Cedar Rapids Washington hopes lineup rotation produces a boys’ tennis state title

ANKENY – Rusty Graff said it is the first time he has had three players so interchangeable.

Between junior Will Rizer and freshmen Rami Scheetz and Ty Sherman, the Cedar Rapids Washington boys' tennis coach instituted a season-long lineup rotation for spots three, four and five.

If a player was third in a meet lineup, he'd play fourth in the next one, and then fifth.

'I think that's been good because it's allowed them to get some confidence in certain numbers,” Graff said. 'And they get rewarded when we play some of the teams that maybe we'd be favored against where they might have a little stiffer competition. It's been good from my point of view to allow them to have opportunities to play lots of different players.”

The competition doesn't get any stiffer as the Warriors compete in the Class 2A boys' tennis team state semifinals Tuesday in Ankeny. Washington (13-1) is the second seed and will face West Des Moines Valley (14-1), while top-seeded Iowa City West (16-0) plays Waukee (13-1).

The winners will advance to the state championship, which will be held one hour after the last semifinal is completed.

Only the May 10 district meet provided Graff with enough data to set a firm lineup order for team substate. Scheetz earned the third spot in the lineup with an impressive singles district championship, then backed it up with a seventh-place finish in the individual state tournament.

'It's just really nice to be able to contribute to a team that is so well-rounded,” Scheetz said.

Sherman – another freshman and Scheetz's doubles partner – nearly joined Scheetz in the district final, which solidified his spot in the lineup at No. 4. Rizer and junior Ethan Wickham round out the order.

'It's worked out well because you get to see a wide variety of skill level, so you're prepared for anything once you get to this level,” Sherman said.

Senior Jackson Hoyt and junior Parker Muller have held a firm grip on the top two spots all season, and qualified for the individual state tournament as a doubles tandem. For Hoyt, Tuesday is the opportunity to close a decorated prep career with Washington's first state championship in 20 years.

'He's been the main contributor on a four-year team and he has a chance to do something very, very special,” Graff said. 'We've been fortunate to have him.”

Iowa City West enters Tuesday as the favorite to win its fourth state title in five years. The Trojans have reached the team state semifinals six years in a row.

'We know there's a lot of good teams out there and the target is on our back,” West Coach Mitch Gross said. 'It doesn't get any smaller. We're going to have to play our very, very best and that's the way it should be. You can't play poorly and expect to win a state championship. I think we'll be ready.”

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