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Sports

Varsity LHS Tennis Team Brings Home its Third Straight Championship

Rare three-peat is stepping stone as coach Chris Johnson and his team work to win four in a row, an accomplishment that hasn't never been done at Lakewood High School.

We recently caught up with varsity coach Chris Johnson, who just led his varsity tennis team to its third straight Northern Ohio Conference Lake Division championship. 

Given this feat, Johnson was named Coach of the Year, for the third year in  a row, and one of his star players, Jimmy Matthieson, junior, picked up the division’s MVP award. 

Q: What kind of standout contributions did Mathieson lend to the team this season that enabled him to win this award? 

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A: Our two-time conference MVP Alex Mihas was out most of the year with a hurt shoulder. Jimmy stepped up as a team leader and was able to raise his game to the next level. He could always be counted on to give a consistent performance. He went unbeaten in conference play and is 14-4 overall on the year. 

Q: I see here you were named Lake Division Coach of the Year. Given the championships, it’s not hard to see why. What does it take from a coach to lead his team to a 3-peat? 

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A: We schedule highly competitive teams in the nonconference portion of our schedule to prepare us for success once our league matches begin. We also added off season training opportunities to help players improve through year-long play. I found it important to attract as many people as possible to our program to foster competition and camaraderie. We had a record 24 guys on the team this year, which is amazing since only seven start. When everyone is having fun and learning the game, you are bound to develop some good players. 

Q: And what about your team? What kind of skill are they showing you on the court? What's the camaraderie like? 

A: Everyone has a great time because we foster a love for the game in a low pressure environment. We have top level players all the way down to beginners and everyone practices together. They learn from each other and support each other. You can see the improvement from match to match. 

Q: If you could, please just list a few teams you beat out to win this championship. Did you face off against any particularly good teams or rivals? 

A: We beat Normandy, Garfield Heights, Elyria and Brush to win our division. We also had quality wins against North Royalton, Berea and Midpark. 

Q: What are your goals for next season? 

A: To keep our roster at or above 20 guys and to win our league for the fourth consecutive year. Since this will be the last year before we move to the West Shore League, we want to make sure we win more division titles than any other sport at Lakewood.

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