Lineup leap lands Linn-Mar’s Ben Hediger, Lucas Huffman in state doubles

CEDAR RAPIDS – Last year, it was difficult to envision Ben Hediger and Lucas Huffman ever working as a doubles team for Linn-Mar.

Too many service-game errors. Not enough on-court chemistry.

But in a pivotal top-10 boys' tennis dual April 12, Linn-Mar boys' tennis coach Chris Wundram etched the sophomores atop his doubles lineup and there has been no looking back.

'They're mentally tougher,” Wundram said. 'Last year, they were a liability as far as doubles play. … This year, their mental game is there, which translates really well as far as the way they work together on the court. … The growth they've made in the past 10 months is something that, in my 10 years, it's been a while since I've seen something like that.”

Hediger and Huffman's surprising emergence continues in the Class 2A boys' tennis state tournament, which begins Friday at Veterans Memorial Tennis Center in Cedar Rapids.

'I think we have a solid chance to win state,” Hediger said. 'That's our goal this year.”

While the sophomore success may be equal parts growth, confidence and persistence, it would be difficult to exclude the impact of watching last year's senior-laden group win the team state championship.

'I knew I had to step up for this year's team because I knew we weren't going to be quite as strong at the top,” Huffman said. ”I felt like I had to improve my game to get to where I am today.”

While Huffman contributed at the bottom of the lineup for Linn-Mar's state-title team, Hediger played sparingly after being buried at ninth in the lineup.

'When I didn't make the starting lineup last year, it gave me a drive to want to get better and improve,” Hediger said. 'My goal was number one. I knew since a lot of seniors would be leaving, I had a solid chance to get up top.”

Graduation losses forced Linn-Mar to replace four of its top six. Through preseason challenge matches, Hediger made good on his goal and earned the top singles spot, while Huffman vaulted to second. Next in the Linn-Mar lineup is junior Shane Skvor, who will compete in the singles bracket Friday.

'Shane's a grinder,” Wundram said. 'He'll make you work for every point. Everybody in the state knows Shane. You're not going to get any easy balls from him. You're going to have to go out and need a whole bunch of winners to beat him. He's not fun to play against and he frustrates a lot of people and he's got some good wins.”

Iowa City West and Cedar Rapids Washington also qualified three players for Friday's state tournament.

West junior Jiung Jung will attempt to defend last year's singles state championship, while Cole Schneider and Jack Wenzel will compete in doubles.

Washington's Jackson Hoyt and Parker Muller are also in the doubles bracket, while Warriors freshman Rami Scheetz qualified in singles after a rousing district championship.

'I'm an underdog,” Scheetz said. 'So I'd just like to go out and fight my hardest and do what I can do as a freshman.”

Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Rami Hemaidan and Joe Hoff of Iowa City High round out the area singles field.

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