ZACH TEFFNER

TENNIS — LAKEVIEW

The biggest adjustment Lakeview High School tennis player Zach Teffner knew he needed to make before the start of his junior season was controlling his emotions on the court.

That turned out to be the difference between watching the state tennis tournament from the stands and earning an opportunity to compete in it.

“Normally, I’m in the bleachers watching,” Teffner said. “This time everyone was looking down, watching me.”

To get there, Teffner had to fight through a grueling hour-long third set in a Division II sectional championship against Anthony Ricciardi of Poland. Teffner won the first set 6-0. Ricciardi won the second set 6-0. It was Teffner’s mental toughness that, he felt, lifted him to a victory in the final set.

“That’s tough,” Teffner said. “When you play for that long, and if you don’t win, it’s really deflating.

“To win it, I was pretty relieved.”

Teffner accomplished a lot in his first season as the Bulldogs’ No. 1 singles player. He won 16 consecutive matches at one point — a streak he didn’t even realize until his coach told him — and earned his first trip to the state singles tournament.

“When I learned that I was going to be No. 1 singles, I didn’t really think about the level of play jumping up,” he said. “I knew it would, but I wasn’t expecting it to jump up as high as it did.”

That didn’t stop him from fighting through the sectional tournament and earning the fourth seed out in the Canton district.

His state tournament run didn’t last as long as he hoped, losing in the first round in straight sets, but that gives him something to shoot for as a senior.

“I was watching a lot of the other guys hit and everyone there was top notch,” Teffner said of his state tournament experience.

“My goal is to go back and win a match or two. It’s going to take a lot of hard work.”