H.S. tennis: State berth proves a dream come true for Abilene High's Sullivan
Griffin Sullivan rarely let himself dream about going to state in tennis.
He knew that as long as Abilene High was in Region I-6A with state powerhouses such as Plano West and Southlake Carroll, it was unlikely he ever would get out of region.
“I imagined it a few times, but, honestly, I didn’t expect to get this far in all four years of my high school here,” Sullivan said. “Being in 6A, I knew it would be a lot tougher.”
Then to Sullivan’s surprise, AHS dropped to Class 5A this school year. Until then, the Eagles always had been in the UIL’s largest class.
That opened the door for Sullivan, who earned his first state berth as the Region I-5A runnerup.
“I couldn’t have anticipated the move down to 5A,” Sullivan said. “That opened up the possibility, and it feels amazing to accomplish that.”
Until the Region I-5A tournament in Lubbock, Sullivan never got past the first round in two other region appearances.
AHS coach Stacy Bryan was thrilled to see her senior finally do so – and more.
“Griffin is such a class act both on and off the court, and it’s such a privilege to coach him every day,” Bryan said. “He leads by example, and he’s a wonderful leader. He has worked extremely hard for this opportunity.”
The seeds for this year’s success might have been planted at the District 2-6A tournament the year before. Odessa High’s Nithin Reddy beat Sullivan 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 in the championship match.
“That didn’t set well with him,” Bryan said. “He’s a nice guy, but when he gets on the court, he’s very competitive. He likes to win. So, after last year, he’s like, ‘I’m winning it next year.’
"That was his goal.”
Griffin won the District 4-5A boys singles title this year, beating Wylie’s Brandon Cowling 6-1, 6-2 in the championship match.
While Bryan had an idea Griffin was poised to finally break through at the region tournament, her focus had less to do with tennis and more on his mindset.
“The main thing with Griffin, I just wanted him to relax,” Bryan said. “The week between district and regional, I spent that time just trying not to put any pressure on him. We didn’t even discuss the possibility of going to state, even though in my mind I knew it was a possibility. I’m not sure what he was thinking.”
Third time's the charm?
Sullivan opened the region tournament with wins over El Paso Parkland’s Isaias Lomeli 6-1, 6-3 and Wichita Falls Rider’s Chaitanya Reddy 7-5, 6-2 to reach the region semifinals.
Sullivan beat Mansfield Timberview’s Olise Roberts 6-2, 6-2 to set up a finals match with Amarillo Tascosa’s Ethan Ruppanner.
“They were good, and it was tough,” Bryan said. “Griffin stayed so focused throughout the whole tournament. We knew it was going to be tough against (Ruppanner) in the finals. That guy is pretty stout. I knew there was a pretty good possibility of a playback.”
Ruppanner, the No. 1 seed, beat the second-seeded Sullivan 6-2, 6-3 to earn his third consecutive state appearance.
Doing it the hard way
The loss, coupled with Cowling’s 7-6 (6), 6-3 win over Roberts in the third-place match, forced Sullivan to face a playback with Cowling for the second and final state berth.
Bryan, who has had several players in the past face playback matches, knew how to approach the situation.
“I’ve been on the winning side, and I’ve been on the losing side of them,” Bryan said. “When it comes to playbacks, there’s no strategy. That goes out the window. It’s all mental.
“From the time we knew he was going to have a playback until the time he stepped back on the court, all we talked about was mental toughness.”
Bryan sensed Sullivan – facing the biggest match of his high school career this far – was ready for the moment.
“From the time we left the hotel to go back to play the playback, I could see it in his eyes,” she said. “I knew he wasn’t going to lose that playback match. He played with a lot of confidence.”
Sullivan dispatched Cowling 6-3, 6-3. Just like that, the moment he had dreamt suddenly came true.
“It was incredible,” Sullivan said. “I mean, it felt amazing to think I was going to state. I had so many people there supporting me, and so many people back home supporting me. It was just amazing the outpouring of support I felt at regionals, especially afterward that I won and the news got out that I was advancing to state. I feel like it’s the perfect way to end my tennis career.”
Tough draw at state
Sullivan plays Frisco Liberty’s Sanjheev Rao in the opening round of the Class 5A state tournament at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Northside Tennis Center in Helotes, near San Antonio.
Rao won the mixed doubles title last year with Milla Dopson, who qualified for state in girls doubles this year.
Should Sullivan get past Rao, Fort Bend Kempner’s Noey Do, the defending state champion, likely will be waiting in the next round – the state semifinals.
The finals will be played Wednesday at Northside Tennis Center.
“Anyone at state is going to be tough, whether it’s first round, second round or finals,” Bryan said. “He’s gotten this far, and you never know what you can do. He’s going to play his hardest.
“I tell the kids each time they play a match the most important thing is to have fun. This is no different. You’ve got to have fun with it. That’s what we’re going to tell Griffin – go have fun and enjoy it and just go play.
“He always tells me before he plays, ‘I’m just going to try my hardest,’ and he always does every single time.”
A bit of history
Sullivan is AHS’ first state tennis qualifier since Kaitlyn Strain and Ruth Hill made it to the state semifinals in the Class 6A girls doubles in 2021.
He is the first boy from AHS to go to state in tennis since Lane Adkins teamed with Rachel Funk in mixed doubles in 2016.
Yet when it comes to boys singles, Sullivan is only the second AHS player to reach state. The first was Leo Brady, who won a state title in 1931.
“I’m just going to go for it and do my best,” Sullivan said. “I don’t feel any pressure at this point, because I’ve already surpassed the expectations and reached my goals. I’m just going to do my best. I don’t know anything about who I’m playing. I just know they’ll be really good. I’m just going to go out there and enjoy the experience.”
Sullivan, who won’t be playing college tennis when he enrolls at Abilene Christian in the fall, has enjoyed the ride.
“I’m just grateful for all the support from coaches, family and friends,” Sullivan said. “It’s been amazing.”
Class 5A state tournament
At Northside Tennis Center, Helotes
Tuesday-Wednesday
Boys Singles (8 a.m.) – Noey Do, Fort Bend Kempner, vs. Rowan Olsen, Smithson Valley; Griffin Sullivan, Abilene High, vs. Sanjheev Rao, Frisco Liberty; Ethan Ruppanner, Amarillo Tascosa, vs. Jack Yurich, Dallas Hillcrest; Alan Gonzalez, Mission Sharyland, vs. Andrew Lavine, Austin McCallum.
Boys Doubles (8 a.m.) – Shriyan Daggumalli/Aravind Sridhar, Frisco Centennial, vs. Ethan Carter/Diego Garcia, Harlingen South; Grant Bristow/Conner Brown, Abilene Wylie, vs. Ted Gershon/William Gu, Austin LASA; Hugo Garcia/Guillermo Garcia, Mission Sharyland, vs. Erick Van Zyl/Luke Archer, Longview; Kelton Brown/Wade Bryant, Amarillo High, vs. Ethan Eberhardt/Michael Lanni, Friendswood.
Mixed Doubles (9:15 a.m.) – Carly Bontke/Marshall McPherson, Abilene Wylie, vs. Diego Salvo/Daniela Casas, McAllen Memorial; Paxton O’Shea/Maya Diyasheva, College Station, vs. Isabella Smith/Max Henderson, Frisco Reedy; Trevor Short/Stealey Crousen, Abilene Wylie, vs. Shannon Barton/Lucas Aiden, Leander Rouse; Ashna Potluri/Aaditt Rishi, Frisco Lebanon Trail, vs. Sebastian Delgado/Andrea Delgado, Richmond Foster.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene High's Sullivan relishes first state tennis berth
