Highland senior netter Allen caps terrific career with IHSA Class 1A state appearance

Highland senior Sutherland Allen’s trip to the state tournament did not start well but he still managed to hang around for at least three matches before his time was done.

Allen finished his weekend Saturday, June 12, with a win and two losses in the IHSA Class 1A singles consolation top half bracket at Vernon Hills High School in Vernon Hills.

“He got a lot of hours of tennis during a state tournament with lots of great players up there. You’re hoping to get a win and hope that your draw allows you to play somebody that you can beat. He was able to do that, and that was good,” said Bulldogs coach Matt Pellock.

Allen opened his tournament appearance Friday, June 11, with a championship bracket first-round match against Brecken Peterson of Sterling High School and lost 6-1, 6-1.

“That first match at state was really early in the morning, and I remember having a hard time getting close in to the net and really trying to find the court whenever I was hitting the ball,” Allen said. “It was tough to kind of finish off those points, and the first time at state is a little nerve-wracking.”

Later that day, Allen rebounded in the first round of the consolation bracket. He struggled early but regrouped and rolled to a 6-2, 6-1 straight-set win over Curt Robinson from Carbondale High School.

“It ended up being 1-2, and I was down and then things turned around after that (first) set and I think he (Robinson) got a bit tired,” Allen said. “I was trying to keep the ball in, and I really wanted that game basically. I really wanted to be able to say I walked away with a win at state, and I think I just wanted it that much more than him.”

Tough loss, great cap to career

In the second round of the consolation bracket, Lisle Benet Academy’s Alex Brown proved to be a bit too much for Allen. Brown ended Allen’s drive to advance through the consolation bracket in a hard-fought three-set match 6-2, 2-6, 6-0.

“It was a really hard-fought game,” Allen said. “I was able to win that second set, and my strokes were feeling good. I was in the zone, and I just couldn’t keep it there for that third set.”

“In the third set of the match, he kind of started losing his serve a little bit, and that one kind of got away (from him),” Pellock said.

All things considered, the state trip was a good end to Allen’s career as a Highland Bulldog netter.

“It was a lot of new experiences for a lot of these seniors up there,” Pellock said. “It was the same for him, and it was a big goal for him. He was able to go up there and play, and we’re thankful that we were able to go up there and play because we didn’t know if that was possible at the beginning of the season (because of COVID-19).”

Allen cherishes state showing, praising others

The state experience is one Allen leaves feeling good about.

“Overall, it was a good experience playing at state and having the support from my team,” Allen said.

Allen credited Pellock and former Bulldogs Connor Barton, Dylan Barghetzi, and Nathaniel English with helping make the run to the state tournament this spring.

“There’s a whole bunch of names that helped me get there — coach Pellock and other seniors before such as Connor Barton, Dylan Barghetzi, and Nathaniel English — that all pushed me to where I am today,” Allen said.

This story was originally published June 13, 2021 at 12:00 AM.