GCHS boys tennis is currently 12-6. As a team they are undefeated in the NLCC Conference. Varsity coach Chuck Lawson is confident that his team will be able to pull off a very successful season. Team captain Alexander Helvie strives to be the best he can be for his team and helps everyone be the best that they can be. Two new underclassmen players that are on varsity this year are Ty Diaz and Marcus Hansis.

There’s a lot of competition at the conference. Lawson said, “If I had to pick one school that I would be most concerned about, it would be North. And the main reason I would say that is because they have numbers that are comparable to our numbers, we have pretty good numbers and North is the same, basically the same numbers as we do.” Since then, the Rams beat Grayslake North in a dual match 4-3 on April 29. 

Helvie, the team captain, has been in the sport all four years of high school and is very dedicated to the sport.  Helvie explains, “It took a lot of work and being respectful to the coaches and my peers. And I just am very dedicated to the sport.” 

Coach Lawson chose Helvie to be the captain, stating that “Xander is very very committed to tennis. He’s been that [dedicated] obviously for four years. And he’s always the type of kid that tries to help the other kids. He is respected by the other kids. And I think they would listen to him, and try to do what he would like them to do. And he’s just a really good kid, which the other kids respect. And so that to me is what makes a good captain.”

New to the team this year are sophomores, Ty Diaz and Marcus Hansis. As sophomores playing on varsity, Diaz and Hansis are improving day in and day out, Lawson said. 

“Ty and Marcus are playing their first high school matches this year, and [they] are doing very well. So I’m really excited about that. And all the kids are doing very well. And, you know, we’re progressing and getting better every day. So that’s all good,” said Lawson.

According to Diaz,  “Varsity is surprisingly fun as an underclassman. Of course, there is the pressure to perform well to not let my team down, but my teammates are all good motivators who help me learn from bad experiences and not get stuck on them.”  

To conclude the regular season on May 28 at Lakes, varsity boys tennis will compete in the NLCC conference tournament, which the boy’s tennis team is really excited about since the team did not have a season last year with the lockdown caused by COVID. From here, the team will compete in sectionals and strive to qualify for the state tournament in June. 

According to Hansis, “It has been a great experience so far with many learning experiences that have helped me improve as a player. Overall I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”