Just a few months ago, an SUV pulled up the curb outside of Fairfield Junior/Senior High School and an exhausted by bright-eyed Brayden Miller stepped from the vehicle to dozens of community members who celebrated him as Fairfield’s first-ever boys golf state champion. He admitted later he didn’t know what to say, how to act, other than just try to be himself.
Fast forward to October, and Fairfield once again was preparing for the potential of another of its sports superstars to come home as a state champion. Perhaps quieter and more reserved than Miller, Garrett Stoltzfus had made a high school tennis career out of just going about his business. He let his play do the talking, and found himself as a senior just a pair of wins from Fairfield tennis immorality.
“I’m more of a quiet player,” offered Stoltzfus, just a few days after returning from the IHSAA Boys Tennis State Finals individual tournament. “I’m not super aggressive, I don’t like to get loud. I just try to hit my spots, rush the net, put the ball away as quick as I can. I’m not out there trying to show anyone up, I’m just wanting to play good tennis.”
Stoltzfus was two wins away from having to make arrangements with Benton Fire, working into the final four of the state finals. While he was 29-0 heading into the final bracket, he was on the same side of the draw as the other undefeated singles player, Hank Lin of Columbus North. That would prove to be the biggest hurdle Stoltzfus had faced all year.
To consider, Stoltzfus had not trailed in a set all season until the state semi-final showdown with Lin. He had not had his serve broken more than once in any of his previous contests, and had knocked off some of the top players in the northern half of the state, including Penn’s Chris Chen and Fort Wayne Carroll’s Andrew Jamison.
But Lin proved why he was the top player in the state, breaking Stoltzfus’s serve in the first set, and after Stoltzfus made some adjustments to how he would resume attack on the Columbus star, Lin countered with shots Stoltzfus hadn’t seen all season. It was quite a humbling couple of hours.
“I didn’t expect all of his crazy drop shots and placements, just tried to keep a level head and work on my mental game,” said Stoltzfus, who also noted Lin had the best placement he’d seen all season. “I thought if I could counter some of his shots, I could pull back. I went up 2-1 in the second set and was feeling good, and he was cooling off a little; I was firing up. But from there, I didn’t focus as well as I should have. But overall, that’s the best match I was in. If you’re going to lose, might as well be against the state champion.”
So, Stoltzfus didn’t come back to Elkhart County with a state tennis championship. That’s fact. But there are other facts that will carry with his name for some time. Let’s break down why legendary Fairfield tennis coach Mike Filbrun considers Stoltzfus as the greatest player in Fairfield boys tennis history:
88 singles wins. 30 wins in a season. First player in Fairfield tennis history to make the Final Four. First player to get First Team All-State. First player to get Second Team All-State. Most tournament wins in NECC history. Four-time All-NECC. All of the individual invitational and tournament championships, the list goes on.
“In my mind, Garrett has nothing left to prove,” Filbrun said. “Both on and off the court Garrett has been nothing less than spectacular. His attitude, effort, and sportsmanship have been outstanding. He has been a terrific role model for the younger players.”
Continued Filbrun, “Fairfield has had one boys tennis player named First Team All-State, Garrett Stoltzfus. Fairfield has had one boys tennis player named Second Team All-State, Garrett Stoltzfus. Garrett holds the record for wins in a single season and career wins. Every win except for one was at one singles. Fairfield has had a lot of terrific players over the years, so when I say this, it does not diminish their accomplishments, but Garrett Stoltzfus is the greatest player in the history of the program.”
Sitting in the large conference room at Fairfield, Stoltzfus was aware of some of his final statistics, like his overall final record and senior season awards. One footnote he did have an opinion on was a Golden Match, perhaps the most mind-boggling feat Stoltzfus - or any tennis player - could achieve.
On Sept. 12 at Lakeland, Stoltzfus was paired against Maxwell Mishler. Starting off hot, Stoltzfus set the tone quickly that this might be a quick match.
“I was definitely thinking about it going into the match,” offered Stoltzfus. “I knew coming into the season, there would be some inexperienced players I would see. I knew Lakeland was one of them. Honestly, I was thinking about maybe a golden set. Try to keep the ball in play and wait for him to miss. I got past the set and was locked in. So I kept going.”
As he kept going, the consistency remained, and the points continued to stack. A 6-0, 6-0 finish wasn’t anything new to a one singles matchup, but what had happened was Stoltzfus hadn’t made an error. No double faults on serves. No shots wide. No unforced errors. It was 48 straight points for Stoltzfus, Mishler unable to counter anything in the shutout, leaving Stoltzfus with the first recorded Golden Match in school history.
“I think I only had two second serves. My ground strokes were really working.”
Without the state title on his final résumé, Stoltzfus likely will be best known for the Golden Match. Or the all-time wins, which he broke with Matt Fox on hand to congratulate him in September, Stoltzfus beating Goshen to get his 81st win. What you won’t remember about Stoltzfus is anything cocky or flamboyant that sometimes comes with one singles divas, Stoltzfus quite the opposite.
A humble and reserved champion in his own right. Just how he likes it.
“Overall, I feel like I let my play do the talking. Tried to represent my team, my family and myself as well as I could.”