Hinsdale Central wins 56th top-3 state trophy

By Jeff Vorva

Another year, another state trophy.

True, it wasn’t quite the state trophy Hinsdale Central’s boys tennis team was looking for. But it still kept a remarkable streak alive.

The Red Devils had one streak snapped – their string of four straight state championships-when they were runner-up to New Trier in Class 2A at the Illinois High School Association state meet, which concluded May 30 in Palatine.

But their amazing string of 14 top-3 finishes remained intact. It was a streak that started in 2012 and has been going strong ever since. It’s the state-record 56th  top 3 trophy the program has won.

Second-year coach Pete Alex knows that his players were disappointed with not winning the state championship, but he is hoping it’s a good learning experience.

Hinsdale Central coach Pete Alex gets ready to high-five one of his players during the IHSA state meet in May.
Photo by Jeff Vorva

“It’s a sport, but they can learn life lessons,” Alex said of his players. “If I can push them in the right direction of success in their future, I want to hear about their awesome stories and journeys when they come back.”

New Trier had 36 points to nudge out the Red Devils, who finished with 34.

Hinsdale’s doubles teams packed a wallop in the state meet as Kyle McCain-Nicholas Marringa placed second in the state for the second straight year while Logan Milton-Amir Khan took fifth, winning five straight matches after getting knocked into the consolation bracket in the third round.

On the singles side, Davis Waterman made it to the consolation semifinals while Barry Zhu made it to the consolation quarterfinals.

There is pressure every year for the Red Devils, but it’s also a good thing to be able to compete in such a storied program.

 “It’s definitely a privilege to play for a strong team,” Khan, a junior, said. “We’re expected to win. That means a lot. When I do step on the court, people know who I am, and people know our school. It’s great to build on that pressure and adversity.”

Alex is a former state qualifier for Hinsdale South, but his father, Bill, was a doubles champion for Central in 1979 and is now an assistant for Pete.

So, Pete knows all about the dominance of Central’s program.

“Because of our history, we’ve learned to deal with the pressure,” Pete Alex said. “It’s not to say we never feel the pressure, but learning how to handle the pressure is what makes champions. These boys live under the pressure, and they have learned to play the best when it matters the most.”

Marringa, who is giving up competitive tennis to concentrate on engineering at Purdue, said being able to play for the Red Devils has been an honor.

“It means a lot,” he said. “But a lot of this is representing our school the best way we can and being positive and mature role models for the underclassmen.”

He enjoyed being able to pick up an elite finish at the state tournament.

“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “I played only two matches as a freshman. Sophomore year, I played state and was just glad to be here. It was exciting to play and win and see the arc and progress.”

McCain will be heading to Emory University, a top-10 team in NCAA Division III that won six national championships. Former Red Devil Dean Kamenev was a senior on the Eagles roster this season.

McCain’s older sister, Kendall, also played tennis at the Georgia school.

“It’s a great mix,” Kyle said. “There are great academics, and I can play tennis there. And it’s warm, too. It’s a perfect fit.”

Milton is heading to Colorado College, and the fifth-place finish capped off a successful high school career for him.

He said that he and Khan butting heads with McCain and Marringa every day in practice helped their game this year.

“It’s good for us to have the No. 1 (seeded) team in the state on our own team,” he said. “We have something to work for each time we come to practice.” 

Left: Hinsdale Central’s Amir Khan (left) and Logan Milton finished fifth in the state in doubles.
Right: Hinsdale Central’s Nicholas Marringa (left) and Kyle McCain take a break during the IHSA state tennis tournament, where they finished second in Class 2A.
Photos by Jeff Vorva