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Senior determined title won't elude him again
By TERRY JONES CROSS CREEK -- Wharton senior Greg Fischer has never lost a regular season tennis match. But he has never won a district title either. Nor has his team. It had the talent last year but the team wasn't mentally prepared, said coach Marcie Scholl. In other words, the Wildcats choked. Now Fisher, 17, and his teammates are working hard to make this season their best. "You just can't dwell on the past and you certainly can't always predict the future," Fischer said. "All the guys on the Wharton team are working hard to prevent another district tournament choke. Tennis is very important to all of us and we are working hard individually and as a team to be both physically and mentally prepared to give districts our best." As a freshman, Fischer was a backup player on the King team that won districts and went on to place eighth in the state. He played only five matches that first high school season and won them all. Fischer and the Wildcats are undefeated so far this season, with 8-0 records. They would like the streak to hold straight through districts. "Everyone choked at the districts last year and although it is not a frequent topic of conversation, everyone wants to win districts this season and make it to state," Scholl said. "Greg sets a good work ethic example for his teammates." Fischer and co-captains Bobby LeFevre and Neil Allman push their teammates to excel with after-practice matches against each other. "Our skills on the court seem to show in our 8-0 record but lack of skills didn't lose the last two districts for us. We were not mentally prepared," Fischer said earlier this month. "We need to be more mentally aggressive this year." Fischer, who lives in Cross Creek, plays the No. 4 position for the Wildcats. He played No. 2 as a sophomore and No. 3 last year. Scholl says he has improved every year. "Greg is very fast on the court and has a quickness that helps him win most of the close points," she said. Fischer has been contacted by several smaller colleges who want him to play for them. However, he wants to play Division I or not at all in college. Because of his academic excellence -- a 3.8 GPA with honors courses -- he has a number of other opportunities. He has Florida Scholars and other financial programs available and has decided to attend the University of South Florida. "They have such a great tennis program at USF, walking on is probably not realistic," he said. "So this is my final year of competitive tennis."
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From the Times |
