Over the past two months, the State High Boys Tennis Team has had a dominant season, finishing with a record of 13-1. Their consistent success reflects strong teamwork, dedication, and overall performance. 

“We played against all the other teams, we tried our hardest, and we’ve had a pretty successful season,” senior captain Luke Cessna said.

The team started its season on March 9 with a 5-0 win against Cedar Cliff. Sophomore singles player Eric Liu and the doubles team of senior Dash Nealon and freshman Henry Poole all had remarkable performances, winning their sets 6-0. They followed this with another 5-0 win against Central Dauphin East the next day. 

They faced Cumberland Valley, Central Dauphin, and Lower Dauphin, winning all matches 4-1.

They continued their winning streak by defeating Palmyra 5-0 on March 26. Nealon and Poole played doubles and had a standout performance, winning both sets 6-0. 

After the match, Nealon described what contributed to the win. 

“Our double skills, so a lot of volleys, moving forward to the net, … serving, and then just a bit of communication with my teammate. This is one of my first times playing with Henry. It went well, [we] had a lot of fun out there,” Nealon said.

The team dominated Mechanicsburg 5-0 on March 31. The next day was senior night, where it swept Gettysburg 5-0, making their season record an undefeated 9-0.

“We’re playing better consistently, [the players have] positive attitudes, good work ethic, all that stuff is good,” head coach Jane Borden said.

Junior Evan Zhang credited the team’s success to Borden.

 “She’s great, … she’s been coaching for like 30-something years, so yeah, she has a lot of experience,” Zhang said.

However, the Little Lions met their match on April 8 when they traveled to Hershey and lost 3-2.

The team responded by winning its next three away matches. On April 9, it faced Chambersburg and won 4-1. Singles players Liu and sophomore Frank Hsu, along with the doubles pair Nealon and Poole, all had notable performances, each winning 6-0. 

On April 13, they swept Red Land 5-0, with the team of Zhang and sophomore Jude Cessna earning 6-0 wins in both sets. On April 16, they played Northern and won 4-1. Senior Will Liu earned a 6-0 win in singles.

“All the away games were super fun with the team,” Luke Cessna said. “We were definitely tested at times, and it was super cool to see the boys spring back and fight for the win.”

On April 17, the team played in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division match, its final home match of the season. The Little Lions faced Carlisle and ended the season with a dominant 5-0 win. Singles players Will Liu, Hsu, and Poole all won their sets 6-0. Doubles players Zhang and Nealon won 6-1, 6-1, and the brother duo Luke and Jude Cessna won 6-1, 6-0. The win brought the team’s final record to 13-1. 

But the Little Lions weren’t done. On Wednesday, April 22, Will Liu and Eric Liu competed in the District VI singles championship and finished first and second, respectively.

Luke Cessna described the accomplishment, “This past week, we had district singles, and one of our senior captains, Will Liu, got first place, and Eric Liu got second place, which was super cool to see.”

The team also competed in District VI doubles on April 28 at Altoona. Zhang and Jude Cessna won the quarterfinal match against Hollidaysburg’s second-ranked doubles team. In the semifinals, they had a challenging match against Altoona, but the boys persevered.

In the finals, the pair faced Hollidaysburg’s No. 1 team of Garrett Bouchard and Felix Xu. It was an intense match that ultimately resulted in Zhang and Jude Cessna’s loss. 

The Little Lions will look to extend their playoff run when they host Hollidaysburg on May 6 in the district championship.