SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The Lincoln boys tennis team entered the class ‘AA’ state tournament, having won eight straight state championships.
“Nine is an incredible number,” Lincoln head coach Tom Krueger said.
Nine state championships that is, and the feeling…
“Never gets old. Never ever. We love it. It means everything to me,” said Lincoln junior Rocky McKenzie.
The last decade has been dominated by Lincoln, who has now won every state championship since 2014.
“I mean, to think of the number of kids that you’ve had to get to nine in a row is just an incredible thing. So it’s special. It’s something that hasn’t been done in high school, South Dakota high school tennis anyway,” coach Krueger said.
The flight 1 doubles match wasn’t played, due to an injury, turning all eyes to the flight 2 duo of Arthur Tao and River McKenzie.
“Well, it was really exciting. We got the chair. Obviously, a lot of people were watching us, we were on the big court, the show court. It was some really great energy. We stepped up to it, River and I we loved it. We love fighting, we love competing and fortunately, it turned out well for us,” Lincoln junior Arthur Tao said.
“I would say that our energy was really good throughout the whole match, and it never left. Even when they started coming back. We made sure that we still had all that same energy, and it just kept on working,” Lincoln freshman River McKenzie said.
Lincoln’s attention now turns to next season, where they’ll return plenty of talent seeking their 10th straight state title.
“For me, it’s just not to screw them up. They’re doing so well on their own and they’re successful besides their high school career, that we just try and keep them on a steady keel and stay focused in each match and just keep things going the way they are,” coach Krueger said.
The Patriots finished the year with a perfect 20-0 record, where they won 171 of 180 flight matches.
