(Photo by Eric Sturr)
By Jason Goorman
LocalSportsJournal.com
MIDLAND - The smaller the dog, the bigger the bite.
Mona Shores’ Reid Hackney showed just how big his bite is on October 22 at the opening day of the Division 2 tennis state finals.
Hackney entered into the No. 1 singles tournament as a No. 4 seed and showed he definitely belonged, and now he can boast a Final Four finish.
Though just a freshman and standing about 5-4, Hackney battled through an incredible season. He finished with a final season record of 31-1, and reached the Final Four by fighting through one of the longest matches witnessed by LocalSportsJournal.com.
Hackney defeated Berkley’s Evan Weber in a three-set tiebreaker, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3). The quarterfinal match started at 6:20 p.m. and concluded at 9:45 p.m. at the Greater Midland Tennis Center. That’s three hours and 25 minutes of tennis.
“Definitely the longest I’ve ever played,” said Hackney about his marathon quarterfinal match. “It’s a little bit of relief and joy I’d say because I don’t know if I was more excited I had won or to be done because I was pretty tired.”
Considering how Hackney was able to force the tiebreaker might indicate why he was so tired. He started the first set down 4-0, but was able to claw his way back to the 6-4 win. After losing the second set 4-6, he started the third set down 3-0.
“Middle set, he was under my skin a little bit, but he played a lot better that set because he had to,” said Hackney about his struggles in the middle set. “I should have tried to be more aggressive because in the end whoever was more aggressive was going to win. He came in with a little better mentality to start that set.”
But Hackney managed to fight his way back, one bite at a time. He eventually tied the score at 4-4 in the third set. But then fell behind 5-4 and faced a possible termination to his unblemished 30-0 record.
“It was not a great spot obviously,” said Hackney. “I really want to win, but just giving my best effort and doing good shots is all I can do and stay calm.”
Hackney did not flinch.
He was eventually able to take a 6-5 lead before Weber forced the tiebreaker.
In the tiebreaker, Hackney jumped out to a 2-0 lead and then built a 5-2 lead. With a 6-3 edge and room to spare, Hackney set up his match-winning point with a midrange serve and eventually got the winning point to finish the epic match.
“It’s just better to get the serve in because going for the ace puts a lot of pressure on the second serve,” said Hackney about his first serve on the match point. “I think just getting it in is definitely smarter, even though it might not be as flashy.”
Maybe what made Hackney’s win even more impressive was he battled through some severe muscle cramps. While both Hackney and Weber experienced similar problems, the Mona Shores freshman definitely had to battle the worst of it between the two competitors.
“I would say probably an 8 out of 10,” said Hackney about the scale of pain he experienced on the court with muscle cramps. “It is a little easier to take when you know he is struggling with it too, you both have similar situations.”
In the end, Hackney came out on top as the victor and advanced to the state semifinals with a 31-0 overall record.
In the October 23 match, he faced a familiar foe, Portage Central’s Sam Schumacker.
“We’ve been to a lot of tournaments together, team tournaments, we text a lot and play some games together, we’re definitely good friends I’d say,” said Hackney about facing a friend like Schumacker. “Just treat him like any other person with respect and sportsmanship, and then on the court, obviously he’s just a friend.”
Schumacker entered the semifinal match with an unblemished, 30-0 record. But records did not matter in a matchup like this.
“You try to take it one day at a time, but it definitely pops into your mind,” said Hackeny about making it to the Final Four. “Tomorrow you just gotta play to win. There’s endless possibilities.”
Hackney reached the quarterfinals by starting with a win over Traverse City Central’s Alex Lamphier on Day 1 of the October 22, 23 state finals. Hackney won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.
The freshman tennis star, who is the son of Charlie and Tracey Hackney of Norton Shores, finished his outstanding freshman season with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Schumacher, the eventual No. 1 singles state champion.
Hackney fell behind 3-0 to the junior in the first set, but battled back to win three of the next four games before Schumacher held on to take control.
“You just gotta believe,” Hackney said. “(Schumacher’s) a lot bigger and stronger, but I know I can hit with him. He’s a very good ground-stroker with a lot of power.”
Hackney jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second set before Schumacher rallied to close out the match.
“It’s been very long and tiring, but it’s been fun,” Hackney said. “I don’t want to say I’m glad it’s over, but it’ll be nice to rest and reset.”
