ALL MUSTANGS ... Blue Valley North netters, from left, Jack Sock, Hank Lee and Eric Sock sweep All-Sun honors.
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Siblings boost Mustangs
Sock brothers make Sun history
By: Mark Dewar, Sports Editor
In a classic scene from the 1982 movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” an underclassman’s eyeballs turn approximately the size of hubcaps at the mere sight of the school’s blue-chip football star, Charles Jefferson, played by Forest Whitaker, spending time at the local mall. The wide-eyed student could not believe what he had seen.
“He actually lives here?” the exasperated kid exclaimed. “I thought he only flew in for games!”
While the legend of Blue Valley North High School freshman tennis player and 2008 All-Sun Singles Player of the Year Jack Sock may not have reached Charles Jefferson-esque proportions just yet, bear in mind it is still early, too.
Just give this 15-year-old Overland Park resident – he turns the ripe old age of 16 on Sept. 24 – with the court-sized passion for tennis and No. 1 ranking in Boys 16s in all of America as of Aug. 6 a little time. Amazingly, he also ranks No. 26 in the Boys 18s.
Sock entered the prep season late, amid much hype and fresh off capturing the Boys 16s crown at the prestigious Easter Bowl in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in early April. He became what is believed to be the first-ever Sun Country combatant on the boys side to capture a Class 6A state singles crown his freshman season.
The kid blessed with the name perfect either for tennis or comic book adventure hero fame, take your pick, finished with a smearless 17-0 match record.
Embedded were his sweep of the East Kansas League, 6A regional at Harmon Park and May 10 state singles title at Goddard via his 6-1, 6-2 win in the championship round over Shawnee Mission North junior Kevin Moore.
As a point of reference, former Blue Valley West netter and current area court legend Travis Helgeson, whose Georgia Bulldogs won the NCAA crown this season with Helgeson atop the lineup and attaining All-American status, captured consecutive state singles titles in each of his final three prep seasons – but only after finishing runner-up to Shawnee Mission East’s Phil Lem as a frosh.
For Sock, one down … three more to go? Perhaps, but do not hold your breath.
We exist in an age when more than a few top national talents across prep sports forsake high school participation to focus on frying bigger fish nationally. Sock’s brother Eric, who heads into his senior season at Blue Valley North this autumn and along with now-graduated partner Hank Lee represents the 2008 All-Sun Doubles Team of the Year, assured he and his younger sibling will return to the Mustangs for 2009, anyway.
The Sock boys make All-Sun history as our first brother tandem to win our singles and doubles honor.
“I think he will,” Eric said by telephone from Kalamazoo, Mich., late last week, where he and Jack competed in the USTA Boys National Tennis Championships. Jack advanced to the quarterfinals in singles and placed fourth in doubles in the Boys 16s portion.
“It will be my last year,” Eric Sock said, “so he’ll play next year.
“I’m not sure what the lineup arrangement will be,” Eric Sock added with a laugh, “but we are signed up.”
On Sunday Jack Sock confirmed things from, of all places, the PGA Championship in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where after play wound down at Kalamazoo he successfully procured a hat autographed by PGA star Phil Mickelson and a ball from Sergio Garcia’s caddie. What a year this kid Jack Sock is having.
“I think because it’s my brother’s senior year I will most likely play,” he said of next season, but was quick to add that following 2009 “we’ll have to see.”
Of course, the Sock boys’ short-term report is music to the ears of veteran Mustangs coach Fernando Zuna, whose Mustangs got 6A runner-up in the team race this spring to champion SM East.
Zuna, who served in summers past as a line judge for the Kansas City Explorers of World Team Tennis, while not wishing to put undo pressure on the prodigy, does see similarities between Jack Sock’s present game and that of – whisper here – the pros.
“Absolutely,” Zuna said of his pro potential. “He’s amazing.”
And yet, Zuna noted, “His dominance isn’t what impressed me. He just loves being around tennis. He loves hitting the ball. I just love that. I think it’s really neat to watch, and his enthusiasm is so contagious.”
For his part, Jack Sock said of his inaugural turn in the preps, “It felt great. It was my goal all year to win (state). I wanted to help the team out. And it was cool for my brother to win doubles, too. I played pretty well all season. My closest match was two and two (a 6-2, 6-2 win over Olathe Northwest senior J.T. Christian, who garnered fifth at state and will attend Marquette on a tennis scholarship this fall).”
Count big brother Eric, and he is a big brother at 6-3, as a catalyst for the fun Jack could enjoy in high school tennis. From seventh grade forward Jack got to see the enjoyment Eric received from competing with the Mustangs while quietly building an assault from the doubles side.
In 2007 Eric and Lee, also a tall, rangy intimidator on court at 6-4, captured the EKL doubles crown before finishing runner-up in regional play and fifth at state.
This season the duo tore through the EKL, regional and state draws with nary a hiccup to secure their first state crown. They also snagged the Aquinas Invitational and Goddard Invite doubles titles on the way to their 26-1 match record.
In the state finale, they earned their fourth win of the season over SM East’s Jack Peterson and P.J. Guignon, this time by a 6-1, 6-2 count.
Their lone setback came at the hands of Travis Helgeson’s brother, Max – there’s that Helgeson surname again – and David Tipton of Blue Valley West in a regular-season dual match.
“They both have big serves,” Zuna said of Eric Sock and Lee. Lee will attend the University of Colorado this fall but not pursue college tennis, Eric Sock said.
“When we were serving we were on offense,” Zuna said. “Their presence to get to net was second. With their serve(s), the net man could really start doing some things.”
Eric Sock agreed. “The great thing about our chemistry was we were pretty similar. A pretty big serve that could set up the person at the net to have some kind of easy putaway volley. It felt like for the most part we were dictating play the whole match.”
