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Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Edwardsville freshman Zach Trimpe with a backhand against Hinsdale South during the Tiger Invitational Saturday at Edwardsville High School.
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Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Tiger junior Erik Weiler with a big serve Saturday against Downer's Grove South at Edwardsville High School.
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Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Edwardsville sophomore Logan Pursell at the Tiger Invitational Saturday at Edwardsville High School.
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Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Edwardsville senior Luke Motley hits a forehand Saturday at Edwardsville High School.
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Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Tiger sophomore Alex Gray returns a serve Saturday against Hinsdale South at Edwardsville High School during the Tiger Invitational.
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Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Edwardsville junior Ben Bequette returns a serve Saturday during the Tiger Invitational at Edwardsville High School.
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Photo by Bill Roseberry
Silas Chapman of Alton smacks a backhand shot against Marion on Friday in No. 1 doubles action at AHS.
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Photo by Bill Roseberry
Metro East Lutheran's Mark Brown hits a backhand return vs. Highland on Friday during first-day action of the Edwardsville Invitational at Township Park in Edwardsville. Brown played No. 3 doubles with Andrew Masters.
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Photo by Bill Roseberry
Joel Eberhart of MELHS smacks a return shot vs. Highland at No. 1 doubles on Friday at Township Park in Edwardsville during Edwardsville Invitational action.
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Photo by Bill Roseberry
Metro's Jacob Harding hits a forehand return against Highland on Friday against Highland during No. 1 doubles action at Township Park in Edwardsville.
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Photo by Bill Roseberry
Jett Durr of the Redbirds prepares to hit a backhand return vs. Marion on Friday in No. 2 doubles action at Alton High. Durr teamed with Adam Kane at No. 2 doubles.
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Photo by Bill Roseberry
Alton's Walker Moan follows through on a serve against Marion on Friday at AHS during No. 1 doubles action.
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Photo by Bill Roseberry
Alton's Ben Simansky cracks a forehand return against Marion on Friday in No. 2 singles action at Alton High during the first day of the Edwardsville Invitational.
EDWARDSVILLE – Like father, like son. Like mother, like son, too.
Zachary Trimpe, a freshman tennis player at Edwardsville High, is following in his parents’ footsteps as a talented athlete.
Dad Trevor played basketball at Havana High and Bradley University. Mom Dina Lombardi was a standout tennis player at Granite City High.
“They’ve had a lot of influence on me,” said Zach Trimpe, playing mostly No. 1 singles and doubles at EHS. “My dad showed me how to strive for the best and have a competitive spirit. My mom has always been supportive of me.”
Trimpe supplied plenty of support to Edwardsville’s effort the past weekend in the Tigers’ 22nd annual Invitational. He won 7 of his 8 matches in singles/doubles play as Edwardsville went 3-1 overall, including a pair of wins Saturday, to finish fifth in the rugged 16-team Champions Flight.
“A fifth-place finish is pretty good in this tournament,” Edwardsville coach Dave Lipe said of the high-class competition. “This tournament is a great way to get better. We can use this as a practice lab.”
Powerful St. Xavier of Louisville, Ky., defeated MICDS of St. Louis, 4-1, at Lewis and Clark Community College for the Champions Flight title. New Trier’s Blue squad, which defeated Edwardsville, 10-2, on Friday, finished fourth. New Trier’s Green group took third.
“It’s the deepest, strongest field we have had in the history of the tournament,” Lipe said. “There were more good teams this year.”
That’s why the two-day event featured three divisions, including the 16-team Challengers Flight and the 14-team Futures Flight. Chatham Glenwood defeated Metamora, 3-2, for the Challengers championship and the O’Fallon junior varsity team shaded Robinson, 3-2, for the Futures title.
Alton went 2-2 in the Challengers Flight and finished 15th. Civic Memorial was 2-2 in the Futures Flight and came in 11th. Metro East Lutheran was 1-3 and took eighth. Individually, Jonah Wilson went 3-1 for the Knights.
“I’m very happy with the way we played,” AHS coach Robert Logan said. “The kids have been playing well all season considering what we lost through graduation. This is a tough tournament, but if gives you a chance to gauge what your kids can do.”
Logan pointed to play of senior Jett Durr and juniors Silas Chapman and Adam Kane in stirring the 5-5 Redbirds. They lost to Homewood-Flossmoor, 3-2 on Friday, before beating Marion. The Redbirds then bowed to Centralia, 4-1 on Saturday, but bested Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, 4-1.
“I like the way Dave (Lipe) sets up this tournament,” Logan said. “He does it the right way where the best teams play the best teams.”
CM lost to the O’Fallon junior varsity team, 4-1, on Friday, then beat Flora, 8-1. The Eagles fell to the Chaminade junior varsity squad of St. Louis, 3-2, on Saturday and then closed with a 3-2 win over Salem.
MELHS bested Salem, 3-2, and lost to Highland, 4-1, the first day. The Knights lost to Belleville East junior varsity team, 4-1, and bowed to the Triad junior varsity squad, 4-1, on Saturday.
Edwardsville downed Chaminade, 4-1, on Friday before falling to New Trier Blue, 10-2. The host Tigers scored a pair of victories on a windy, chilly Saturday against Chicagoland teams. They walloped Downers Grove South, 8-1, and Hinsdale South, 9-3.
“It’s a great tournament from a competitive standpoint and economic one,” Lipe said. “Of the 46 teams in it, 26 are out-of-town teams that stay in local hotels. We figured that those teams and their fans accounted for 208 rooms this weekend.”
He added, “We also have nearly all the local teams in this tourney, too. That’s why the sponsors are a huge part of it.”
Alex Gray, Erik Weiler, Luke Motley, Seth Lipe, Ben Bequette, Logan Pursell and Dan Thomas joined Trimpe in boosting the Tigers’ stock. They own a 7-3 record.
“Zach’s a superior athlete and a great competitor,” Lipe said. “He’s adept at playing big-time tennis tournaments.”
Trimpe, also a solid golfer, relished the rigors of the Tigers’ invite.
“It was a good tournament for me and for our team,” he said. “I like playing No. 1 because it gives me confidence. But tennis is a team sport. It’s not just me.”
Trevor Trimpe excelled on Havana High basketball teams that twice finished fourth in the state —1982 and 1983. After that, he also started and was a co-captain at Bradley when the Hersey Hawkins-led Braves were the scourge of the Missouri Valley Conference.
“Basketball is still big in Havana,” Trevor Trimpe said.
Now, there’s another Trimpe poised to succeed.
“Zach is playing well and is fun to watch,” his dad said. “He started playing tennis and golf at an early age – 7 or 8 years old – and he loves both sports. He really works hard at both of them.”
Mom Dina likely had the major tennis impact.
“The Lombardi family is a big tennis family,” Trevor Trimpe said.
Lipe’s tennis tent continues to grow with the ascent of the Tigers’ Invitational. This year's event showcased competition at 15 sites in 2 counties.
“We want to find the best teams possible to play in it,” he said. “No matter where you are, we want you. And I think we have room for two more teams next year.”