LocalSportsJournal.com
MIDLAND - The smaller the dog, the bigger the bite.
Mona Shores’ Reid Hackney showed just how big his bite is on October 22 at the opening day of the Division 2 tennis state finals.
Hackney entered into the No. 1 singles tournament as a No. 4 seed and showed he definitely belonged, and now he can boast a Final Four finish.
Though just a freshman and standing about 5-4, Hackney battled through an incredible season. He finished with a final season record of 31-1, and reached the Final Four by fighting through one of the longest matches witnessed by LocalSportsJournal.com.
Hackney defeated Berkley’s Evan Weber in a three-set tiebreaker, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3). The quarterfinal match started at 6:20 p.m. and concluded at 9:45 p.m. at the Greater Midland Tennis Center. That’s three hours and 25 minutes of tennis.
“Definitely the longest I’ve ever played,” said Hackney about his marathon quarterfinal match. “It’s a little bit of relief and joy I’d say because I don’t know if I was more excited I had won or to be done because I was pretty tired.”
Considering how Hackney was able to force the tiebreaker might indicate why he was so tired. He started the first set down 4-0, but was able to claw his way back to the 6-4 win. After losing the second set 4-6, he started the third set down 3-0.
“Middle set, he was under my skin a little bit, but he played a lot better that set because he had to,” said Hackney about his struggles in the middle set. “I should have tried to be more aggressive because in the end whoever was more aggressive was going to win. He came in with a little better mentality to start that set.”
But Hackney managed to fight his way back, one bite at a time. He eventually tied the score at 4-4 in the third set. But then fell behind 5-4 and faced a possible termination to his unblemished 30-0 record.
“It was not a great spot obviously,” said Hackney. “I really want to win, but just giving my best effort and doing good shots is all I can do and stay calm.”
Hackney did not flinch.
He was eventually able to take a 6-5 lead before Weber forced the tiebreaker.
In the tiebreaker, Hackney jumped out to a 2-0 lead and then built a 5-2 lead. With a 6-3 edge and room to spare, Hackney set up his match-winning point with a midrange serve and eventually got the winning point to finish the epic match.
“It’s just better to get the serve in because going for the ace puts a lot of pressure on the second serve,” said Hackney about his first serve on the match point. “I think just getting it in is definitely smarter, even though it might not be as flashy.”
Maybe what made Hackney’s win even more impressive was he battled through some severe muscle cramps. While both Hackney and Weber experienced similar problems, the Mona Shores freshman definitely had to battle the worst of it between the two competitors.
“I would say probably an 8 out of 10,” said Hackney about the scale of pain he experienced on the court with muscle cramps. “It is a little easier to take when you know he is struggling with it too, you both have similar situations.”
In the end, Hackney came out on top as the victor and advanced to the state semifinals with a 31-0 overall record.
In the October 23 match, he faced a familiar foe, Portage Central’s Sam Schumacker.
“We’ve been to a lot of tournaments together, team tournaments, we text a lot and play some games together, we’re definitely good friends I’d say,” said Hackney about facing a friend like Schumacker. “Just treat him like any other person with respect and sportsmanship, and then on the court, obviously he’s just a friend.”
Schumacker entered the semifinal match with an unblemished, 30-0 record. But records did not matter in a matchup like this.
“You try to take it one day at a time, but it definitely pops into your mind,” said Hackeny about making it to the Final Four. “Tomorrow you just gotta play to win. There’s endless possibilities.”
Hackney reached the quarterfinals by starting with a win over Traverse City Central’s Alex Lamphier on Day 1 of the October 22, 23 state finals. Hackney won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.
The freshman tennis star, who is the son of Charlie and Tracey Hackney of Norton Shores, finished his outstanding freshman season with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Schumacher, the eventual No. 1 singles state champion.
Hackney fell behind 3-0 to the junior in the first set, but battled back to win three of the next four games before Schumacher held on to take control.
“You just gotta believe,” Hackney said. “(Schumacher’s) a lot bigger and stronger, but I know I can hit with him. He’s a very good ground-stroker with a lot of power.”
Hackney jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second set before Schumacher rallied to close out the match.
“It’s been very long and tiring, but it’s been fun,” Hackney said. “I don’t want to say I’m glad it’s over, but it’ll be nice to rest and reset.”
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