All-First Coast boys tennis player of the year: Chase Healey, Christ's Church

It took 99 years for any Jacksonville tennis player to achieve Chase Healey's feat.

But to the Christ's Church Academy junior, victory at the state championships at first didn't feel all that far from business as usual.

"I didn't know at the time [about the 99-year milestone]," he said. "I read about it afterward."

In a feat not accomplished in Jacksonville for nearly a century, Healey repeated as a Florida High School Athletic Association singles champion on his way to the Times-Union's All-First Coast player of the year award in boys tennis for 2022.

Meet the team: All-First Coast 2022 high school boys tennis for Northeast Florida

2022 champion: Chase Healey of Christ's Church Academy repeats as high school boys tennis champion

A look back: Chase Healey wins 2021 Florida high school tennis championship

Healey repeated as champion of the FHSAA Class 1A boys individual singles tournament at Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford to conclude another year of challenging and beating opponents whatever the ranking, whatever the size.

"He wants to walk off every match knowing he's hit better backhands, hit better forehands, improved his first serve percentage," Christ's Church tennis coach Margaret Tucker said. "To him, every match is almost like his own practice session. He's always trying to one-up himself."

Jacksonville's last back-to-back boys champion was George Yenawine, who won the FHSAA's first two championships in 1922 and 1923. Yenawine's school, Duval High School, closed down four years later, giving way to the trio of Jackson, Landon and Lee that competed with each other for honors in the city's high school scene for the next quarter-century.

That's 99 years since the city's last consecutive state boys tennis champion — a feat that Healey didn't know entering the final, but appreciates now.

The key to success for Healey? The hours on the tennis courts, and the hours in the gym.

"The thing that Chase did remarkably well is he continued to put the time in on the courts," Tucker said. "Even after our school practices, he'd shift to another court and spend another hour, an hour and a half."

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Meet the team: All-First Coast 2022 high school girls tennis for Northeast Florida

This season, Healey particularly focused his energy on building muscle and gaining strength, a grueling routine that he said also helped develop his mental toughness. Many days, he said, he spent an hour or more in the gym following a long workout on the tennis court.

"Sometimes it can be seen as a job, but I enjoy it," Healey said.

"I've been doing this a long time and I've never seen that kind of work ethic," Tucker said.

Healey's fitness routine particularly paid off in the Class 1A final.

Taking on Dylan Chang of Miami True North on a sun-scorched midday court just outside Orlando, he fought back from a first-set deficit to win 4-6, 6-4, 10-7.

"I could see him slowing down, and I knew I still had a little more left," Healey said.

Teamwork and team spirit helped make the difference. A group of Eagles teammates made the trip down from Jacksonville's Southside to cheer Healey on through the tournament.

Healey doesn't plan to let up entering his senior season, especially with another page of history within his sights.

FHSAA records list only six back-to-back-to-back boys singles champions in Florida history, none from Jacksonville: Martin Buxby (Miami Senior, 1927-29), Frank Guernsey (Orlando, 1933-35), Buddy Behrens (Fort Lauderdale, 1945-47), Michael Belkin (Miami Beach, 1961-63), Blaine Willenborg (Archbishop Curley, 1976-78) and Alexander Bogomolov (Miami Sunset, 1999-2001).

This year, a Northeast Florida first for 99 years. Next year, a Northeast Florida first for all time?

"I'm going to be working just as hard for next year," Healey said.

Chase Healey, boys tennis

Christ's Church, junior

Age: 17

Resume: Repeated as Class 1A boys individual singles champion. ... Became Jacksonville's first back-to-back FHSAA individual singles champion since 1923. ... Also qualified for state doubles tournament with Eagles teammate Caleb Shepler. ... Still evaluating college options. 

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Chase Healey of Christ's Church Academy: 2022 All-First Coast tennis