York County high school tennis player so good he needs to travel to find competition
Holden Koons has gotten accustomed to the 100-mile round trip from Dallastown to Baltimore.
The Dallastown junior tennis star makes the drive twice a week so he can practice against a handful of United States Naval Academy tennis commits. He also frequently trains in Lancaster in addition to playing for the Wildcats high school team.
It's a big commitment for a high school player.
But one that Koons is happy to make.
"It’s definitely worth it," he said. "There’s not much around here to get me a lot better. My dad can drill me and rally with me, but he can't push me in points really."
Since his high school career began in 2016, Koons hasn't been pushed by many York County players. A three-time YAIAA Class 3A singles champ, Koon has yet to lose a singles match prior to the state tournament. While he missed a handful of Dallastown matches while playing in tournaments this spring, he went undefeated in the regular season and dropped just one set to Cathedral Prep star Matthew DeMarco.
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A four-star recruit ranked as the No. 2 junior in Pennsylvania by Tennis Recruiting Network, Koons will play for his third straight District 3 Class 3A singles title this weekend. As long as he finishes in the top three, he'll move on to the state championships, where he'll look to accomplish the one goal that eludes him.
How has Koons become one of the top tennis recruits in the Mid-Atlantic, a player practically unbeatable at the local level?
Years of practice.
And lots of repetition.
"One of the biggest differences between me and these (other YAIAA) guys is I’ve been playing a lot longer," Koons said. "I've been going to these places (like Lancaster's Hempfield Rec Center) since the seventh grade."
Check out a GoPro video giving a firsthand account of what it's like to play tennis against Holden Koons. (Story continues below).
Koons was introduced to tennis at the age of 4 by his father, Mark, a former Red Lion and Shippensburg University star now in his 28th year as the head coach at Dallastown. By the time he was 8, he was traveling to Chicago for his first national tournament.
While he played baseball and basketball growing up, Koons started focusing solely on tennis in middle school. His training schedule has become relentless over the years, as he traveled to tournaments in Massachusetts, Arizona, New Jersey and Georgia just in the past five months.
"We sit together every fall, spring and summer to put together a game plan for his academics and how it's all going to work out," Mark Koons said. "Holden has always been very diligent and responsible and willing to put a lot of time into tennis.
"Earlier (in his life) it was a little more of me pushing him into it. The last two or three years he's taken a leadership role in what tournaments to play and what his training regimen is going to be."
Archives: YAIAA dynasty: Dallastown boys' tennis
That training regimen includes tennis sessions and gym workouts. When he goes to Baltimore and Lancaster, Koons works on his technique, focusing on live-ball drilling, serving and returning and moving toward the net.
Additionally, Koons lifts weights twice a week and does speed, agility, and plyometric training once a week.
And while he works with a number of coaches, he still credits his dad with helping him get where he is.
"He’s definitely important for how much better I’ve gotten," Holden said. "Because from day one he’s the one that brought me up to play tennis."
The junior has visited Division I schools Minnesota, Penn State, UNC-Charlotte, the United States Naval Academy, James Madison and South Carolina, but hasn't made a decision yet. Plus, that's not really his focus right now.
He's determined to win that elusive state title.
As a freshman, Koons lost in the first round of the PIAA tournament to Strath Haven's Xandy Hammitt, who now plays for Drexel. Last season, he won his opening match before losing in three sets in the quarterfinals to Lower Merion's Matt Robinson, a five-star recruit who now trains in Florida.
That's the thing about the PIAA tournament: everyone is really good. Only three YAIAA players have won the state singles title, with West York's Brian Nachtigall last claiming it in 1999.
For his part, Koons isn't getting too nervous thinking about this year's tournament. He's confident in his ability, but aware of how tough the competition will be.
"It’s probably seven guys that are all close to competing for it and hopefully I’ll be able to gut some matches out there," he said. "There’s not really much difference for us ability-wise. The kid I lost to last year, he and I were probably two of the four best players in the tournament and we had to play each other in the quarterfinals. It was kind of unlucky."
From a team standpoint, Dallastown is entering the District 3 tournament as the No. 2 seed with a 12-1 record. Holden's younger brother, Cameron, has been a contributor as a doubles and singles player this season.
"He’s starting to get into it," he said. "Tennis wasn’t his thing for a while, but being around the team he’s gotten a little passion for it now. He’s got a lot of talent that he can bring out.”