Bulldogs sophomore makes consecutive Class 2A state berths

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

It’s just what the players on Osceola County’s high school tennis teams needed to see: a bigger, stronger Trevor Foshey.
Foshey, the Osceola News-Gazette Male Tennis Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, remained unbeaten in Orange Belt Conference play and reached the Class 3A state tournament for the second time.
Foshey, 15, a St. Cloud High sophomore, said a four-day-a-week fitness regimen he began last year is paying off.
“I’m in much better shape now, and when you are in good shape you can play much better tennis,” he said.
In addition, Foshey grew about four inches between his freshman and sophomore seasons, to 5-11, and that hasn’t hurt his game, either.
“It definitely helps. I can get to a lot of balls now that I didn’t before,” he said. “My brother (Andrew, a former Bulldogs No. 1 player) is 6-1, so I wouldn’t mind getting there.”
Foshey has never lost a set in Orange Belt Conference competition.
Ranked No. 25 in Florida in the USTA U-16 standings, he is rarely challenged until he reaches the state tournament. He won the 3A-8 district championship at Melbourne this season as the No. 2 seed.
“That was a little bit crazy the way they did that. They only seeded the top two positions, and they always put their own players at No. 1 over there (in Brevard County),” St. Cloud Coach Dallas Kelsey explained. “It didn’t really matter. Nobody there was going to beat him.”
Foshey, after being forced to injury default during his first state tournament match last year, had more success as a sophomore. He beat Miami Belen Jesuit’s Juan Lorido, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round before losing to Lakeland’s Danny Mack, (7-6, 7-5), who has signed with North Carolina, in the quarterfinals.
“He’s (Mack) pretty good, he’s been high in the rankings for a long time,” Foshey said. “It was a good match.”
Kelsey said Mack tried to throw Foshey off-balance by serving quickly.
“Trevor wasn’t even ready half the time and here comes the serve,” Kelsey said. “I called Trevor over and told him that he had plenty of time to receive the ball, he didn’t have to let that happen. It’s one of those things that crops up in big matches that you have to learn how to handle.”
Foshey said Mack didn’t like it when Foshey asked for more time between serves.
“It got a little heated. He got upset, but it was OK,” he said. “He’s a senior and he has a lot of experience.”
Foshey trains in Winter Park with Rollins College assistant coach Anzela Zguna, a former No. 1-ranked player for the Lady Tars. He also works with Zguna’s brother, Adrian, who has played on the pro tour.
“My groundstrokes are pretty good, they’ve gotten a lot better. I just need to be more consistent,” he said. “I’m working on placement with my serve. You can hit bombs, but when you move into the upper level, it doesn’t do you a lot of good unless you can put it where you want it.”
Foshey’s trademark is a calm demeanor, something he said he developed through the years.
“I used to get excited, but I decided that I was just going to play and not talk about the other stuff,” he said. “You can get all worked up, but it’s only a tennis match.”
Foshey said his goal remains a lofty one, to earn a scholarship to the University of Florida, where his sports idol, quarterback Tim Tebow, became a college football legend.
“He’s my favorite athlete. I’d like to do in tennis what he does (with football). I’d like to help people, maybe show them how to be better tennis players, and introduce them to Christ,” Foshey said.
Kelsey said Foshey is well on the way to his goals.
“I’ve been around here more than 20 years, and I’ve never seen a better one than Trevor,” Kelsey said. “He’s exceptional.”