CHANUTE — Isaiah Fawson just can’t buy a break at the regional tennis tournament.
During his sophomore year, he ran into Independence standout Zach Schroeder in the first round and was knocked out.
Last season, he was dealt another tough seed and after winning his first match, he fell in the second match. That set a match with a state-qualifying spot hanging in the balance against Columbus’ Mac Jamison and Fawson fell in a hard fought three-set match.
The Iola senior was dead-set on not letting that be his fate again this season.
After going 1-1 on Friday, Fawson found himself in the same spot with one match separating him from the spot in the state tournament that he has been chasing his entire high school career.
“I have struggled every year to make it to state, so I was anxiously anticipating this match because this was my decisive moment,” Fawson said. “This is my last chance and I had to win it.”
Fawson’s opponent was Chanute’s Scout Lee, another senior who had a trip to state on his mind.
Again though, Fawson would have to earn it with the breaks coming up against him.
Iola coach Dan Berg was sick for both days of the tournament, so the senior had to go it alone.
Also, tennis crowds are typically sparse with just parents, coaches and a few spectators in attendance. On Friday, however, the internet was down at Chanute High School so instead of class, one teacher brought his student out to watch the match, giving Fawson a sizable contingent cheering against him.
The top Iola player has struggled against Lee in their matches this season with Lee winning the last time they faced off.
Fawson started out the first set on serve. His powerful serve helped quiet the Chanute fans.
“My serve was definitely on today,” Fawson said. “It felt good. I was getting everything in.”
He easily held his serve and jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
Lee was able to respond by holding his own serve and tying it at 1-1.
Then Fawson was dealt a tough break. A string on his racquet snapped, forcing him to switch racquets.
Luckily for the Mustang, he could borrowed teammate Eason Chueng’s racquet and found it to his liking.
“I was afraid that it would affect my serve, but Eason’s racquet is really nice, so I enjoyed that,” Fawson said. “I am very lucky he let me borrow it.”
With the new equipment, Fawson held serve and then took control of the match by breaking Lee’s serve and taking a 3-1 lead.
With the momentum in his favor, Fawson began to roll and rattled off three-straight points to take the first set, 6-1.
“Once I got going, I just felt good,” Fawson said.
Fawson then broke Lee for the third straight time and grabbed a 1-0 lead to start the second set.
Lee responded though and was able to finally solve Fawson’s serve and knotted the set at 1-1.
The two competitors exchanged holds, before Fawson was able to break Lee’s serve again and go up 3-2.
Lee and Fawson each held serve and then Lee held again to make the match 5-4 with Fawson on serve and a chance to go to state if he could just close the Blue Comet out by holding serve.
Lee rallied though and was able to break Fawson and tie the match at 5-5.
There it was. Now it seemed that the final straw might have landed.
With Lee able to break Fawson’s serve, the Mustang was at a distinct disadvantage.
Even so, the senior was determined not to let that be the narrative.
“I wanted to make sure that we didn’t go into a third set, because I was getting fatigued and I didn’t want to have to battle through a third set,” Fawson said. “I wanted to close it right there.”
He quickly responded and had his finest two points of his Mustang career.
Fawson was able to break Lee’s serve once again and with the match resting on his serve, Fawson kept Lee at bay once again with his powerful serves. Fawson won the second set 7-5 to advance to next Friday’s state tournament in Kansas City.
Fawson faced Parsons’ Isaac Stringer in the fifth-place match to close the tournament and capped off his perfect Friday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
THURSDAY’S RESULTS
Fawson’s run to the state tournament was nearly derailed much earlier on in the regional tournament as he faced Chanute’s Braden Robinson in the first round.
Fawson won the first set 6-3, but Robinson responded with a 6-4 victory in the second set for a tiebreaker.
Fawson was able to win by 10-4 to keep his hopes alive.
In the second round he faced Independence’s Schroeder, who took third at last year’s state meet.
Fawson played him tough, but Schroeder was able to take a 6-2, 6-1 victory to send Fawson into his matchup against Lee.
Iola’s other senior singles player, Rhett Allen, saw his career come to an end on Thursday with a first-round loss against Lee.
The sixth-seeded Blue Comet beat the 11th-seeded Mustang 6-2, 6-4.
Allen ends a very decorated Mustang career after qualifying for state last season as a doubles partner with Mason Key.
“It has been a lot of fun,” Allen said. “I always look forward to tennis season.”
Both of Iola’s double’s teams also had their seasons end in the first round.
The sophomore 10th-seeded pairing of Jon Miller and Bret Plumlee lost to a seventh-seeded squad from Fort Scott 6-1, 6-0.
Miller and Plumlee are excited to return next year to lead the Mustangs.
“We have learned a lot this year,” Plumlee said. “We definitely want to have a better record next year and make it to state.”
They also hope to remain as a doubles pairing.
“I learned that we really work together well,” Miller said. “Our chemistry is so good together.”
Elijah Fawson and Eason Chueng were dealt a tough draw when they were seeded 16th and lost 6-0, 6-0 to a top-seeded Independence team.
