of Metamora’s entries won their first round match by the identical score of 6-0, 6-0.  Particularly impressive were the Redbird singles players in the first round.  Freshman Ryan Donnelly defeated the #1 player from Rochelle High School, Tim Kruse, 6-0, 6-0.  Junior Justin Cregger defeated another Rochelle player who had won his feed-in match, Dan Herrera, 6-0, 6-0. 

The #1 Redbird doubles team of freshman Stephan Rauh and junior Tyler Lampe had little trouble on the first day, dropping only one game in two matches.  Metamora’s second doubles team of freshmen David Stewart and Nate Wilson had to struggle through a second round three-set match against Ottawa to qualify for the state tournament.  They rebounded from a disappointing second set loss to capture the third set, 6-1.

Lampe and Rauh won Metamora’s third doubles sectional title in the last four years , defeating a very good Princeton team in the finals, 7-5, 6-4.  Stewart and Wilson had challenged Princeton in the semi-finals, falling 7-5, 6-3.  They rebounded in the third place match to defeat Ottawa’s #1 doubles team, 7-6, 6-2.  The sectional doubles title was Lampe’s second in a row, having won the Richwoods sectional championship last year with partner Nick Vaughn.

The sectional title could not have been won without contributions from all six Redbird players.  Ryan Donnelly captured fourth place in singles and the six points that come with it.  Justin Cregger advanced to the quarterfinals, picking up four more crucial points.  The fact that Metamora was able to score 17 points in doubles and 10 in singles was a testament to the depth of this year’s squad.

The Mid-Illini Conference fared very well overall in sectional play, with conference runner-up Morton winning the Bloomington sectional and conference third place finisher Dunlap coming in second at the Richwoods sectional.  East Peoria also had its first state qualifier in 13 years, the doubles team of Dewey Kim and Ben Morrow.  In all, the Mid-Illini advanced 14 players to the state tournament.

Sectional championships are difficult to obtain and very satisfying to win.  Metamora’s third sectional plaque represents another fantastic achievement for the boys tennis program.  That the Redbirds were able to win it with a line-up consisting of two juniors and four freshmen made it all the more remarkable.

Congratulations!

State of Illinois 2007 Tennis Rankings

Metamora – The 2007 boys tennis season is about to begin, and the race for state supremacy should be very competitive.  Defending state champion Glenbrook North will find it difficult defending its crown with Eric Spector taking the year off.  Defending singles champ Dennis Nevolo of Warren will also not play high school tennis this season, leaving the singles crown up for grabs.  The early favorite will likely be Benet’s Connor Roth, who returns from a year away from high school tennis.  The state’s top two doubles teams will likely be last year’s 2nd and 3rd place finishers from Lyons Township and Belleville West, respectively.  

Here is this year’s pre-season top 20.  

Metamora – The 2007 Mid-Illini Conference boys tennis season will again feature outstanding play, competitive dual matches, and a number of individuals capable of qualifying for and doing damage at the state tournament.  Last year’s top three teams, Morton, Dunlap, and Metamora, were not as strong as their previous several teams but were still high quality tennis teams.  It was the bottom half of the league, though, where the most improvement was spotted a year ago, as East Peoria, Washington, and Limestone sported a combined 12-5 record in non-conference matches.  

The 2007 season will be different in the M-I for a couple of reasons.  First, each school will only play one dual against the other schools.  Second, Pekin will be in the league for the first time.  The discontinuation of playing each school twice will put even more emphasis on an already heavily weighted conference tournament, making the last Friday of the regular season a very important one.  The M-I returns 4 state qualifiers from a year ago, with conference singles champion Brock Reiman (third team all-state doubles) of Morton leading the way.  Other returning qualifiers include Metamora’s Tyler Lampe (honorable mention all-state doubles), Morton’s Mike LaHood, and Dunlap’s Alex Clark.  (No information has been included on Pekin as it will be their first year in the league; Metamora has been unranked)  

Quality of Opponents Continues to Improve

Metamora – Metamora’s tennis schedule, which has always been loaded with excellent competition, will be filled with more exceptional opponents than ever in 2007.  The upcoming season will be the first Mid-Illini campaign in which each school only has one scheduled dual against the other league members.  A brief preview of Metamora’s opponents follows.

