Jonah Stolte, a Blue Valley West High School student who just finished his freshman year, won two tennis awards in Kansas Class 6A high school tennis last month.
Stolte, 15, is the son of John and Jennifer Stolte. He and his family are members of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah. He is the grandson of Jeff and Carol Marks; Craig and Beck DeMoss; and John Stolte III.
A regular at regional tennis tournaments, Stolte won the singles championship for the regional Class 6A tournament at the Topeka-Kossover Tennis Center in Topeka, Kansas, over May 4 and 5. This win advanced him to the Class 6A Boys State Tennis Tournament.
On May 13, Stolte won second place in the singles final at the 2023 Boys State Tennis Tournament after winning in the semifinals. His school team from Blue Valley West was the tournament winner in its class.
“Making it to the state finals was an absolute dream,” Stolte said. “...I had probably over 100 people watching me at that point — [it] just really brought me to life. Playing with everyone cheering for me (and cheering against me, even) really brought out the best in me and was able to make me play some of my best tennis while having so much fun being part of a team environment and family environment.”
Stolte beat last year’s state champion, runner-up and third-place finishers on his path to the regionals. He, as a freshman, won his way to the finals, only losing to a senior who is playing Division I tennis next year.
“I would have never expected the season that I ended up having,” he said. “Going into the season, I wasn’t even expecting me to be one on our team. I’m super thrilled, super shocked… I was in complete and utter awe throughout the whole season, and I just love being a part of that team environment.”
Stolte’s family supports his tennis playing and aspirations.
“Jonah has been playing tennis since he was five, and has grown tremendously over the past 10 years,” his father, John Stolte, said. “He really loves the game of tennis and all of the nuances within the sport.”
“Jonah works very hard at improving his tennis skills and is very competitive, however equally important to Jonah are sportsmanship, respect for opponents and teammates, and respect for the game,” said Jeff Marks, Jonah Stolte’s grandfather.
Stolte has been playing competitive tournaments through the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for several years. According to his father, his parents had to convince him that high school tennis was right for him (because of the state of Kansas rules, he can't play USTA tournaments at the same time he plays high school tennis).
“In our view, the high school season was a little bit less pressure packed but would give him the opportunity to play against some higher level players along the way,” John Stolte said.
He is now back to playing USTA tournaments (he won a local USTA tournament last weekend) and hopes to eventually play high level college and professional tennis.
Stolte is now back to playing at USTA tournaments and hopes to play college and professional tennis in the future.