Chase leads the way for boys
LAKE PLACID — The good news for the Lake Placid boys tennis team is that it could be starting off the season with a pretty solid trio of singles players.
But the Blue Bombers also take on their Champlain Valley Athletic Conference schedule concerned about numbers, and that situation became even tougher when a returning player suffered a season-ending injury before the team even played its first match.
With a broken collarbone sidelining eighth-grader Levi Groves this spring, Lake Placid starts the year off with just six eligible players, which is one shy of filling out a complete squad that includes three single spots and two doubles teams.
After competing in doubles in 2017, Groves was expected to return for his season of varsity tennis, and coach Tyler Chase had hoped to find one more student-athlete to eventually provide the team with a seventh player.
Coming back for his final year of Blue Bombers tennis, Sawyer Chase leads Lake Placid’s boys this season as the only senior on the squad. As a five-year varsity player, Chase returns with plenty of experience competing at No. 1 singles, and will look to end his high school career on a successful note that includes a winning record and a possible trip to the state tournament in Flushing. Meanwhile, Lake Placid’s five other players are young and range age from sophomores to eighth-graders.
Big news for Lake Placid’s boys is the addition of Sonja Toishi. Just a seventh-grader a year ago, Toishi was a member of the girls team and finished her first season of playing competitive tennis as the Section VII singles champion. Now an eighth-grader, Toishi is leaving the girls squad and will see how she stacks up against the CVAC’s boys field.
In the preseason, coach Tyler had Toishi penciled in as the team’s second singles player behind Sawyer Chase. Coach Chase said his son Sawyer is looking to go out on a successful note that includes a winning record and a possible trip to the state championship tournament.
“I’m excited to have Sonja playing with the boys this year,” coach Chase said. “I think she will certainly be challenged and should immediately see the difference in intensity of the game. I’m confident that she will rise to the occasion and be very competitive at the higher level.”
Coach Chase expects freshman Tucker Jakobe to play in the third singles position. Although he’s just a ninth-grader, Jakobe is an experienced returning player who started his competitive varsity tennis run as a seventh-grader. A year ago, he mainly played on the Blue Bombers’ top doubles team.
Camden Reiley is another team member returning with experience. This spring, the sophomore, who is in his fourth season with the Blue Bombers, could be playing either doubles or singles.
Chase said Jakobe and Reiley should take on big roles on the team as veterans who could be the Blue Bombers leaders in the future.
“Camden Reiley and Tucker Jakobe each show real improvement in their skills, and are looking to be competitive this year as they likely each will have some singles time,” Chase said. “It’s good to have an enthusiastic group of younger players boding well for the future.”
Ben Isabella and Tristan Spotts round out the Blue Bombers roster as players who are new to the game of tennis and will be looking to build their skills.