Two boys, two different grades and two different lives. Both of these boys have one thing in common, Eric Shrader (12) and Keith Crawford (9) met only a month ago and are now doubles partners for tennis. On Sept. 3, the duo went head-to-head with the Crown Point Bulldogs.

“They’re a very quick team and they’re athletic together. They fought back, the team they played has been playing two years together, and these boys are both first-year players,” Josh Wierzba, Assistant Coach said.

The boys struggled at first but soon came back. Shrader and Crawford were close to winning every game, lacking only two or three points. Unfortunately, the tag team lost both sets 6-1.

“We played better than the score showed. We’ve only been partners for a few weeks and have played four matches together,” Shrader said.

Crawford and Shrader are an unexpected team. Crawford, only a freshman, and Shrader, a senior who is also twice the size of his teammate, have adapted to the game and learned the necessary skills.

“I played tennis in elementary school and then stopped. But I came back fresh this year in my freshman year,” Crawford said.

Though the game was not in their favor, the boys kept a straight face and learned from their mistakes.

“We realized what we have to work on and we’re going to come back better than ever,” Shrader said.