New Trier singles stars seeded 1-2

Shakespeare’s Henry IV famously lamented, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” 

Unless, of course, you’re the New Trier boys tennis team. 

The Trevians started the year chasing history. Now they’re looking to ride it out. Last year, the Trevians rode the spectacular play of singles champion Robert Stineman to end Hinsdale Central’s three-year championship reign.

With state tournament play set to begin Thursday at several northwest suburban high school sites, the Trevians are poised to cap a brilliant season with a state championship run and stake a claim as one of the greatest teams in state history. New Trier won seven major tournaments, the Central Suburban League and its own sectional last weekend.

Stineman has taken on and beaten all rivals en route to a 33-0 season. The Stanford-bound senior earned the No.1 seed in the singles.

In a stark symbol of the Trevians‘ strength and depth, Stineman’s teammate Jared Hiltzik is the No. 2 singles seed. 

Hiltzik has a 28-3 record, with two of those losses coming to Stineman. Deerfield’s Jason Brown, third a year ago, and Stagg’s Tim Kopkinski, who lost to Stineman in last year’s title match, are the 3-4 seeds. Latin’s Ben Quazzo, sixth a year ago, is another singles player to watch.

If the seeds hold through Saturday’s final at Hersey, the New Trier teammates would become the first players from the same school to play for a state singles title since West Aurora’s Paul Pridmore defeated Blackhawk teammate Jim Panagopoulos in the 1990 state final.

Interestingly, New Trier coach Tad Eckert finished third that season. Playing for New Trier, he won the singles title a year earlier as a junior. “Those West Aurora kids were not the 1-2 seeds, because I was in there,” he said. “Kids like to talk about seeds, and coaches like to talk about finishes.

“Robert’s talked all year about forgetting what happened last year, and just coming out and playing well, and that’s what he has done,” Eckert said.

In doubles, Stevenson’s Robert Putterman and David Packowitz earned the top seed. The two finished state runners-up in 2008 and 2009 before taking a club year sabbatical last season. Lyons’ Jake Elliott and Danny Schuster are the No. 2 seed. Putterman and Packowitz defeated the Lyons duo 6-4, 6-3 at the Hersey Invitational last month.

Oak Park-River Forest’s Devin Jones and Luke Trinka and New Trier’s Drew Campbell and Thomas Fawcett are the 3-4 seeds. 

New Trier’s 18 career titles are three short of Hinsdale Central’s state all-time mark.

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