“I definitely wanted to get it done my last year,” Lee said. “Not getting it the year before really motivated us to get it. We trained hard in the off-season as well.
“We wanted it really bad, and we got it done.”
Contact Mark Dewar at 385-6061 or mdewar@sunpublications.com.
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“He actually lives here?” the exasperated kid exclaimed. “I thought he only flew in for games!”
While the legend of Blue Valley North High School freshman tennis player and 2008 All-Sun Singles Player of the Year Jack Sock may not have reached Charles Jefferson-esque proportions just yet, bear in mind it is still early, too.
Just give this 15-year-old Overland Park resident – he turns the ripe old age of 16 on Sept. 24 – with the court-sized passion for tennis and No. 1 ranking in Boys 16s in all of America as of Aug. 6 a little time. Amazingly, he also ranks No. 26 in the Boys 18s.
Sock entered the prep season late, amid much hype and fresh off capturing the Boys 16s crown at the prestigious Easter Bowl in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in early April. He became what is believed to be the first-ever Sun Country combatant on the boys side to capture a Class 6A state singles crown his freshman season.
The kid blessed with the name perfect either for tennis or comic book adventure hero fame, take your pick, finished with a smearless 17-0 match record.
Embedded were his sweep of the East Kansas League, 6A regional at Harmon Park and May 10 state singles title at Goddard via his 6-1, 6-2 win in the championship round over Shawnee Mission North junior Kevin Moore.
As a point of reference, former Blue Valley West netter and current area court legend Travis Helgeson, whose Georgia Bulldogs won the NCAA crown this season with Helgeson atop the lineup and attaining All-American status, captured consecutive state singles titles in each of his final three prep seasons – but only after finishing runner-up to Shawnee Mission East’s Phil Lem as a frosh.
For Sock, one down … three more to go? Perhaps, but do not hold your breath.
We exist in an age when more than a few top national talents across prep sports forsake high school participation to focus on frying bigger fish nationally. Sock’s brother Eric, who heads into his senior season at Blue Valley North this autumn and along with now-graduated partner Hank Lee represents the 2008 All-Sun Doubles Team of the Year, assured he and his younger sibling will return to the Mustangs for 2009, anyway.
The Sock boys make All-Sun history as our first brother tandem to win our singles and doubles honor.
“I think he will,” Eric said by telephone from Kalamazoo, Mich., late last week, where he and Jack competed in the USTA Boys National Tennis Championships. Jack advanced to the quarterfinals in singles and placed fourth in doubles in the Boys 16s portion.
“It will be my last year,” Eric Sock said, “so he’ll play next year.
“I’m not sure what the lineup arrangement will be,” Eric Sock added with a laugh, “but we are signed up.”
On Sunday Jack Sock confirmed things from, of all places, the PGA Championship in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where after play wound down at Kalamazoo he successfully procured a hat autographed by PGA star Phil Mickelson and a ball from Sergio Garcia’s caddie. What a year this kid Jack Sock is having.
“I think because it’s my brother’s senior year I will most likely play,” he said of next season, but was quick to add that following 2009 “we’ll have to see.”
Of course, the Sock boys’ short-term report is music to the ears of veteran Mustangs coach Fernando Zuna, whose Mustangs got 6A runner-up in the team race this spring to champion SM East.
Zuna, who served in summers past as a line judge for the Kansas City Explorers of World Team Tennis, while not wishing to put undo pressure on the prodigy, does see similarities between Jack Sock’s present game and that of – whisper here – the pros.
“Absolutely,” Zuna said of his pro potential. “He’s amazing.”
And yet, Zuna noted, “His dominance isn’t what impressed me. He just loves being around tennis. He loves hitting the ball. I just love that. I think it’s really neat to watch, and his enthusiasm is so contagious.”
For his part, Jack Sock said of his inaugural turn in the preps, “It felt great. It was my goal all year to win (state). I wanted to help the team out. And it was cool for my brother to win doubles, too. I played pretty well all season. My closest match was two and two (a 6-2, 6-2 win over Olathe Northwest senior J.T. Christian, who garnered fifth at state and will attend Marquette on a tennis scholarship this fall).”
Count big brother Eric, and he is a big brother at 6-3, as a catalyst for the fun Jack could enjoy in high school tennis. From seventh grade forward Jack got to see the enjoyment Eric received from competing with the Mustangs while quietly building an assault from the doubles side.
In 2007 Eric and Lee, also a tall, rangy intimidator on court at 6-4, captured the EKL doubles crown before finishing runner-up in regional play and fifth at state.
This season the duo tore through the EKL, regional and state draws with nary a hiccup to secure their first state crown. They also snagged the Aquinas Invitational and Goddard Invite doubles titles on the way to their 26-1 match record.
In the state finale, they earned their fourth win of the season over SM East’s Jack Peterson and P.J. Guignon, this time by a 6-1, 6-2 count.
Their lone setback came at the hands of Travis Helgeson’s brother, Max – there’s that Helgeson surname again – and David Tipton of Blue Valley West in a regular-season dual match.
“They both have big serves,” Zuna said of Eric Sock and Lee. Lee will attend the University of Colorado this fall but not pursue college tennis, Eric Sock said.
“When we were serving we were on offense,” Zuna said. “Their presence to get to net was second. With their serve(s), the net man could really start doing some things.”
Eric Sock agreed. “The great thing about our chemistry was we were pretty similar. A pretty big serve that could set up the person at the net to have some kind of easy putaway volley. It felt like for the most part we were dictating play the whole match.”
“I definitely wanted to get it done my last year,” Lee said. “Not getting it the year before really motivated us to get it. We trained hard in the off-season as well.
“We wanted it really bad, and we got it done.”
Contact Mark Dewar at 385-6061 or mdewar@sunpublications.com.