PRAIRIE VILLAGE — No, Isaiah Fawson didn’t win the 4A State Tennis Tournament over the weekend in Prairie Village, but playing on the sport’s biggest high school stage provides the Iola senior a memory that he will treasure forever.
“It will always be nice to know that back in high school, I was somewhat successful in tennis,” Fawson said with a laugh. “At least good enough to qualify for state if nothing else.”
If Fawson’s tennis career is “somewhat successful,” then that is a high bar for most to aspire to.
Fawson made tremendous improvements each season, in part thanks to 2016 graduate Colby Works — who came to support Fawson at his opening round of the state match — during his early years in the Mustang program. This season, Fawson assumed the mantle as the team’s No. 1 singles player.
Along with fellow-senior Rhett Allen, Fawson guided very young Mustangs’ squad with he and Allen being the only ones that had more than a year of tennis experience entering the year.
After falling one match short of qualifying for state last season, Fawson was able to get over the hump this season and finish fifth at last weekend’s regional tournament in Chanute.
“Being able to participate on the state level shows what he is capable of,” Iola coach Dan Berg said. “These are the best tennis players across the state, so to be one of those is a big thing.”
Although a pair of losses was not the state trip Fawson had hoped for, he still accomplished his top goal of finishing his Mustang athletic career in a state tournament.
“Of course I was hoping to get a win, but it was fun to come and nice that I qualified,” Fawson said. “I didn’t play very well today and my game was just off. It was a lot of fun to play with these guys though… It was a fun environment.”
Fawson lost his opening round match to Colby’s Drew Starbuck, 6-0 and 6-2, and fell in consolations to Smoky Valley’s Cole Brumbaugh, 9-3.
“I was really struggling to get my serve in and I ended up with very few first serves in,” Fawson said. “I also struggled just to make solid contact. I was just out of sync.”
With the end of the tennis season, Fawson and Allen are the first two Spring sports’ seniors to wrap up their careers.
For Fawson, that career not only included his state-level tennis skills, but all-league caliber abilities in basketball and being a key member of the Mustang cross country team that qualified for state.
MAKING MEMORIES: MAKING MEMORIES
