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Call it a three-peat.
For the third time in a row, the Vandebilt Catholic boys’ tennis team has won the LHSAA Division II State Tennis Championship.
The Terriers dominated the state tournament this week, which was held at UL-Monroe. They easily outlasted the competition throughout the event, accumulating 16.5 team points to outpace runner-up St. Michael, which had 10.
The Terriers also swept individual state titles with Mitchell Thomas winning the Singles Title and the team of Mason Melancon and Jacob Fournier bringing home the Doubles Title.
Vandebilt coach Jake Clements said he’s proud of his team’s accomplishments, adding that the Terriers have worked hard throughout the past several seasons to earn their place at the top.
“The student-athletes worked their tails off all season,” Clements said. “Being a defending champion, we know what it takes to be No. 1, and they were all willing to make that commitment at the beginning of the season with the state tournament in mind. We got the three-peat, and we’re so happy for our whole group.”
The Terriers prospered at the state tournament, playing easily some of their best tennis of the season at the time it mattered most.
For Thomas, the goal was to push deep into the single’s draw and find redemption. Last season, the Terriers standout fell in the Quarterfinals to St. Michael’s Jeremy Braud – a loss he looked to avenge all season.
The Vandebilt senior did exactly that, rolling through the bracket with relative ease to get into the finals against Ben Franklin standout Bowen Mince.
The match was close early, but Thomas’s dominance was on display in the late games, allowing him to score a 6-4, 6-2 victory to earn the individual title.
Thomas had also beaten Mince to win the Regional Title – a match that was played two weeks ago.
He said it was a feeling unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his high school career.
“It was a great feeling of pride to know that I was the champion,” Thomas said. “It was awesome. It’s something that I’d experienced before, because we’d won the team title the past few years. But to win an individual championship was just that much better.”
On the double’s side, the finals was also a rematch from Regionals, pitting Melancon and Fournier against teammates Conrad Richard and Connor Doyle.
The pairings were a bit dramatic, as Doyle and Melancon had won the previous two state titles for Vandebilt, but separated to give the team a greater depth of options in the bracket.
Melancon and Fournier won 6-1, 6-3, sealing Melancon’s third-career doubles championship.
Clements said the fact that both state finals were rematches from Regionals shows how battle-tested the Terriers are each season when they get to the LHSAA State Tournament.
The coach said that six of the eight semifinalists from the boys’ brackets were from Region 4 in which Vandebilt competes.
“The strength of our region plays a big part in our success at the State Tournament,” Clements said. “We definitely are battle tested and see some of the best in the state.”
But, of course, when you’ve won two state titles in a row, having a bulls-eye on your chest isn’t anything new, and that’s the trait that Clements admires most about his team – their ability to handle expectations and go beyond them.
The coach said that his players show up ready to work hard every, single day – regardless of the opponent that Vandebilt is about to face.
Clements added that the Terriers talk openly about expectations and everyone around the state’s desire to knock them off their perch.
But the hunger to stay on top drives the team, and has allowed them to continue winning trophies.
“This team has consistent preparation,” Clements said. “It focuses on a common goal, and they all have a desire to get better every day. We’re aware of that bulls-eye that we have on us, but we’re motivated to represent Vandebilt Catholic in such a way that makes the community proud. We have a great relationship between all the teams in our region and division.
“Their admiration for our program is motivating and confirmation that we are conducting ourselves the right way.”
So for the Terriers, the goal is already on the future.
Clements said that with three-straight titles in the bag, the team’s underclassmen are already plotting how they can work over the summer to get a fourth.
Winning is contagious, according to sports philosophers.
And Clements said that philosophy is playing out in his locker room right before his eyes.
“We have new seniors each year, and those guys don’t want it to be their class that ends our streak,” Clements said. “Every year is different, but we hold the kids accountable for themselves and each other, and they’re coachable. They always seem to respond well.”
