5/23/19
For some high school tennis players in Pennsylvania, competing on the biggest stage in the state – The PIAA State Championships – may be intimidating.
For Sean Jaeger, it’s just like playing another match on another court.
Sure, the stakes are higher with only 16 players competing for the ultimate of prize of being crowned a state champion.
But for Emmaus’ sophomore phenom, the moment is never too big.
He’s used to playing in highly-competitive tournaments, not only in his home state but also down south in Florida and in the midwest in Texas.
Now, he’s hoping that experience. along with the one he had from playing in his first state tournament as a freshman a year ago, translates into bigger and better things as he makes his way out to the Hershey Racquet Club for the second time.
“I have more confidence going there this year than I did last year,” said Jaeger, the Hornets No.1 singles player. “It’s going to be tough playing the No.2 kid from the Philadelphia area, but I feel my serve has gotten a lot better and hopefully that makes a difference.”
Jaeger, the son of Chris and Randy Jaeger, has had little trouble getting through the competition locally as he went undefeated and breezed to his second straight District XI Class 3A Singles Championship back in late April with a straight set win over long-time friend Nazareth’s Gabe Knowles 6-0, 6-1. It marked the second consecutive year that the two had met in the final with the same result, Jaeger winning gold.
Now, the focus is the state tournament and a facing an all-too familiar opponent.
For the second consecutive year, Jaeger will face Unionville’s Tristan Bradley in an opening round match at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. Bradley defeated Jaeger in straight sets a year ago 6-2, 6-2 and is coming in off another strong senior season that saw him finish as the District One runner-up after falling to defending state champ junior Sameer Gangoli of Great Valley.
Gangoli, along with Bradley, Fox Chapel senior Robby Shymansky and Dallastown senior Holden Koons are all strong contenders to win the state title.
“When you get to Sean’s level, you now who the top guys are in the state and I’m sure he (Jaeger) has played a lot of them through other tournaments and the USTA (United State Tennis Associaton),” said Emmaus first year head coach Brian Bleam.
“With Sean having that experience of playing here last year underneath his belt, that should make him feel more comfortable. He knows the deal, so I think that will be a little less pressure on him.”
The tournament gets underway on Friday morning with eight first-round matchups followed by the quarterfinals later that day at 5 p.m. The semifinals are set for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday with the finals slated for 3 p.m.
Follow @Emmaussports.com on Twitter for updates throughout the tournament.
PIAA Class 3A Championships
District 11-1 SEAN JAEGER (EMMAUS) vs District 1-2 Tristan Bradley (Unionville)
Dist. 2-1 Tomas Reese (Del Val) vs Dist. 3-2 Ben Clary (Palmyra)
Dist. 7-1 Robby Shymansky (Fox Chapel) vs Dist. 3-3 Andreas Wingert (Hershey)
Dist. 8-1 Sachin Thiagarajan (Obama Academy) vs Dist. 1-3 Ethan Bradley (Unionville)
Dist. 12-1 David Mamalat (Northeast) vs Dist 7-2 David Missry (Allderdice)
Dist. 1-1 Sameer Gangoli (Great Valley) vs Dist. 6-1 Rami Alkhafaji (Hollidaysburg)
Dist. 10-1 Matt DeMarco (Cathedral Prep) vs Dist. 1-4 Brandon Caban (Upper Darby)
Dist. 3-1 Holden Koons (Dallastown) vs Dist. 7-3 Arjan Bedi (Sewickley Academy)