High school boys tennis: Jacobs' Chong brothers share player of week

Athletes of the week

KENDRICK CHONG

KERWIN CHONG

Jacobs, jr./fr.

The Chong brothers went, 3-0, on Saturday to win the Rockford Christian Invitational at No. 2 doubles. Their biggest match was a three-set win against New Trier's Peter Leutz and Reed Bianucci. They also defeated Rockford Auburn and Hononegah, both in straight sets.

Power rankings

1. Prairie Ridge (23-3, 6-0 FVC Fox): The Wolves wrapped up their Fox Valley Conference Fox Division championship with wins against Grayslake North and Grayslake Central.

2. Jacobs (16-2, 5-0 FVC Valley): With a little help from Dundee-Crown and Huntley, the Golden Eagles won the FVC Valley Division title, edging out Cary-Grove. They had crossover wins against Woodstock North and Woodstock and took second at Rockford Christian.

3. Cary-Grove (14-6 4-1 FVC Valley): Never have 6-1 wins seemed so devastating. The Trojans beat the Chargers and Red Raiders, 6-1, but fell one point shy of sharing the Valley title with Jacobs.

4. Huntley (16-5, 3-2 FVC Valley): The Red Raiders finished with a winning record in the Valley with a win against Crystal Lake South on Thursday. It was coach Barry Wells first win against the Gators in his tenure at Huntley.

5. Crystal Lake South (9-7, 2-3 FVC Valley): South's loss to Huntley dropped them under .500 in the Valley but their win against Woodstock North  gave them an overall winning record.

Noteworthy

The worst part of pairing Chad Wagner and Nicklas Nelson at No. 1 doubles for Dundee-Crown coach Sean Howell was that this would be their only season together. Wagner, a senior, and Nelson, a freshman, are looking to qualify for state and should be one of the top seeds at the Schaumburg Sectional.

Nelson spent some time at No. 1 singles to start the season but Howell saw his ability to volley and after consulting with Wagner, quickly put them together.

"Nick is a lot better at the net," Nelson said. "They're a better pairing."

The biggest adjustment for Nelson was competing for a team. He has only played in tournaments as an individual. Wagner's experience paid big dividends there.

"This was [Nelson's] first time ever in a team environment," Howell said. "Chad took him under his wing and showed him what it was like to play on a team."

Wagner qualified for state last year with a third place finish in doubles at the Jacobs Sectional with Brad Spangenberg, who graduated.

Howell has been thrilled with the results, other than having to say goodbye to Wagner in a few weeks.

"That really changed our season," Howell said of the pairing. "Chad's experience and that he's a state qualifier, that's what made the big difference."

This week’s top meets

Fox Valley Conference Tournament

Noon Friday

The 2-day tournament wraps up with the championship and place matches.