BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Brookfield East tennis is stacked. The Spartans plan on going back to back as WIAA Boys Team champions, beating arch rival Marquette last year in decisive fashion. That was pretty sweet.
"I believe I have never lost 7-0 to them," Brookfield East head coach Linda Lied says. "It was kind of nice to be able to tell my good friend David Frank, 'yeah I don't think I've ever lost 7-0, Dave.' They beat us more times than we've beaten them, but that one decisive win really was fun for myself and the guys."
Once again, the Spartans are loaded. But in a sport that's based a lot on you, this is a true squad.
"Tennis is usually an individual sport," Henry Irwin says. "We spend the off-season playing individual tournaments. But when we come together as a high school team, it's a completely different environment. We like to pump each other up on other courts, and because it takes four individual matches to win as a team."
"It's kind of natural here," Michael Francken says. "A lot of teams, they have to kind of mold it together, but our brotherhood is pretty natural here."
"It's great, especially after freshman year," Reed Scullen says. "We lost 4-3. That's about as low as you can get, feeling wise. But to beat them 7-0? I don't know if we've ever done that as a school, so it felt really good."
"You want to have confidence going in, but we are still staying heavily focused," Owen Kendler says. "And you know, not taking anything for granted. We're going to put our best foot forward and try our best."
"Watching them in the past, seeing Brookfield East lose to Marquette," Oscar Corwin says. "But being able to sweep them was awesome."
But hey, it can't be all serious business. So, which one of them keeps the team loose?
"I think I'm definitely the funniest," Irwin says. "But I think Reed's probably the most relaxed and chill."
Last year, Brookfield East took a perfect 21-0 plus sweeping Marquette for the title. They blanked another arch rival, Brookfield Central, in the sectionals to advance to state again. Not sure if it will be the same, but these young men are really good.
