Metamora – The 2021 tennis season will forever be remembered as the year in which Metamora finally broke through and captured its first IHSA state tennis trophy in school history! The previous year had caused much pain, as MTHS was poised to have an exceptional team in 2020. Those hopes were dashed by the cancellation of the 2020 season, so that the '21 Redbirds entered the spring with even more determination than normal. Here are some season highlights:

• Metamora finished with a final record of 24-2, winning every dual match against Class 1A competition. This gave MTHS a cumulative record of 104-7 over the past five years.

• The Redbirds were 6-0 in the Mid-Illini Conference and won the conference tournament, competing a Mid-Illini championship for the first time since 2015.

•  The Redbirds were the champions of the Red & White Invite, the Glenwood Quad, the Ottawa Invite, the Metamora Quad, the Mid-Illini Tournament, and the IHSA Sectional. MTHS finished 3rd of 143 schools at the IHSA State Tournament, capturing a trophy for the first time ever.

• At the conference tournament, Brian Lelm was the champion at #1 singles, and Harry Hawbaker clinched the #2 singles crown. Bryton Short and Keagan Nevitt were the league's #1 doubles champs, and Ryan Lowe and Alexander Schroff placed 2nd at #2 doubles. As of the end of 2021, Metamora entries in the league tournament have now played in a ridiculous 45 of the last 52 finals.

• At the Ottawa Sectional, Metamora scored 35 of a possible 36 points for the third straight year and qualified all six players for the state meet.  Bryton Short only dropped three games in the entire tournament, capturing the singles title. Alexander Schroff was third in singles, losing a marathon semifinal match for Metamora's only defeat of the sectional. Brian Lelm and Harry Hawbaker tore through the doubles draw, dropping only a single game while winning 48. They defeated teammates Griffin Hammond and Keagan Nevitt in the finals, a duo that had only dropped three games in their run to the finals.  It was the 15th consecutive year that Metamora had at least one doubles team in the sectional championship match. 

• At the state meet, Lelm and Hawbaker had a glorious run all the way to the state championship match. They concluded their season 2nd in the state with a final record of 30-1. Hammond and Nevitt, after drawing a match against the #1 seed in the first round, won three big matches in the back draw and finished 17th-24th, earning third team all-state. Bryton Short also won three big matches in singles, finishing 17th-24th, giving MTHS five all-state performers.

Individually, the season was spectacular.  There were so many individual achievements; here are a few:

• Brian Lelm, Harry Hawbaker, and Bryton Short anchored the top half of Metamora's lineup in 2021. Lelm (49-4 overall), Hawbaker (49-6), and Short (44-10) were extremely difficult for opponents to defeat, as they all built incredible overall records despite Metamora's challenging schedule.

• Keagan Nevitt (40-12 overall), Griffin Hammond (31-8), Alexander Schroff (29-5), and Ryan Lowe (23-8) anchored the second half of Metamora's lineup and gave the Redbirds great depth throughout the roster.

The 2021 Redbird tennis team waited nearly two years to show off all of the hard work they had put in on the courts. The two seniors from 2020 (Ethan Greenfield and Joey Shallat), who had missed out on their senior season of tennis, were part of the '21 team, as their initials graced Metamora's uniform sleeves, a symbolic gesture intended to bring those two along for the ride.

All of the moments from the 2021 season were special. The Memorial Day doubles extravaganza was unique. The difficult schedule was memorable. The conference and sectional titles were terrific. But the moment MTHS clinched the state trophy is one that will forever be remembered by this coach and the players who experienced it. It has been a long journey to get to that point, and arriving there was never guaranteed. I am so very proud that this team was able to ride the bus home to a firetruck welcome with a giant IHSA trophy. The memory will live forever.