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06/01/2022 12:00 AMIt was of the utmost importance for Jess Hansard to get involved with something that he enjoyed when he first set foot in North Haven High School. Jess decided to pursue a career in sports and wound up falling in love with the tennis court.
Jess is in the midst of his junior season as a member of the North Haven boys’ tennis team. Jess has grown into his large role by playing both singles and doubles while providing a positive presence for the Nighthawks this spring.
Jess’s passion for tennis started to develop during his freshman year at North Haven. It was something that he wanted to try after his father introduced him to the sport. As a result of COVID-19, Jess had to wait until his sophomore year to start playing high school tennis. By that time, he was also competing for the fencing team in the winter. Jess’s interest in tennis had been sparked, and it was worth the wait when he hit the court for the first time as a sophomore last season.
“I was always just playing with my dad,” says Jess. “I just enjoyed playing tennis with my dad, so I thought I would enjoy playing tennis for the team, and I’m right.”
As he transitioned from playing for fun on his own time to competing for North Haven, Jess embraced the position he was in. Jess bought into the team philosophy and played hard as he contributed to North Haven’s positive atmosphere.
Thankfully, Jess’s job was made that much easier thanks to the support of his teammates and the Nighthawks’ coaches.
“We have a really supportive coach and teammates, which is really helpful,” Jess says. “We have the motto that you either win a game or you learn from your game.”
Learning and improving is a big part of Jess’s everyday routine as a tennis player. The junior works hard to improve each day and always does so with a smile on his face. Head Coach John Higgins says that Jess’s ability to be positive force for the Nighthawks helps everyone on their roster get better.
“Jess has a great attitude. He shows up to practice every day and just brings a good spirit to the team. He’s a competitor,” says Higgins. “He’s a kid that wants to play, and he gives you his all, and that’s all I can ask for. His attitude is really his biggest strength.”
After North Haven won just one match last year, Jess has helped guide the Nighthawks to nine victories and a berth in the Class M State Tournament this season. Jess spent a good portion of the season playing No. 1 doubles alongside fellow junior Justin Geremia, but has been competing out of the singles lineup of late.
Jess stepped up when called upon to play singles, winning three matches thus far. Coach Higgins’s confidence in Jess continues to grow, and he believes that the junior can thrive in any spot as North Haven gets ready to participate in the playoffs.
“He didn’t complain one bit. He was actually excited for the opportunity to play singles, even though he was really a doubles player for me the past two years,” Higgins says. “He did it without any reservations. Just jumped right into it.”
Jess’s ability to bounce between singles and doubles play is admirable, and he’s flourished in both situations. The chemistry that Jess has with Geremia helped the duo post a record of 7-5 during the regular season.
“I feel like I’m always able to get in the right spot and predict where my opponents are going to hit it,” says Jess. “If I get it wrong, I’m still in a good enough spot to return the ball and keep it in play.”
Even with just a couple of years of competitive experience, Jess has a vast knowledge of tennis for someone his age. Jess is continually learning and improving with each practice and every match and loves it when he sees his effort pay dividends on both the singles and doubles courts.
“I take a lot of pride in having a lot of knowledge in where I’m standing and where I should be hitting the ball,” Jess says. “Playing doubles, it’s very important to run around and get a spot, because there’s two people. If you’re not standing in the right spot, they could easily hit it past you while, in singles, you always move back to the middle every time.”
Jess was happy to help North Haven take a big step forward from last season by securing a berth in states this year. Jess knows that the Nighthawks will be challenged in the Class M bracket, but he’s ready to face those challenges head-on.
“The team kind of knows that we’re going to have a lower seed and, in a sport like tennis, the higher seeds are typically a lot better, but I feel like I’m going to gain a lot of experience playing against the other team and overall having fun,” says Jess. “We don’t expect to win going in, but we do expect to put up a good fight and enjoy ourselves as much as we can.”
Aside from tennis, Jess calls himself a “coffee expert” who likes to make and design his own coffees. He also tutors students in algebra the high school. Whether it’s on or off the court, Jess puts a tremendous effort into everything he does.
“I think I’m good at hustling, and I’m a very positive mindset. On the team, everybody is aware I run the most for the ball,” Jess says. “If it’s in a deep corner, I don’t care how tired I get—I’m going to run for it.”