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KINGSTON – Allison Joanlanne won’t forget Eamon Gibbons as a freshman.
A quiet young man, the Wyoming Seminary head coach was impressed by his knowledge of the game, and how hard he was willing to work each and every day.
Yet, one thing stood out.
“He was so polite and respectful,” Joanlanne said. “He always treated everyone with respect. It didn’t matter if it was family, friends, teammates or his opponent. That’s how I knew Eamon was going to develop into a great young man.”
Gibbons also developed into a champ. He helped guide Sem to a District 2 Class 2A team title with a victory over Scranton Prep, and also had gold placed around his neck after he partnered with Andrew Schukraft to win a district doubles’ title.
Gibbons, a senior, has been named Times Leader Boys’ Tennis Player of the Year.
“The memories with the team were some of the best times of my life,” he said. “During practice, after matches or just in classes. I’m glad that I was able to play at Sem. Districts came up on us quickly because of the snow storm. And it’s already a short season the way it was. It went by quickly. Freshman and sophomore year, you know in the back of your mind that you have a few more years of this. This year, I was thinking to myself, ‘Where did it all go?’”
Gibbons has been a fixture in the Wyoming Seminary starting lineup since his freshman year. He started in a doubles’ spot, but as a sophomore, worked his way to No. 1 singles – where he has played for the past three years.
“My sophomore year, it was tough because I was younger,” Gibbons said. “There is a lot of good competition, especially when you start playing Prep and traveling to some of these tournaments outside of the area. You see that competition each match. I’m honored that I was able to hold that position for so long.”
Yet, the soft-spoken senior doesn’t focus on himself.
Ask him about his final year at Sem, and he doesn’t talk about his singles’ play.
Instead, it’s about the district team victory over Scranton Prep or teaming up with Schukraft for the gold in doubles.
Really, that team victory over Scranton Prep was the icing on the cake. But it didn’t stop there as Sem went on to beat Lancaster Mennonite and Quaker Valley at the state tournament before bowing out to Lancaster Country Day in the 2A semifinals.
“Our main goal was to win that team title because Scranton Prep kind of had our number in the past,” Gibbons said. “It was awesome. Everyone was just so focused on getting to that match, and beating Prep. Finally getting there, and winning, it was something. I’ll never forget the looks on everyone’s face and the excitement. It’s a great memory for me. It was tense at times, at least for me. Our coach just told us to focus on your match, and don’t let anything distract you. I lost my match to a really good player, which I was disappointed with. But I saw that we were up in other matches, and I thought that we would be fine.”
After earning a silver medal in singles’ play, Gibbons and Schukraft rolled through district doubles – including a huge win over Prep’s Jack Habeeb and Rhys Kelly in the final. It was a match where the Sem boys won 12 of the 14 games contested.
“My partner Andrew is one of my good friends, and we didn’t have the opportunity to partner up as juniors,” Gibbons said. “Winning a district gold is always special, but sharing the honor with him was even better. I think we could have gone a little further than we did at states, but just being there as a senior is what you hope for. The experience was nice. That was my first time at tennis states. I wouldn’t want to end it any other way.”
Tennis doesn’t end for Gibbons. These days, he can be found working on his game at Birchwood or sliding across the clay at the Scranton Tennis Club. It’s all about preparing for the future as Gibbons will play tennis at Hamilton College in the fall where he’ll focus on biology and environmental science.
He’s ready for the challenge, and Joanlanne knows her former player will be ready.
“Eamon has been playing for a long time, so he knows what to expect,” Joanlanne said. “I told him he was going to have to work that much harder because college tennis is a different game. And he will. There’s no doubt that he has the drive and passion to succeed. That’s the kind of person Eamon is.”