LITTLE ROCK — Austin Crawford slumped onto the bench on the tennis court at Burns Park and took a swig of red sports drink.
Ahead 3-0 in the first set of the high school overall state tennis tournament, the mop-topped redhead from Little Rock Central turned and started chatting with his opponent, Conway Christian junior Drew Dodge.
The topic: How Crawford’s job re-stringing tennis rackets was going at Pleasant Valley Country Club.
On an adjacent court, Pulaski Academy’s Jake Jacoby yelled in celebration after pulling out a point during a long rally - the same emotion Crawford displayed in his 6-0, 6-2 quarterfinal victory over Dodge on Wednesday.
But while Crawford remains in tune while in action, he is working to better harness his emotions, especially in between rallies.
“I’m trying to be a little less intense with my attitude on the court,” said Crawford, the defending boys overall singles champion. “It works me up, wastes my energy and gets on other people’s nerves.”
Now Crawford seems placid, but his behavior in the past was never malicious, he said.
“There is kind of a point where I have this attitude where I’m in my own little world,” he said. “I would shrug it off if people said bad stuff. Ultimately, it comes down to being a good person, and if you cross a line, tone it down.”
Crawford and Jacoby will meet today in the semifinals at 10 a.m. at the indoor courts at Burns Park Tennis Center.Fayetteville’s Reed Churchill will play White Hall’s Cole Guy in the other semifinal.
Against Dodge, Crawford moved at a slower pace, taking top spin off his forehands and faintly flipping his wrist on volleys at the net. The softer tactics didn’t dent his game, with Crawford reeling off 13 consecutive games to take the first set in just 24 minutes.
Trudging back to his bag for a break down 5-0, Dodge jokingly looked at his coach and said, ‘I can’t wait until he graduates.’ ”
But Crawford said his staid approach has practical means, too.
“You see guys on TV or other players try to conserve energy between points so they’re at 100-percent full blast while playing,” he said. “Then it’s like they go back to sleep walking.”
Playing and reacting at a full level reared issues over the summer, draining energy and - on at least 12 occasions - left him dehydrated and susceptible to cramps.
“I’d go, go, go, and after a third set of the day my body would give out,” he said. “I’d just seize up all over the place and couldn’t play anymore.”
That doesn’t mean he tries to escape the game entirely, either working near a court or putting in a daily regimen to prepare for another summer before heads off to college next fall.
But he’s also playing more golf, and mulling what life would be like if he didn’t tote a racket bag around.
“I’m stringing rackets because it’s a good way for a teenage kid to make money,” Crawford said. “I just want to get to where I’m playing and practicing to condition my body to handle six or seven sets a day.”Wednesday’s results At Burns Park Tennis Center North Little Rock BOYS SINGLES FIRST ROUND Casey Garetson(Moutain Home) def. Chris Metcalf (Valley View), 7-6, 6-0 Trent Brendon (Episcopal Collegiate) def. Spencer Reaves (Cedar Ridge), 6-1, 6-0 Drew Dodge (Conway Christian) def. Matt Talbert (Hot Springs Lakeside), 6-4, 6-4 Austen McDaniel (Jonesboro) def. Jordan Edmonson (Bergman), 6-4, 6-1 QUARTERFINALS Reed Churchill (Fayetteville) def. Metcalf, 6-0, 6-2 Cole Guy (White Hall) def. Brandon, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 Austin Crawford (Little Rock Central) def. Dodge, 6-0, 6-2 Jake Jacoby (Pulaski Academy) def. McDaniel, Score not available DOUBLES FIRST ROUND McCain/Moore (Greenwood) def. Harris/Chenier (Shiloh Christian), 6-2, 6-2 Hudgens/Messersmith (Hot Springs Lakeside) def. Havens/Langsten (Parkers Chapel) Turney/McIntyre (Episcopal Collegiate) def. Eubanks/Reeves (Ridgefield Christian), 6-1, 6-1 Caparas/Hurt (Jonesboro) def. Pope/Freeman (Fountain Lake), 6-2, 6-2 QUARTERFINALS Sheppard Ellis/Ellis (Bentonville) def. McCain Moore, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 Hudgens Messermith def. Corrothers/McClain (Pulaski Academy), 6-3, 7-5 Morgan/McDaniel (Jonesboro) def. Turney McIntyre, 6-2, 6-0Morris/Tabler (Bentonville) def. Caparas/Hunt, 6-2, 7-6 GIRLS SINGLES FIRST ROUND Rebecca Harrington (Jonesboro) def. Anna Brickell (Riverside), 6-2, 6-1 Emily Metcalf (Valley View) def. Adrianna Morehouse (Ridgefield Christian), 6-0, 6-0 Meg Allen (Hot Springs Lakeside) def. Kelly Swanson def. Kelly Swanson (Pulaski Academy), 7-3, 7-5 Arielle Butler (Searchy) def. Elsie Pugh (Episcopal Collegiate), 6-1, 6-1 QUARTERFINALS Tiffany Tang (Rogers) def. Harrington, 6-0, 6-1 Metcalf def. Maggie Beestra (Episcopal Collegiate), 6-1, 6-3 Lindsey Liles (Little Rock Central) def. Allen, 6-2, 6-0 Ali Rowden (Greenbrier) def. Butler, 6-1, 6-0 DOUBLES FIRST ROUND Lanier/Strauss (Episcopal Collegiate) def. Weaver/Wilson (Riverside), 6-1, 6-0 Dinsmore/Tabler (Bentonville) def. Brumley/ Stackhouse (Parkers Chapel), 7-6. 7-6 McJunkens/Purnell (Nashville) def. Heard/ James (Bergman), 7-6, 7-6 Stanley/Woodard (Searcy) def. Burton/Sellers (Highland), 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 QUARTERFINALS Wilson/Foster (Greenwood) def. Lanier/ Strauss, Score not available Dinsmore/Tabler def. Zane/Nix (Jonesboro), 6-2, 6-2 Ravikumar/Lundy (Rogers Heritage) def. Heard/James, 6-4, 6-1 Lefler Kauffman (Hot Springs Lakeside) def. Stanley/Woodard, 6-0, 6-1
Sports, Pages 19 on 10/27/2011