Waltz dances with tennis' triple crown

By STEVE PILONI

Winning the triple crown in high school tennis, at the district or state level, is the goal every coach dreams about.
Great Valley head coach Paul Waltz came very close to accomplishing that elusive honor.
His Patriots finished second in the District 1 Class AAA team playoffs, Mark Milbrandt won the district singles championship, and the doubles duo of Zach Johnson and John Haskell made it to the semifinals of district doubles.
The group also made a strong run in the state championships before coming up just short.
“I’m absolutely very satisfied,” said Waltz, the Daily Local News Boys Tennis Coach of the Year. “We had a great year, one of the best years anybody could have.”
The numbers are certainly impressive.
Great Valley finished the season 22-2 losing only to Central League powerhouse Lower Merion 3-2 in the district team final, and District 7 champion Upper St. Clair 3-2 in the state semifinals. Upper St. Clair went on to beat Lower Merion in the state final.
The Patriots were 17-0 during the regular season, and breezed to the Ches-Mont League American Division title with a 10-0 mark.
Waltz knew he had the potential for a strong season because of his talented lineup. And as the team moved into the elite zone, his expectations grew even higher.
“The closer we got (to the district team final), the more I thought we could win,” said Waltz, who wrapped up his 16th season as Great Valley’s head coach. “Our goal was to go to states. As we went along and got into the final four, then I started thinking we could win it.
“I could never be disappointed with the loss because it was a thrill just to get there. I think if we could play Lower Merion again it could be a different story.”
With Milbrandt, Johnson and the first doubles team of Warren Holmes and Tyler Hannig back again next season, the Patriots are once again setting their goals very high.
As a teaching pro, Waltz also provides instruction to his players during the off-season so he can monitor their progess and make sure they’re competing at their highest level.
With such a strong group of players, it usually only takes a bit of tweaking here and there to get the group moving in the right direction.
“We have a really good player-coach relationship,” he said. “Next year we have that chance (of winning it all). At first and second singles we’re unbeatable, so we have to find somebody to win more more match. The kids are working hard at it.”

To contact staff writer Steve Piloni, send an e-mail to sports@dailylocal.com