• Moline  Moline will continue its tradition of outstanding teams in 2007.  The Maroons finished 22nd in the state in 2006; Moline has been in the state’s top ten 12 times in the last 22 seasons.  Dominating the western part of the state for years, Moline has won sectional titles in 15 of the last 16 seasons.  In the four-year history of the indoor quad, Moline has a 3-1 edge in mini-duals against the Redbirds.  The Redbirds will play Moline as part of the quad on March 17.

• Danville  Danville returns an exceptional singles player for his senior year, Camerun Blaylock.  The Vikings also return one of Illinois’ finest doubles teams, Towne and Rossi, from last year’s sectional championship team.  Danville has now won a sectional title in 17 of the last 22 years.  In the four-year history of the quad, Metamora and Danville have each won twice against each other in mini-duals.  Metamora will also play Danville as part of the quad on March 17.

• Deerfield  Deerfield, winner of the 2005 state championship and runner-up in 2006, will debut on the Metamora schedule in 2007.  The Warriors have an abundance of talented tennis players, led by singles standout Scott Buchowski.  Deerfield has finished in the state’s top ten 16 times in the last 28 years, including 3 titles, 3 runners-up, and 1 third place finish.  They were the Highland Park sectional champions a year ago despite competing in the same sectional as Highland Park, Stevenson, Libertyville, and others.  Metamora will play Deerfield as part of the quad on March 17.

• Peoria Richwoods  After a 6-year hiatus in sectional championships, Richwoods has now collected back-to-back sectional plaques.  The Knights return three of their top four players from a year ago.  Junior Chase Klaus, who finished in the top 24 at the state tournament last year, returns to lead Richwoods in ’07.  He is joined by seniors Dylan Gumm, Derek Gumm, and junior Roger Clayton in the Richwoods line-up.  The four-year old series with Richwoods is currently tied 2-2.  The Redbirds will travel to Richwoods on April 16.

• Peoria Notre Dame  Notre Dame will provide Metamora with more excellent competition in 2006.  Two freshmen will lead the Irish in ’07, Peter Heidrich and Scott Caughey.  Both have had promising junior results and will test Metamora at the top of its line-up.  Since the rivalry resumed in 2002, Metamora is 5-0 against Notre Dame, including last year’s 7-2 triumph.  The Redbirds will play ND at Normal U-High as part of a triangular meet on April 21.

• Normal U-High  U-High will again be the best team in Bloomington-Normal in 2007.  Despite graduating several key contributors from last year’s sectional championship team, U-High will present a formidable challenge with sophomore Andre Aung and freshman Ben Yue controlling the top of the line-up.    Metamora lost to U-High last year for the first time in the last six years.  The Redbirds will travel to U-High as part of a triangular meet on April 21.

• Ottawa  Ottawa will return to Metamora’s schedule in 2007.  The Pirates return two state qualifiers from a year ago, sophomore Alex Fleshman and senior Adam Jobst.  Ottawa has won 39 sectional championships in the last 46 years.  Metamora will host Ottawa on April 18.

• Belleville East  Belleville East, despite competing in the rigorous Belleville sectional, has captured 13 of the last 24 sectional titles, including last year’s triumph.  East returns all five of its state qualifiers from last year’s squad, including sophomore singles standout Drew Feder.  The Redbirds will host Belleville East on April 6.

• Belleville West  West has won 30 sectional titles in the last 37 years.  They will be led in ’07 by one of the state’s top doubles teams, seniors Nick Birger and Brian Zaron.  The duo finished 3rd at last year’s state tournament and will be one of the two favorites to win the 2007 state crown.  Belleville West will play at Metamora on April 6.

• Springfield SHG  Metamora will play SHG for the second time in school history, having defeated the Cyclones 6-3 during the 2005 season.  SHG is led by junior singles star Blake Strauch, a returning state qualifier.  Metamora will play at SHG on May 15.

• Streator  For the first time ever, Metamora will play Streator in tennis.  The Bulldogs will travel to Metamora on April 24.

The Red & White Invitational will be stronger than ever in 2007, featuring the deepest #1 singles bracket in history.  The Bloomington Invite will continue to be loaded with excellent teams, and Metamora will once again travel to the Tom Pitchford Invitational, featuring 32 of the finest teams in Illinois.  All in all, the 2007 schedule Metamora will play is the best in the history of the school and will put the young Redbirds to the test early and often.