The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Boys tennis Coach of the Year: Fraker guides turnaround for Warriors boys

Northwestern coach says early-season tests provided lessons that led to victories.

Submitted Kevin Fraker

News-Sun All-Area boys tennis team

Mesoraco's slam sends Reds over Braves
7:38 a.m.
Raiders fall in tourney opener
5/25/12
Rough 1st inning sets up Tipp exit
5/25/12
Local Scoreboard for May 25
5/24/12
Ohio State AD says 12 violations minor
5/24/12
> More sports headlines

By Kermit Rowe, Staff Writer Updated 12:57 AM Saturday, June 11, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — For years, the Northwestern boys tennis team would take its lumps.

For years, it would lurk in the shadows of the Warriors’ more-successful girls program.

But 2011 was different. After starting off 1-3, the Northwestern boys team went 10-4 the rest of the way to claim third place in the Central Buckeye Conference with an 11-5 league mark (11-7 overall) — trailing only front-running co-champs Kenton Ridge and Tippecanoe.

The amazing turnaround, buoyed by a rise in participation, has landed third-year coach Kevin Fraker the 2011 Springfield News-Sun Boys Tennis Coach of the Year award.

“We started on spring break and we had two varsity guys out,” said Fraker of his team’s accustomed slow start. “Our schedule was stronger towards the beginning, and I’m OK with that.”

That’s because the Warriors gained from the early losses.

“We won four straight matches during the week of April 8-14, then won the Dayton Northridge Invitational on Saturday,” he said. “There’s a not a lot of tennis trophies sitting around Northwestern High School.”

Once the wins started coming more regularly, the confidence grew.

“That was the most encouraging thing; that in every outing, we expected to win,” said Fraker. “That was the highlight of the season, seeing the guys expecting to win. In tight matches, we’d fold in the past; but this year, we’d find a way to win.”

The key was the leadership of junior Zach Wildofsky, who went 20-7 for the second straight year at No. 1 singles.

“We were set up this year to win at first singles and both doubles matches,” said Fraker of how his team approached the season. “And Brian Looney and Ken Snyder (second and third singles, respectively) won a lot of matches for us, too. They really impressed me with how they improved this year.”

Unaccustomed depth was the Warriors’ foundation, however.

“The numbers have just grown,” said Fraker. “We started the season with 22 and we finished with 22, including 11 seniors. I’ve had a number of guys I’ve never seen before say they are coming out next year. So the word is out that Northwestern tennis intends to build a strong tradition.”

Fraker is building it with a unique chemistry.

“We had some winter work, we played racquetball all winter,” he said. “It was a lot of team building more than anything.

“That allowed them to compete, and once the spring came, they were ready to go.”

Sam Smith

Share this article