Steady Seitz enjoyed finest season
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Chris Seitz has been a steady player since he began at first singles for the Hun School boys tennis team as a freshman.
Each year, he has progressed, and this year he saw the biggest jump in his game pay off in his finest season to date in his junior year.
”It was definitely his best season by far,” said Hun head coach Todd Loffredo. “His freshman year was still really good, but I think he’s just improved consistently since then. Sophomore year was really good. This year, he showed that he was pretty much, even though he lost to Kenny Zheng and to Noah (Joachim), he proved he’s one of the best in the county and one of the best in the state.”
It was going to be difficult for Seitz to feel like he had improved much after he lost to Hopewell Valley’s Zheng in the Mercer County Tournament final. He had lost the previous two county finals as well, but thought this could be his year in what is always a particularly meaningful tournament for him.
”It’s my favorite tournament,” said Seitz, a Hopewell resident and frequent playing partner of Zheng’s. “Hopefully next year I can win it. It really comes down to who’s playing better on that day.
”I knew going into the match that I had to be playing really well. I practiced with him two days before and when we’re off the court, we’re really good friends. And when you’re in the match, it’s like playing your best friend. It’s kind of hard. It was still a good experience.”
But Sietz didn’t want to keep the label that he was developing as a consistent runner-up. At the Prep A state tournament, he made the most of his final chance when he defeated Blair Academy’s Joachim to avenge one of his only two losses this season and end his year with the first-singles state championship. It was the championship that everyone was wondering if he could win after losing in counties and to Joachim in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League finals.
”A couple of my teammates have given me a hard time about it,” Seitz said. “It was definitely good. I finally proved them wrong.”
Seitz won in three sets to cap a season that saw him take a big step forward and set him up for a critical senior season.
Chris Seitz is the Princeton Packet Boys Tennis Player of the Year.
”It’s a little cliché, but it’s how anyone wants to end the season, with a good win and a state championship,” Loffredo said. “There couldn’t have been a better ending to the season for sure. I’d maybe say he was relieved that’s how he ended the season. It gives him a lot confidence to go on.”
For Seitz, the prep title meant more than just getting the monkey off his back by winning a big final. It also gave him tangible proof of how much he’s grown. He’d faced Joachim plenty in high school and outside in USTA tournaments.
”This year was the first time I beat him,” Seitz said. “My sophomore year, he beat me both times.
”It really shows an improvement in the last year that I’ve made. It helps me know that I’ve been improving and that my hard work is paying off.”
Seitz worked harder than he ever had to prepare for his junior year.
”It definitely was compared to the last two seasons,” Seitz said. “I practiced a lot more outside of school and I was much more determined and willing to put in the effort with practice and in the matches as well.
”It was definitely good,” he added. “I made improvements in my footwork, my overall conditioning and the way I play each match. It was a really good improvement overall from sophomore year to junior year. It was my biggest improvement by far.”
Those improvements showed up in matches throughout the season, and helped deliver his best season to date.
”The biggest difference was his fitness along with the weather,” Loffredo said. “When it was really hot and humid and we did have a lot of rain, but had a lot of hot days, I think that helped him. He could outlast a lot of his opponents based on fitness. Obviously, being to outlast his opponents is what helped him a lot.”
Seitz had been so steady at the top of the Raiders lineup that Loffredo had come to expect pretty remarkable things from him. But this year, Seitz topped his goals by capturing a state title over his longtime rival.
”My expectations were high, but I never put any pressure on him,” Loffredo said. “I don’t think he put too much pressure on himself either. It allowed everyone to be relaxed when it came to matches. When it came to practices, he put in the work to get where he wanted to be.”
After losing the MAPL final, Seitz knew just what he had to do to finish his season on a positive note. Seitz used his newfound fitness to outlast Joachim for the title.
”It was the best and it was my most anticipated match,” Seitz said. “It was most likely going to be against Noah and we had split our first two matches. It was our last match and there were a lot of expectations. At MAPLs, I knew I gave him the match. He didn’t do anything special. It was all my errors. I knew I could play him a lot tougher. In MAPLs, we had a rain delay and had a lot of time off and then we jumped right in.
”At states, I knew I practiced outside of school. I was confident in the shape I was in and the way I was playing. I knew how to pay him from how many times we played before. I was trying to hold back and be more patient with my shots.”
Loffredo saw a calmness about Seitz as he went into the state final. It reflected his confidence.
”He was a little upset at counties because going in as the favorite from being the finalist the past two years, but when he played Noah in the MAPL tournament, he thought it could go either way,” Loffredo said. “The state final, I think he thought he was going to win from the get-go. He was not overconfident, but he knows when he’s playing well and he’s going to play a good match. It just clicked for him.”
Seitz is hoping that his tennis continues to click over the summer as he begins to gear up for the next level of play.
”This summer and the beginning of next year is crucial for recruiting wise,” Seitz said. “For next high school season, I’m looking forward to continuing where I left off this year.”
Added Loffredo: “I’m hoping that without putting too much pressure on him, he can equal his performance and for himself, win counties and states. We talk about his talent in tennis a lot, but he’s a great kid. He’s very deserving. He’s hard working and he’s a humble kid. Having a great season next year, I think he deserves it.”