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Rea takes home fifth place in Class 1 tournament for boys tennis
Evan Rea represented the Nevada Tigers boys tennis team one final time before graduating with the Class of 2022 the very next day. On Friday, Rea went out for day one of the State Tournament held in Springfield, Mo., but unfortunately lost his first match to Thomas Griese from St. Louis 0-6 in the first round, and 0-6 in the second.
He then was sent to the consolation bracket where he played Charles Wohlgemuth from Carrollton beating him 6-4, 6-0. Finally on day one of the State Tournament, he played a quarterfinal round against Trevor Dickenson. Rea lost the first round 4-6, but came back to win 6-2 in the second round. Then they had a tiebreaker to settle it all, and Rea won that with a score of 10-1. Saturday was day two of the tournament, and in the semi-finals, he beat Charles Grumke from Lafayette County, going 6-2 in both rounds. In the finals he faced Lucas Wilhoit from Logan-Rogersville, beating him 6-4 in the first round, and 7-6 (8-6 in overtime).
But Rea has had a long tenure with the Tigers, and he even reflected back on how he got to where he is today. “I’ve improved a lot since freshman year,” said Rea. “Lifting weights and running has improved my play on the court and grown my athleticism. There is a big gap between freshman year me and senior year me.”
Evan also talked about his father Tom Rea, who is the preacher for Crossroads Church in Nevada, and how he helped him learn the game. “I wouldn’t be playing tennis without my dad. He’s the reason I am so good. Playing against him everyday almost for the past two years has made me the player I am. Being able to have someone good to play with and experiment new things has helped a lot. Playing against him is a challenge and he prepared me for my toughest matches. My brother Sam and my dad are my first memory of tennis and will always be the tennis people in my life.”
Evan’s freshman through junior year (with the exception of 2020 due to COVID -19), he was coached by Clay Wheeler. Wheeler left the program after the 2021 season wrapped up and was replaced by current Head Coach Samantha Short. Talking about the transitions of coaches in his final years on the team, Rea said, “Coach Wheeler was an amazing coach and friend who I learned so much from. I enjoyed every minute with him on the team and was very sad and uncertain about the future of the team when he left. Coach Short was an easy transition and she was a great coach as well. She helped the team in a lot of ways and was a great friend to me as well. I’m super thankful she was able to coach this year and for the memories we made. Both of them are tremendous role models.”
One thing the Nevada Tiger Boys tennis team is unique for, is its lightheartedness with the players on the team. They have the attitude that they want to win, but have fun while doing it also. Rea says, “Every match was one to look forward to with the team. There was never a practice or match where someone wasn’t dying of laughter. This team had a special bond and it was centered around a sense of humor we all shared. They are all people I consider brothers and I'll miss them a ton. They all had a competitive drive that was super special.” Rea even talked about how he would get prepared for a match. “I listened to music to get pumped up for my matches and I would sit and think about how I wanted to be the best.” So that will do it for the 2022 spring season of boys tennis for the Nevada Tigers, and their team will not be the same without senior Evan Rea dominating the court.