Creighton commit Rocky McKenzie aiming for fifth team state championship with Lincoln

Rocky McKenzie’s life changed when he was just 13 years old.

McKenzie saw the Creighton Bluejays tennis team play in the Adult Open and was mesmerized by their game and how much fun they seemed to have while playing.

“Since then I’ve always wanted to wear the blue,” McKenzie said.

The Lincoln senior pursued that goal relentlessly and left a trail of domination in his wake. Since he joined the Patriots varsity team in seventh grade he’s won four state championships with Lincoln, he's gone undefeated in singles play, and has only lost a doubles match in his first year playing varsity.

“It's just lights out every time he goes out on the court,” Lincoln tennis coach Tom Krueger said.

McKenzie has always had the skill to draw Division I interest, but what's separated him on the court is how hard he plays on every point, even when he can win most matches on his talent alone.

“I've always been taught, why would I do something if I didn't try my best at it,” McKenzie said. “This is just a smaller denomination of that effort. Why play a point if I'm not going to try my hardest to win it?”

That effort and determination extended towards making his dream of playing for Creighton come true, both on the court and outside of it. When Creighton hired Gerhard Posch, the new men’s tennis coach, over the summer, McKenzie gave him a couple weeks to settle into his new role before reaching out to let him know he was interested in playing for the Bluejays.

McKenzie went on an official visit in the fall and really connected with Posch. He fell right back into his “childhood obsession” with Creighton. Over the years he’d always wondered if he could make it to Creighton, get to play in their facilities and rep their colors. It’s a large part of what’s motivated him to keep pushing as hard as he has throughout his high school tennis career.

After his visit, Posch kept in touch with McKenzie and watched him play in a few tournaments.

In February, McKenzie sat in his room, staring at his phone. He was waiting for a call from the Creighton head coach. He didn’t know what the call was going to be about, but once he picked it up and heard Posch offer him a scholarship, a wave of relief washed over him.

McKenzie officially signed his letter of intent to play at Creighton on May 1.

Lincoln is aiming for its10th consecutive state tennis championship

The Lincoln tennis team is practicing in early May, only a week before they are set to defend their state championship. The Patriots have won nine consecutive state championships and are seeking their 10th.

McKenzie and fellow senior Drew Gohl played a couple sets with their younger teammates. After a volley from McKenzie's team, a teammate ran towards the well-hit ball, skidding across the court to try to return it.

“Do not slide on hard courts,” McKenzie told his younger teammate, worried that his ankle might buckle. “That scares me.”

McKenzie is just one of the senior leaders of the group, and as such, he feels partly responsible for ensuring the Lincoln winning culture is passed down to the next generation. For him, that means nurturing the younger guys but not babying them. Being honest about where they can improve while remaining respectful. He said he tries to pass down that culture by coming out and having fun while also making sure everyone is working hard and staying focused.

He’s quick to praise the Patriots up-and-comers, calling seventh grader Simeon Seruyange “a beauty,” before adding that he’ll be a stud someday.

The Lincoln boys tennis team is undefeated this year and has only dropped a couple individual matches all season. While Krueger has coached the Patriots to nine consecutive state championships, he said each of those championship-winning teams has been unique.

This year’s team, Krueger said, is just overwhelmingly strong in the way they play, in how hard they hit the ball. Additionally, opposing coaches have gone out of their way to tell him how much their players enjoy facing Lincoln because, while they get beat, they know the Patriots players won’t try to humiliate them.

“They’re just an awesome group of kids,” Kruger said.

The Patriots will be gunning for their 10th consecutive state title beginning on Thursday when the AA state tennis tournament kicks off in Rapid City.

“It's a humbling experience to be part of that,” Krueger said. “You think of 10 years … to have that many different players participate in record-setting, things like this is pretty exciting to have that many people going after it together.”

Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at@JFERN31

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Rocky McKenzie aiming for fifth team title with Lincoln boys tennis