Times Union boys' tennis all-stars

Athlete of the Year: Keon Armstrong, Chatham

The large and powerful Section II boys' tennis schools were met head-on by a tall guy with big dreams.

Keon Armstrong of Chatham has been a familiar name around the local youth tennis scene for years. His father is even a tennis-club instructor near home.

Armstrong took the past few years of hard-earned lessons, and an insatiable quest to get better, as his route to the sectional championship last month. The senior went from No. 4 seed to champ, a year after getting ousted in the quarterfinals and winding up on the Times Union's second-team list.

He even took three games off the eventual state champ, Ryan Fishback of Geneva, in the first round of the state tournament before rallying to reach the consolation final, as well.

Armstrong used his opportunity May 28 to really show the Suburban Council and other sectional front-runners what he was all about.

"Keon had a great mindset all year, and showed a terrific amount of strength when it came down to consistency," Chatham coach Mike Griggs said. "He made sure he stayed in the game, never losing his cool."

Armstrong beat the No. 1 seed, Nicholas Grosso of Saratoga Springs, by rallying from a one-set deficit to take the final two sets in tiebreakers. He then defeated No. 3 Eric Schuman of Averill Park in straight sets for the title.

"Keon always found a way to dig a little deeper," Griggs said. "He really has improved his serve, too, which helped. He's a 6-foot-4 guy, and when he's got that serve going — it can be intimidating."

Griggs, who played at Guilderland, said he knows many Suburban Council coaches. He'd put in a good word for his top player here and there before the seeding meeting, but understood that Armstrong's undefeated record heading into the postseason was...