Topeka West tennis team returns experience for postseason run: 'We don’t take days off'

The Topeka West boys’ tennis returns all of its players from last season’s City and Regional title-winning team led by head coach Kurt Davids, who is in his 29th season with the Chargers.

“The Chargers return from last year’s City and Regional Championships, and are anxious to return to play,” said Davids. “Senior Gavin Chavez, a Kansas Wesleyan commit, will lead the Chargers as they try to defend their titles and improve on League and State finishes.”

Chavez and doubles partner Caden McGee took second last season in 5A Regional tennis before being knocked out of the state tournament following a loss in their first match.

“We didn’t medal last year, but we made it there, so I would like to medal at state,” said Chavez.

Chavez, who played two years of tennis in middle school, has represented the Chargers all four years of high school, making the varsity team as a freshman. He also previously played football at Topeka West.

“Back in seventh grade, I wanted to try something new, and I had heard good things about the tennis coach," Chavez said. "I thought, ‘okay there’s some potential here.’ Coach Davids is a great coach, so he made it easy to want to come back and play tennis.”

Following his state appearance last spring, Chavez made the decision to quit football to focus on improving his tennis game.

That included taking group lessons with five other teammates over the summer through Genesis, something Chavez said he believes upped their game as a team.

“I saw a huge amount of progress, not only in my game, but in the top six," he said. "We’ve all improved this season, and we all get along well together.

"We have good chemistry, whether we’re playing singles or doubles, and we have all top six returning," he said. "That’s our biggest strength right now.”

Chavez returns this year with a new doubles partner, junior Carter Cool, and said he hopes to see Topeka West tennis take home a state title this season. He believes their practice ethic is what will carry the Chargers through to state victory.

“We don’t take days off. Even when it rains, we have practice inside, and coach Davids always has a game plan for practice,” Chavez said.

Chavez approached coach Davids last fall to ask him if Davids thought he could play college tennis.

“He took it upon himself to start looking,” said Davids. “He has good grades and is a good person, and Kansas Wesleyan offered him a scholarship.”

“I had high expectations,” said Chavez about his decision to accept the offer. “I wanted somewhere I could fit in and feel at home. They made me feel like they wanted to get to know me.”

Chavez plans to study athletic training off the court, and has some parting wisdom for his teammates as he moves on.

“Since I’m the oldest, I want them to know that even though I’ll be gone next year, they’re going to progress, and I wish them the best of luck. They’ve been really good teammates and friends, and I’m really glad to make that connection with them the past couple of years.”

Along with Chavez, Cool, and McGee, returning varsity players include senior Brandon Hunninghake, twins and doubles partners Ian and Miles Cusick, juniors, and sophomores Joel Flores and James Maag.

Maag is the team’s current number one singles player, with Chavez and Cool and the Cusick brothers dominating doubles play. Ian and Miles took ninth at State last year and have already picked up third and first place finishes at Ark City and Goddard respectively this season.

“We’ve been playing a lot of teams west, which is where the majority of strength is in 5A,” said Davids. “In preparation for the state tournament, we’ve put our strength in doubles and hopefully, that will pay off at City and League as well.”

Topeka West came in second in League last season, only behind Manhattan, with Ian and Miles Cusick clinching the league doubles title with an 8-6 win over Emporia.

“One of the things we shoot for each year is to be at 500 or above. We keep 12 on Varsity, so we have kids that, on other squads, would be on JV, and we’re considerably above 500 so far,” said Davids.

Top newcomers to watch this season include senior Caydon Thompson, juniors Mason Rutledge and Josiah Bidwell, and Sophomore Caleb Weybrew.

“They are very competitive and really know how to push each other. If you’ve never seen high school tennis, you should come watch. It can be fast-paced, and these kids are good. It’s not what most people visualize.”

The Chargers will host the Topeka West Invitational on Tuesday this week at Kossover Tennis Center.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka West boys tennis team looks to make deeper run