Sophomore Kian Groen waiting for the serve during the JV team practice.

Experience and determination are the main sources of success for the Air Academy High School (AAHS) boys tennis team this year. The AAHS boys tennis team currently holds a 4-3 overall record and a 1-0 record in league play. Led by seniors, Noah Hellem and Dante Ross-Johnson, the AAHS tennis team is heading to the end of their season on a high note.

 “Honestly the things I want to achieve for the tennis season goes beyond this season, but one thing I want to achieve is to make it far in regionals,” Ross-Johnson said. 

 Dante currently holds a 1-0 record in 2 doubles with fellow senior James Streeter. He also holds a 2-6 record in 3 doubles with sophomore Parker Lee, and a 3-1 record in 4 doubles with sophomore Zack Fassman.

Hellem is the leading scorer on the tennis team, and he didn’t just achieve this overnight. This became possible due to his hard work and help from his brother, Ben Hellem, who was a former tennis player at Air Academy. 

“I’ve become more competitive against [my brother], which has helped me in my game and my connection with him has helped in my game and connection with him made me enjoy the sport a lot more,” Hellem stated. 

Noah currently holds a 2-0 record in 2 singles and 13-6 record in 3 singles, and an overall record of 15-6. With 2-3 weeks left of his senior season, Noah is looking to keep up his determination and hard work to make some noise at the Class 5A State Championships on October 12-14th.

Not only are Ross-Johnson and Hellem dominating on the court, they are having a positive impact on the younger guys in the boys tennis program. 

“They have been great! When I swing up they are nice and include me. They aren’t as shy as the underclassmen,” sophomore Kian Groen expressed.

Groen has a 4-3 record overall on the JV team and looks to keep up his momentum before the season ends. The knowledge Kian has gained from the seniors and upperclassmen will help in the future. This will also help keep up the great tradition that the AAHS boys tennis team has established.

With about 2-3 weeks left of the season, the tennis team has high expectations that they would like to fulfill. They have a few more opportunities to prepare for the state tournament with their last remaining three tournaments of the season. The program out of 141 matches currently holds a record of 85-56. Which comes out at an impressive 61 percent win rate. In the Pueblo South invite, they placed 7th out of 15 in the tournament.

AAHS has a very good boys soccer team and football team, but the boys tennis team this season has showed that they are just as talented.  The AAHS boys tennis team this season has shown why they deserve the same amount of attention as other fall sports.