Yellowjacket Racket: ALBRIGHT: Stinger isn’t coming out anytime soon, folks
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Don't pull that stinger out just yet, Class AA/A tennis.
There's really no point.
Why?
Well, Williamstown isn't going anywhere. Neither the boys, nor the girls. The Yellowjackets just established a hive and aren't about to see it torn down.
Not by Berkeley Springs.
Not by Logan.
And not by Charleston Catholic.
Hate it all you want. Curse the fact that another Wood County school is about to cause headaches. Complain that it just isn't fair. Too bad.
This is going to happen, you know it is. "They are just a group of kids that work well together. They are friends and have tons of friends that support them. And they have huge families that support them," Williamstown coach Diana Leo said.
Heck, before the 'Jacket boys won the state championship on Saturday, the Friday night conversation already revolved around next season. "We are talking scheduling and everyone's ready to get going," assistant coach Dave Leo said.
That's right.
The kids, who already spent most of the past four months together for practice and matches, don't want a break from each other.
No rest or relaxation needed. The focus centered around improvements for next season.
Then in the finals, everyone who wasn't on court cheered for their teammates and rushed to them after their match, win or lose.
Call it typical behavior, but there sure seemed to be more to it. Kids lived and died on points and were solidly invested in the outcomes.
I am not an expert on team bonding, but all of that sounds pretty special to me.
Plus, there's the level of talent they have on a Class AA/A team. It isn't normal for a small school, especially in a county where PHS and South reside. Several kids could play No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4 singles for the Big Reds or Patriots. Everyone has a powerful serve and overall it is an overwhelming group many smaller schools can't compete with.
We've already seen that by the fact that they largely wrapped up the boys state title on Day 2. And it is only going to get worse. Maybe not as bad as when Marie Discini played for Parkersburg Catholic, but you are definitely going to see improvements from the young team.
If that all wasn't enough, the Leo's have the full faith of their athletes. Just listen to Gavin Bosgraf.
"They have kids who have got to this stage and you have to work hard to do it and they told us that and we work hard," he said. "It is easy to take their advice. Dave gives good advice and talks to our private coaches on what to do for getting us ready. We have learned to trust him."
Not to mention, the boys certainly have an extra incentive. What else would you call the chance to be the first group to win back-to-back titles for the program? It is enough to get anyone excited or at least that's how Bosgraf approaches the opportunity.
"It does give us a little more motivation, and hopefully everyone sees it that way and keeps working," he said.
Not that anyone's going to have much of a choice …
"They will be back here next year," Diana said.
"When we come back, the sting will be hard," added Dave.
Contact Joe Albright at jalbright@newsandsentinel.com.