Belle Vernon’s Henson goes back-to-back
Max Henson lost a total of eight games on his way to the PIAA Class 2A Boys Singles Tennis Championship last season at the Hershey Racquet Club.
Henson, who graduated on May 28 from Belle Vernon, earned back-to-back state titles five days prior, but he had to work for every point in becoming the 10th player to win multiple PIAA singles championships.
The Cleveland State commit won his first three matches in straight sets, but dropped the first set to Archbishop Carroll’s Eric Roedl Jr. before rallying for his second state title in a finals victory over a District 12 champion. Henson won the match, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Henson defeated Samir Roberts-Mouzon of Carver Engineering and Science in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, to capture the gold last season.
Henson didn’t want to compare his level of excitement between his first and second state championship, but he admitted to having his hands full with Roedl, as the match took 2 ½ to 3 hours inside the Hershey Racquet Club.
“The final was very difficult,” Henson said. “He was playing really well, and it was a long tournament. The venue is unique in its lighting and the surface is very fast, so you are going to be moving. I was very tired when the tournament finished. I took the next three days off to recover.”
Roedl has committed to Villanova University to continue his academic and tennis careers.
Henson, a Cleveland State commit, opened his tournament on a Friday afternoon, and cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 triumph over Eastern York’s Wesley Crumling in the first round. Cumling, a junior, was the third place finisher out of District 3.
Henson’s run of playing district champions began in the quarterfinals later that evening. The two-time WPIAL champion won the match, 6-2, 6-2, over Lower Moreland senior and District 1 champion Max Spodik.
Henson advanced to the final with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Jersey Shore senior and District 4 champion Ryder Fink.
Fink earned a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Quaker Valley’s Will Meagher for third place. Meagher was the WPIAL runner-up to Henson.
Henson doesn’t have any tournaments on the horizon before he heads to Cleveland, but he will continue to work on his strength and conditioning.
He is very proud of his accomplishments at Belle Vernon, but he doesn’t want to project too far ahead in regards to his future.
“I am excited to see what happens in my career, but you never know what is going to happen in the next four years,” Henson said. “I really enjoy playing the sport, but I don’t know about playing beyond college. “That’s a huge step, plus it is tough to make money as a professional in tennis. There are so many great players out there. I am around 6-4 or 6-5 and people think I’m tall, but that is nothing compared to some guys. I am just going to take it day-by-day.”