Lake Forest Focuses on Every Single Point at State

When it comes to this weekend’s boys state tennis tournament, has no visions of grandeur.

After all, half the Scouts’ state qualifiers have yet to complete their sophomore year.

But that doesn’t mean the Scouts don’t have high hopes when they take the courts Thursday, May 24, at various sites around the northwest suburbs. When action concludes Saturday at Hersey High School, they hope to have scrambled for enough points to let the usual suspects like Hinsdale Central, New Trier, Oak Park-River Forest and Stevenson know they will be a force to be reckoned with next year.

“If we all do well, I think we can finish in the top five,” said the Scouts’ No. 1 player, Peter Tarwid, a sophomore.

Lake Forest coach Corky Leighton agreed. “I think we have a solid chance at placing in the top 10 and realistically in the top five if the right pieces fall into place.”

Lake Forest already completed the first step in the process by qualifying the full complement of players (two singles and two doubles) in winning the Deerfield Sectional on May 19. Tarwid won the third-place battle, 6-3, 6-3, over classmate Scott Christian in singles, while junior Camron Bagheri and sophomore Connor O’Kelly disposed of seniors Ryan Kennedy and Will Martin by the same margin in doubles.

Stayin’ Alive, Stayin’ Alive

According to Leighton, the key to moving up in the state standings is simply winning matches.

“Not just in the winners’ bracket,” he said, “but we have to win as many points in the consolation bracket as well. If you fall into the consolation bracket early, you have to string together as many wins as possible because they all add up.”

The last time Leighton took his entire squad to the state meet, in 2009, the Scouts finished sixth.

Tarwid and Bagheri both qualified for the state meet in singles last year. Tarwid won three matches before being sent to the consolation bracket and wound up losing in the seventh round. After a loss in the second round, Bagheri was eliminated in his first consolation test.

This year, Christian has moved back to the No. 2 singles slot for the Scouts and Bagheri volunteered to play doubles.

“Scott was our No. 2 player until he got injured last year,” Leighton said. “Camron filled in and won two big matches. When Scott came back, we thought playing doubles would be less stressful for him and kept Camron in singles.”

Rising Star

Tarwid, ranked 97th nationally in Boys 16s, is a rising star. After playing his freshman year at 5-foot-9, he has grown 4 inches. He is adding more strength to his frame through running and working with free weights.

“I feel a lot stronger and I am building more into my game this year,” he said. “I feel more comfortable coming to the net, and I think I am doing a much better job of adjusting my game to different players. The ability to adjust from playing a serve and volley player to a baseline player is a big advantage.”

“Peter has the ability to have great days and not-so-great days,” Leighton added. “But even on his not-so-great days, he’s better than anyone else on our team. The great thing about his growth spurt is it came all at once and he’s been able to work on his strength since last fall. He still has a tendency to play a little too conservative for my taste, and I would like him to come to the net a little more, but he’s getting there. I think that’s where maturity and confidence come in.”

Because of his commitment to the USTA National Open in Norman, Okla., where he lost in the quarterfinals, Tarwid missed the North Suburban Conference Tournament as Lake Forest finished second to Stevenson. The Scout singles players all had to move up a notch for the tournament, and Tarwid believes he could have been a difference maker. However, his coach is not as convinced.

“Christian probably would have won No. 2 singles, but we still needed our doubles teams to come through,” Leighton said. “We won all three doubles matches against Stevenson in a dual meet, but we only won one of three in the tournament. Two of those doubles matches went to three sets.”

Coming of Age

The greatest asset Tarwid has going for him is his age. One of the youngest in his sophomore class, he has yet to reach his 16th birthday.

“That’s two summers he’ll have playing in national tournaments in Boys 16s,” Leighton said. “When Peter came in here as a freshman, he looked at the state champions’ plaque. Drew Eberly (2004) is our only singles champion and Peter wants to put his name on it.”

Tarwid and Christian already have a national title on their resumes, when they won the Boys 14s doubles crown in Elm Grove, Wis., two years ago. By the time he is finished with Boys 16s, Tarwid hopes to crack the top 20 nationally.

Aside from the youth, what really excites Leighton about this year’s Lake Forest tennis team is the camaraderie.

“From top to bottom, this is one of the best teams I’ve ever had in supporting each other,” the 12th-year head coach said. “You can’t always say that about teams, but it’s certainly true with this one.

“They all practice hard and push each other to get even better. And what’s really nice is we may have the strongest freshman class we’ve ever had and they are going to come in here next year and push these guys even harder. I can’t wait to see some of our challenges over the next couple of years.”

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