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Player of the Year Jackson Mason is Princeton’s first tennis player to win two or more matches at state · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Player of the Year. Jackson Mason is Princeton's first tennis
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  player to win two or more matches at State. Written
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  by Kevin Huronymus, this article is being read by an
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  automated voice brought to you by Everlett. Connie Lynn couldn't
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  have planned her retirement as the Princeton High School boys
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  tennis coach any better if she tried. She waited thirty
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  years to have a player accomplish what senior Jackson Mason
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  did this season. The PHS senior became the first Tiger
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  in Lynn's thirty years as coach to win two matches
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  at State. Then he added icing on his coach's retirement
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  cake by winning a third match in the state meet.
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  Mason placed third at sectional to reach state for the
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  second straight season, having reached last year in doubles. He
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  finished with an eighteen to five record for all of
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  his accomplishments, Mason is the twenty twenty six BCR Tennis
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  Player of the Year. I didn't plan it this way,
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  but it sure is a good way to go out,
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  Lynn said. Mason may have even surprised himself by his
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  accomplishment at State. The goal at the beginning of the
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  season was to get to State and singles. He said,
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  my goal at State was to compete with the kids.
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  I didn't think i'd win three matches there because I
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  don't think anyone else has done that at PHS in
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  thirty years. That was really cool. Mason had some extra
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  motivation at State playing for his dad, Patrick, who passed
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  away suddenly during his junior season of basketball. I know
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  my dad was watching me on Thursday and Friday, and
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  I know he would be extremely proud of me, he said.
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  The Tiger senior had to be at the top of
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  his game, both physically and mentally at State. He said
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  it took a lot of mental focus because we were
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  playing at a site Arlington Heights with airplanes flying every
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  five minutes. He said, it was pretty hot. And I
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  played a kid Newman's Joel Rhoades for my third match
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  that I lost to at the very beginning of the
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  season five seven, five seven, and I ended up beating
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  him in the tiebreaker ten eight. He lost his first
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  State match six zero six zero to wheat In Saint
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  Francis senior Ummer Bajwa, a number five eight seed who
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  finished fourth. He was very consistent, couldn't beat him. Mason said.
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  Mason got on a role in the consolation round, defeating
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  Saint Ignatius College preps Shivendev Nani six' two six,' four
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  rode six two four six ten Eight And Mount Zion's
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  ryan rutherford six, to zero. Six' one he met his
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  match in, his final round falling to Number Three, seed
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  roman stukoff A Senior, from vernon hills six. Zero six,
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  Zero serving aside mason thought he played his Best. Tennis
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  at state my serves were Real, good at sectionals but
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  they Lost, steam at state but it was good enough to,
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  win three. Matches he Said lynn said mason had a lot,
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  of natural ability but worked hard. On his game he.
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  Was never satisfied he always wanted. To do better lynn
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  Said Him and landon davis hit around every. Day at
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  practice they would work on certain aspects. Of the game
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  mason had an Usual, path to state not being able
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  to play a single match at home this season due
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  TO the. Deteriorating phs courts it was very weird considering
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  we only had four away meets last year and, fourteen home.
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  Ones he said we only played fourteen, meets this year
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  none of. Them at home it was just. A weird
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  season mason teamed up for a twenty five to Five
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  Record in state berth in doubles a year ago with
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  twenty Twenty Five. Senior asa garten he said he struggled
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  initially adjusting. TO playing solo i was LIKE smart because
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  i KNEW what shots i. Had to hit at the beginning,
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  of the season some of, them weren't dropping BUT over
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  time i got, Better at. It mason said mason said
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  his height six foot three and wingspan help him, on
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  the court but more so in doubles. Play THAN singles
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  when i did go up, TO the net i was
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  more of a threat to, the other. Guy he said
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  the best part of play Playing tennis for mason has
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  done nothing to do what happens, on the court but
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  rather on the way home. After the meet the best
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  part for me is on the bus riding home. With
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  the guys. It's always fun we bring a speaker and
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  just have, a good. TIME he said a year round
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  athlete playing basketball and Golf, For the tigers mason will
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  retire from sports and STUDY meteorology at ivcc before going
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  on to a. Four year school when asked if we
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  might SEE him on tv one day, doing the, weather he.
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  SAID you might i. JUST like weather i find. It
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  very fascinating