John Rohrkaste is no stranger to the WPIAL Tennis Championships.
When he takes the court Tuesday in his first-round match in the Class 2A portion of the event, the Montour High School senior will be making his fourth straight WPIAL Tournament appearance.
So the 5-foot-9, 160-pounder, who is the No. 5 seed, figures to feel right at home when he takes on 12th-seeded Aydan Gross of Mt. Pleasant at Bethel Park High School.
That’s not quite what Rohrkaste was feeling when he made his tournament debut as a freshman.
“The first time was kind of a terrifying experience,” he said. “I had no idea what to expect. Going in and seeing all the kids, I didn’t know how I stacked up.”
Fast forward to this year, and Rohrkaste is in an entirely different frame of mind.
“Each year it’s gotten a little easier because I know who will be there,” he said of the tournament field. “I know the teams and the good players. I see them outside of high school tennis. I’ve seen them in the WPIAL (tournament) before. This time around, I’m comfortable. I know what to expect. I’m feeling pretty good about it.”
That’s not unlike how Rohrkaste was feeling a year ago at this time. In fact, as the recently crowned section champion and the No. 3 seed entering the WPIAL tournament, he had plenty of confidence that he would reach the PIAA Tournament for the second straight year.
As a sophomore, Rohrkaste finished fourth in the WPIAL Tournament, falling to Jack Gillespie of Aquinas Academy, and then lost in the first round of PIAA play.
But as a junior, his WPIAL tournament run came to an abrupt end in the quarterfinals, and he fell short of the state tournament, losing to a player he had beaten in all six of their previous meetings.
“Last year was definitely a disappointment for singles,” he said. “I was the No. 3 seed and there wasn’t a shred of doubt in my mind I was going to get to states at least. That was a humbling experience for sure.
“Last year I was thinking that, ‘OK, I’ve been here before, I know what to do, it’s not going to be any different.’ But it didn’t pan out as I expected. It showed me I still had a ways to go.”
Looking back, Rohrkaste wasn’t playing his best tennis. “Something felt off from the jump, and I couldn’t put my finger on it,” he said.
This time around, Rohrkaste said he’s happy with his game; he finished third in last week’s Class 2A Section 2 tournament. “Compared to last year, I feel a lot more calm and comfortable,” he said. “Last year I felt a little anxious all over. This year, I know what it takes.
“Last year was a good test – it showed me what my limits were. Now I know what to do and how to do it.”
To return to the PIAA Tournament, Rohrkaste will need to finish among the top three in the field of 16.
Despite losing in the WPIAL quarterfinals, last year wasn’t a complete lost cause for Rohrkaste. After being eliminated from the singles event, he teamed with Jonah Camardese, Montour’s No. 2 singles player, to win the WPIAL doubles championship. It was the first championship of any kind in the history of Montour tennis.
Not bad, considering Rohrkaste wasn’t wild about the idea of playing in the doubles event at first.
“After losing in the WPIAL for singles, I wanted it to be all over with,” he said. “But we went on a really hot streak and beat some good teams. A couple of times in the WPIAL we were down big at some points. But we kept fighting back and finding ways to win.
“That was kind of a silver lining to it all. Losing (in singles) gave me an opportunity to do something in doubles.”
Montour coach Eric D’Antonio said Rohrkaste, who led the Spartans to three straight team playoff appearances in his first three years, is playing with a great deal more confidence as his high school career winds down.
“He’s always had the skills,” he said of his senior, who is headed to Florida State, where he’ll play club tennis next year. “He knows what his game is and knows how to adjust to other players.
“He’s been very solid for four years. He plays hard every single point – there’s never been a point in time where he hasn’t played hard. He’s fun to watch.”
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