Men's Tennis nets program's 22nd State Championship

It's printed on a wall in the Marnie Davis Kennedy Tennis Center.

"We are never out of the fight."

It's more than just words on a wall, though. It's a mentality ingrained in the players and coaches of the Heritage Hall tennis program. This year's boys team personified the program mantra like no other Charger tennis squad in recent history.

As expected, The Hall cruised their way into the semifinal round.

In the semis, Harry Zeiders (1-Singles) and Larsen Van Horn (2-Singles) each won to advance to the final in their division. The 1-Doubles tandem of Owen Fellrath and Emerson Ritenour dropped a tough match and would play in the third place match. The 2-Doubles team of Gray Ferguson and McLoud Buergler advanced to the final as well.

Van Horn's semifinal win was particularly important as it knocked his Cascia Hall opponent into a consolation game. The Chargers were neck-and-neck with the Commandos heading into the semifinal round.

However, in the next round, Zeiders lost his first set to Cascia Hall. Van Horn and 2-Doubles were clinging to close leads early in their finals matches. Then, the back injury that sidelined Ferguson much of the regular season resurfaced. The 2-Doubles duo was forced to default on injury and settled for 2nd place. Between sets, Zeiders received treatment from Athletic Trainer Mallery Gannaway for cramping and continued to use the TheraGun to loosen up.

With momentum starting to trend downward, and things beginning to look bleak, the Chargers dug deep.

Head coach Michael Bischoff reflected, "At the team dinner before State, Harry read our team mantra out loud to reinforce it one more time. When Gray went down and Harry lost the first set, we thought that might be it. The guys kept fighting though."

The Chargers were spread out across the expansive OKC Tennis Center, so Bischoff was running back and forth from court to court, coaching his players. The coach credits them each with staying mentally tough and powering through hurdles as the day wore on.

"Everyone stayed true to the mission and kept battling. In the end, our fight paid off."

Zeiders was able to win a close second set to even his match, as both competitors dealt with cramps.

Van Horn secured the title at 2-Singles and the momentum swung back in favor of The Hall.

"Beating Cascia in the semis was a really important win because it gave me motivation and courage going into the finals. My win ultimately helped our team secure the State Championship. This will be one of my favorite memories playing tennis," said Van Horn.

Zeiders' cramps all but disappeared and he cruised to a third set win to lock up the 1-Singles championship. Fellrath and Ritenour won their consolation match against Crossings.

At that moment, the Chargers knew they'd captured at least a share of the Class 5A State Championship with Cascia Hall.

In the 2-Singles consolation final that was still being played, the Altus Bulldogs finally bested the Commandos and the Chargers ran wild throughout the OKC Tennis Center celebrating an outright team State Championship!

The 2022 Class 5A title was the men's program's 22nd in history – six more than any other school in the state!

With only Zeiders graduating this year, it's safe to say that more championships could be on the horizon for Charger Men's Tennis.

After all, they're "never out of the fight."

Written by Luke Steelman '93
Photos by Jenny Ferguson '96

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