A Tom Harris column: Promise fulfilled

TOM HARRIS
Star Beacon

June 23, 2009 01:41 am

— “He’s got a wonderful desire to compete. I saw that when he was in the seventh grade,” Lakeside tennis coach Bob Walters said of Jake Kerosky.
Five years later, as a senior at Lakeside this spring, Kerosky was every bit as tenacious, just as unwilling to concede defeat, still ready to do battle on the tennis court, regardless of the score. The son of Nick and Joan Kerosky was often behind early in his matches, but until his opponent secured match point, it was always too early to count the Dragons’ No. 1 out.
“Jake is a unique competitor,” Walters said. “Whether he was winning or losing, healthy or sick, you could never tell by just watching him play. He just has great consistency on the court.”
Undaunted when down, Kerosky overcame the early disadvantage on several occasions to help lead the Dragons to a 10-8 (6-4 Premier Athletic Conference) record, while compiling a 17-7 mark at first singles and earning a berth in the Division I district tournament. Kerosky’s season didn’t end until Maxi Mullaly of Shaker Heights beat him, 6-0, 6-4, in the district tournament. Kerosky would have qualified for the Division I state tournament with a victory in that match.
In recognition of his impressive performance this season, Kerosky has been named the 2009 Star Beacon Ashtabula County Player of the Year.
Kerosky has a tremendous ability, according to Walters, to thwart his opponents by sizing up their strengths and weaknesses, and finding effective strategies to attack them. He is willing to spot his opponent a couple games, even the first set at times, while he determines the best way to counter.
“For the most part, I don’t care if I get down 0-3 or 0-4 in first set” Kerosky said. “When it happens, I just have to ignore it and figure out ways to start winning. I’m always working on ways to beat my opponent. Especially if he’s only got one or two shots, I can figure out what I’ll be able to do against him. For instance, if he’s strong against drop shots, I’ll start trying to give him more high shots.”
Coaches can’t do a lot of coaching during a tennis match, but the time Walters and Kerosky have between sets is well spent.
“Jake has the ability to come up with strategies,” Walters said. “And he is very coachable. During changeovers we talk about the things Jake might do, and he is able to go out and implement them.”
Kerosky enjoys breaking down his opponent’s game in order to determine which of his weapons will be most effective.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “You can’t do all the same things all the time. You’ve got to have different strategies and be able to change what you’re doing. It makes it a more unique game.”
His ability to overcome an early deficit was nowhere more apparent than in tournament play. At the Brush sectional tournament, in the match for the second seed, Kerosky defeated Alex Denesis of Revere, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4. The next week at the Oberlin district tournament, Kerosky dropped the first set of his first-round match with James Oliver of St. Ignatius but came back to win, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.
In the second round of the district tournament, Kerosky lost to Ethan Dunbar of Cloverleaf, 6-0, 6-1, in what he said was “my toughest match of the year.” The longer the season goes on, the harder that final loss becomes. Kerosky began district play knowing he had a reasonable shot at getting to the state tournament.
“I had a good draw at district,” Kerosky said. “I probably had a state draw. But for some reason, my confidence was low in the final match with Mullaly.”
Kerosky began getting serious about tennis when he was in the seventh grade. He wasn’t unfamiliar with the game before that; his older brother, Zack, was a standout performer at Lakeside.
“I was always interested in playing tennis,” Kerosky said. “But before junior high, I just hit the ball around.
“My first coach, I guess, was Mr. Walters. There were other coaches along the way in Cleveland and Erie, but Mr. Walters has worked with me the whole time. He’s taught me a lot of life lessons and helped me become a better person.”
“I think Jake probably got interested in the game because of his parents,” Walters said. “They both love the game.. And, of course Zack played tennis. Jake never complained; he always had that desire to compete.”
This season, Kerosky was the Dragons’ captain. It was a role he enjoyed.
“It was a good year,” he said. “Maybe your favorite year is always your senior year, but I was in charge of the practices and ran the drills. It’s a tradition thing, and I remember how I looked up to Steve Shenault when he was captain.”
Kerosky gave his teammates much to respect beyond his play in matches. When something needed done, Kerosky was there to do it.
“He always led by example,” Walters said. “Whether it was running or picking up equipment, Jake led by example. I’ve heard that LeBron James is a very coachable player. And it makes a big difference when your top dog is so respectful and responsive to coaching. Everybody else seems to follow. You like to have athletes that do the things expected of them.”
Though it ended in disappointment, the 2009 season was a memorable one for Kerosky.
“The team was great,” he said. “We were all friends, and we had a lot of fun together. Hutch Dannels came up to the district tournament to support me. That was really good, because he had to drive three hours to get there. And I got seven text messages from my teammates asking how I did.”
Despite having to occasionally scramble to win a match, Kerosky says playing the game is relaxing.
“Before the match, I’m a nervous wreck,” he said. “But once I get on the court, peace and quiet come over me. I’m able to relax completely and work on getting the first serve in.
“I try to be that way in everything, but it’s easier with tennis. But no matter what I’m doing, I don’t give up. I get things done.”
In the fall, Kerosky will enroll at Ohio Wesleyan and play collegiate tennis for the Battling Bishops. He was as methodical in his approach to selecting a college as he is in discovering the tendencies of his tennis opponents.
“I made a chart of the three schools I was considering,” Kerosky said. “And I rated them in terms of academics, tennis and other areas that are important to me. Ohio Wesleyan got the highest score.”
Before he sets out for Delaware, Ohio, however, Kerosky and his parents will make a trip to Tanzania to visit Jake’s older brother, Thad, who is in the Peace Corps. They will fly first to Kenya and then go on the Tanzania for a 20-day visit.
“Because of my age, I only had to get shots for yellow fever and typhoid,” Kerosky said. “But my parents had to get five shots each.”
But this spring was about tennis. And tennis for Kerosky is something more than a game.
“Tennis is part of my life,” he said. “It’s something I can always turn to. It always provides excitement.”

Harris is a freelance writer from Ashtabula Township. Reach him at tharris508@yahoo.com.

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