Senior Peter Mourad, One Singles (Photo credit: Megan Boughton)

Boys Varsity tennis has kicked off the school year for Chelsea High School with a nearly undefeated season. After playing a combination of private to D1 schools, their overall record is 18-2, with their only losses being against Pioneer and Bloomfield Hills.

On Thursday, September 29, the boys took a victory against D1 school Ann Arbor Huron, with the team ending with five flight wins and only three losses. 

Ending the week with Saturday matches, the boys took yet another win in the Trenton Honor and Glory tournament with zero losses among the eight flights. 

Although the scores reflect a successful season, they aren’t the only thing declaring the 2022 varsity tennis season a victory: the players themselves highlight this season as a successful one. 

“We lost seven seniors so a lot of us didn’t think we were going to do as well as we are now,” varsity member Peter Mourad (’23) said. “But last year we were ranked fourth in the state during the season and we’re ranked fourth in the state right now. I think everybody’s been doing great and working hard.”

Though the boys had to deal with the setback of losing a good portion of their team due to graduation, they’ve brought in new players and have continued to put in hard work to keep them at the level they were at last year, if not better. However, losing seniors hasn’t been their only challenge. 

“Coach Rahn tells us not to be intimidated by anybody,” Mourad said. “We have to have the mentality that we’re good enough. He also always tells us they might be better tennis players, but we’re better athletes. We just play to our strengths.”

Throughout the season, the boys have had the opportunity to play larger D1 teams as well as private schools like Cranbrook, Greenhills, and Country Day. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, this means they go up against teams with plenty of extra players to choose from. Even though some may see this as a disadvantage, the team doesn’t let it intimidate them. They remain confident in their abilities, using their athleticism to their advantage, and making sure to have a strong mentality whether they’re up against a weaker or strong team; keeping their heads held up high allows them to keep pushing against these more difficult opponents.

“I think we can break records this year,” Mourad said. “We can do super well.”

Reflecting on how the season has looked up to this point, Mourad can confidently say he expects the team to go even further. Seeing how the team has composed itself against both challenging and weak opponents it’s easy to picture the team breaking records and setting the bar high for the seasons to follow. 

Overall, the 2022 Boys Varsity Team has had an accomplished season that only looks to get better. They’ve competed well against major schools known for their tennis programs and have been putting in the work necessary to continue their fight up to the regional competition.