BVA’s Henson captures section tennis title

He defeated South Park’s Jonah Jasek, 6-1,6-1, in the championship match.

Although his school doesn’t have a boys tennis team, Belle Vernon’s Max Henson claimed an individual section championship Thursday with a win over South Park’s Jonah Jasek, and he’s hoping for more success moving forward.

Henson made it to the Section 2-2A championship after battling against the best singles players from Carlynton, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, Montour, Ringgold, Seton LaSalle and South Park on Wednesday and Thursday, leading to a match against Jasek to claim the section crown.

He took that match in dominant fashion, winning 6-1, 6-1 to capture his first section title after not playing highschool tennis as a freshman and sophomore.

“I felt good with the win,” Henson said. “I think going into it I had the most experience of the players that were in it, so I kind of had an advantage. I thought I came out intense and hit big shots to big targets, that’s what I work on a lot with my coaches. I also thought I served the ball really well. But I felt like I performed well and I was able to get the job done.

“I do want to give (Jonah) his credit as well because he hit some really good shots, I would just say he wasn’t quite as consistent as me. But he’s a great player and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Henson has been a top player in the area for some time, committing to Cleveland State this past fall to play Division I tennis. Belle Vernon coach Steve Dusi called Henson a “hidden gem in the Valley” as a player with a fantastic serve and a strong game overall.

“He’s an excellent player,” he said. “He’s ranked highly in the country because he plays a lot of the national tournaments that give you ranking points and everything. He’s just a super strong player and a really good kid.”

Dusi went on to add that Henson could be one of the main contenders for the WPIAL championship, which will play out Tuesday and Wednesday at Bethel Park, and contend for the PIAA title as well.

Henson isn’t looking that far ahead. But he is looking forward to taking on strong competition throughout the rest of the postseason.

“It would be great to win WPIALs and have a chance to go to states, but I don’t want to get cocky because I know there’s some good players in the WPIAL tournament,” he said. “I don’t want to look ahead, but it would be really cool to win. I just want to take it one point at a time, one match at a time, and do my best.”

Henson said some of the national tournaments he has participated in have made him much more confident when it comes to taking on local competitors. Not only did those competitions expose him to many strong opponents, but they also got his name out there as he was hoping to find a school to play collegiate tennis.

Henson and his family worked with recruiting services to have his game spread to many different universities and coaches, and it was Cleveland State coach Brian Etzkin who took a heavy interest in his game.

Etzkin reached out to the Henson family and even watched the Leopard play in Florida before informing him that he would be offered a spot with the program, and Henson took a visit before making his commitment.

For now, Henson is enjoying his junior season and success he’s having representing Belle Vernon. There’s far more tennis to be played in his career, and he’s aiming to get bigger and better every time he hits the court.

“I’m happy that I’m moving forward and progressing well, but I also want to make sure that I’m not losing discipline and I’m still putting in the work,” Henson said. “It’s just about making sure that I’m not getting lazy because I’m progressing a lot, but I still have a long way to go. I want to keep grinding, keep doing well at school, and keep improving.”

Henson credited his family and friends as well as his coaches at Greensburg Racquet Club and elsewhere who have helped motivate him and coach him up. With this being the first season that Henson is competing within the WPIAL, perhaps he’ll open the eyes of Western Pennsylvania with his performances over the next month.