The third time was the charm for Barrington High School senior Jason Scanlon.
On Sunday, the Eagles' top singles player defeated Smithfield's Sam Miller in the finals of the state singles tennis …
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The third time was the charm for Barrington High School senior Jason Scanlon.
On Sunday, the Eagles' top singles player defeated Smithfield's Sam Miller in the finals of the state singles tennis tournament, 6-3, 7-5, and joined an elite list of Rhode Island's top high school netters. It was the third time in the last three years that Scanlon had reached the finals — as a sophomore he lost to Matt Kuhar, and as a junior he fell to Zach Johnson.
"It felt like a giant weight was lifted," said Scanlon during a recent interview. "It was definitely a relief."
Scanlon was relentless during Sunday's championship match. Against the hard-hitting Miller, Scanlon covered the court well and returned nearly everything that came his way.
"That was my philosophy — get everything back," he said.
Barrington coach Marvin Gordon agreed. He said Scanlon was impressive throughout the tournament and especially in the finals.
"He gets 90 percent of his opponents' shots back. His anticipation is great. His footwork is great. His fundamentals are great. His competitive instincts are great," said Gordon.
Scanlon captured the first set 6-3 against Miller. In the second set, both players worked hard to win points. With the set tied at 5-5, Scanlon broke Miller and then went on to win 7-5. The match had been delayed for about an hour because of rain on Sunday afternoon.
"I thought the match could have gone either way," said Gordon. "That's how close it was."
The championship win was cherished by Scanlon, who thanked his family, friends, teammates and coaches for their support during his entire high school career.
"I'm so grateful for it all," he said.
Scanlon started playing tennis when he was just five years old, then hitting with his sister Courtney. She was on hand Sunday to watch her brother win the title. Scanlon said he was a high school freshman when he set the goal of winning the state singles tournament.
"I've put in so much hard work," he said.
Scanlon, who is 19-0 this season, will attend Tufts University next year, and will play tennis and squash for the Jumbos.
The Eagles boys' tennis team will begin the Division I state team tournament on Thursday. Barrington will host East Greenwich at 3:30.
Barrington senior wins states
Jason Scanlon battled some tough competition en route to his Rhode Island State Singles Tournament Championship on Sunday.
• First round: Defeated Scituate's Brian Heston, 6-0, 6-1
• Second round: Defeated Hendricken's Aditya Kini, 6-0, 6-0
• Quarterfinals: Defeated South Kingstown's Greg Rendine, 6-0, 6-2
• Semifinals: Defeated Classical's Austen Clark, 6-2, 7-5
• Finals: Defeated Smithfield's Sam Miller, 6-3, 7-5