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Members of the 2022 All-Area Boys Tennis Team. (Pictured from left to right) First row: Will Dillow, Bryson Hill, Chase Kendrick, Ryder Riggs, Jacob Campbell, Cam Brown, Blake Maynard. Back row: Drew Brown, Alden Johnson, Reggie Bechtel, Dylan Amos, S.J. Lycans, Michael Eastham. Absent from photo: Gunner Cassity, Seth Derscha, Chris Gray, Luke Johnson, Brayden Pickle, Ethan Sellars, Hilai Sofyan, Parker Whitlock.

Ashland’s Alden Johnson prepares to hit a backhand during the boys singles final at the 16th Region Tournament on May 18 at the Ashland Tennis Center.

Members of the 2022 All-Area Boys Tennis Team. (Pictured from left to right) First row: Will Dillow, Bryson Hill, Chase Kendrick, Ryder Riggs, Jacob Campbell, Cam Brown, Blake Maynard. Back row: Drew Brown, Alden Johnson, Reggie Bechtel, Dylan Amos, S.J. Lycans, Michael Eastham. Absent from photo: Gunner Cassity, Seth Derscha, Chris Gray, Luke Johnson, Brayden Pickle, Ethan Sellars, Hilai Sofyan, Parker Whitlock.

Ashland’s Alden Johnson prepares to hit a backhand during the boys singles final at the 16th Region Tournament on May 18 at the Ashland Tennis Center.

ASHLAND Alden Johnson has plenty of goals that he wants to achieve on the tennis court.

The Ashland sophomore moved one step further to claiming his ultimate goal after extending his season one more match than the previous year at the state tournament.

Johnson was one of the final eight competitors still playing on June 1 when he advanced to the state quarterfinals in Lexington. He won his first two contests comfortably then ousted seeded player Dylan Muster of Owensboro in straight sets.

Johnson entered the state tournament with a strategy, and it was one that he fulfilled.

“I definitely want consistency,” Johnson said. “I want to see how many balls in a row past I can get past the service T. I need to work on my depth because if you give too many short balls, they will punish it once you get to that (higher) level.

“I need to convert break points at State,” he added. “I had 17 (in 2021) and I didn’t win any of them. I want to focus more on the big moments.”

Johnson held a first-set lead against No. 3 seed Eli Wood before the North Oldham senior started to pull away in the quarterfinals.

After a successful region tournament title defense and state tournament run, Johnson repeated as The Daily Independent All-Area Player of the Year.

Johnson recorded the deciding point in the team competition at the 16th Region Tournament when he defeated Russell’s Michael Eastham in the final match.

Johnson doesn’t mind the bigger spotlight.

“It’s an honor,” Johnson said. “It is nice for younger kids to look up to me. I need to be a good role model for them. When I have that spotlight on me, I feel that is one of the biggest parts of it.

“It means a lot to me. I want my team to have a bunch of success.”

Coach Eddie Sizemore said Johnson sets the tone for the rest of the team with his work ethic and desire to win.

“He wants to be as good as he can be,” Sizemore said. “He’s the one who is inside right now after the All-Area photo shoot and is going to serve, hit on the ball machine and do drills. He wants to play Division I tennis, so he’s got to put the work in.”

Sizemore was having back issues during the photo shoot, and he said it was from riding roller coasters on the Ashland senior trip.

The tennis team did not have to endure a roller-coaster season. It was their opponents who had to navigate the twists and turns as Ashland won its 17th region tournament title in the last 21 seasons.

Sizemore, who was awarded Coach of the Year honors, feels the culture of Ashland athletics trickles down to all its sports programs.

“We have that mindset overall,” Sizemore said. “It’s just the culture. It’s a great environment to be a part of here. We’ve got great coaches and great talent. It’s a fun place to be right now.

“They appreciate the history of what we’ve had before,” he added about the tennis program. “They don’t want to be the ones to not continue it. They do take a lot of pride in it.”

After achieving such success, it comes with expectations.

“In some years, we are just happy to get (to State),” Sizemore said. “Now, we are in a spot where the real season starts (at State).”

Ashland placed six players on the All-Area team. Ethan Sellars increased his region championship total to seven on two different courts. The senior won four on the hardwood and claimed his third tennis crown this spring with doubles partner SJ Lycans.

Sizemore takes his time during the season to determine the doubles pairings. Lycans felt his tennis talents aligned with Sellars. The duo won a match at the state tournament.

“Ethan and I are so physical,” Lycans said. “We can get to the ball anywhere. We both have big serves, and we can back up each other. Ethan and I might not be the most technical players, but we make up for that in physicality. We can get up to the net and put away balls easy.

“We are friends in high school, so the chemistry was already there,” he continued. “We know what each other can do. We wore the same shirts for three weeks in a row and we didn’t even plan it. We have a lot of plays we can run.”

Ashland teammates faced off again in the region doubles final. Cam Brown and Ryder Riggs were both All-Area selections after a region championship appearance.

Jacob Campbell also earned an All-Area nod for the Tomcats.

Russell doubles teammates Reggie Bechtel and Seth Derscha, along with Gunner Cassity and Parker Whitlock, advanced to State after a strong showing at the region tournament. They lead a contingent of six Red Devils on the team.

Eastham collected his fifth straight selection after making the region final. Bryson Hill also played in Lexington after reaching the region semifinals.

Lawrence County held serve with four All-Area selections. William Dillow, Luke Johnson, Chase Kendrick and Blake Maynard represented the Dawgs.

15th Region Tournament singles champion Drew Brown of Johnson Central was joined by teammates Brayden Pickle and Hilai Sofyan on the team.

Rowan County’s Chris Gray and Boyd County’s Dylan Amos rounded out the All-Area squad.

Final placement in the region tournament as well as coaches’ selections determined the All-Area Team. The Daily Independent sports department selected the Player and Coach of the Year.

2022 The Daily Independent All-Area Boys Tennis Team

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