JOPLIN, Mo- — By Rich Brown

rbrown@joplinglobe.com

Jeremy Lynn has been defying all the odds in the Thomas Jefferson tennis program this season.

He is not only a freshman playing high school tennis at a top level of competition but, even more remarkable, is he's playing No. 1. Add to that the fact that four of his seven teammates are seniors who have achieved a lot of success in district and state competition during their prep careers, so holding his No. 1 singles position has been no cakewalk.

Lynn, who was introduced to the game at 5 years old by his father, Thomas, had lost only seven games and already compiled a 10-0 singles record going into the Springfield Invitational last week.

One of his most impressive wins this season has come against tennis powerhouse Jenks in the season-opening Joplin Open. He defeated the Oklahoma team's No. 1 player 8-1.

“Jeremy really played well in the Joplin tournament,” said Chris Myers, athletic director at Thomas Jefferson. “He hit the ball hard and deep the entire tournament, beating some really good players.”

In the 30-team Springfield event, Lynn won three matches in a row after an opening-round bye before losing his semifinal and third-place matches to wind up fourth and guide the Cavaliers to a third-place tie with Glendale.

Tom Brumfield, who coached tennis and basketball at Mount Vernon before coming to Thomas Jefferson two years ago, said Lynn has meant a lot to the team.

“It's not just one particular thing but his overall ability that stands out,” Brumfield said. “He has a lot of different capabilities as a shotmaker.”

Myers added that Lynn is a smart player, which is something you might not expect from a freshman.

“He knows when to simply keep the ball in and when to go for the winner,” Myers said.

Lynn, whose mother, Joy Dworkin, is an English professor at Missouri Southern State University, played not only tennis, but, also, basketball and soccer in the third grade, which was also the time he started going to Millennium Tennis and Fitness Club to begin working on his tennis skills.

“In the third grade, I played two or three days a week at Millennium,” he said. “At first I just had fun hitting and then I moved up to a higher group and started playing some matches and improving. My first tournament (for 10-year-olds and under) was in the fourth grade and I took second. I started playing really consistently in the fifth grade and playing a lot of tournaments in the sixth grade.”

Lynn credits much of his early development to Ed Ingle, Millennium senior tennis pro who has aided in the development of junior and adult players for nearly three decades.

“He was in charge of who I played my third and fourth grade years,” Lynn said. “I appreciated him because he got me playing more and at that age it is not just about the form but, also, playing matches.”

Ingle also found a way to inspire his young protege.

 “The night before my first tournament, he told me to watch a good movie to pump me up and I was ready to go the next morning after watching ‘Rocky,’” said Lynn, who is ranked 28th among 16-year-olds in the Missouri Valley, even though he is only 15.

Lynn receives private lessons from Ken Goodall, a coach from Tulsa, who has been working with him two or three times a week.

“He has been the biggest influence on my game,” said Lynn, who considers the forehand his strong point.

Lynn teams with sophomore Gus Stuppy in playing No. 3 doubles for the Cavaliers, who lost in the MSHSAA quarterfinals last year to state champion Pembroke Hill.

A big part of Thomas Jefferson's team success is due to its No. 1 doubles team, David Evans and Spenser Newman, who finished state runnersup last year as juniors after losing a close championship match to Pembroke Hill's Chris Somers and Teddy Fitzgibbons.

The other two Thomas Jefferson seniors on this year's squad, Coleman Bandy and Andrew Prigmore, are the No. 2 doubles team.

Other team members are sophomores Dexter Borup and Jake Hockman.

With his eye on winning a state singles title during his high school career, Lynn said his ultimate goal is to get a tennis scholarship to an NCAA Division I university.

Thomas Jefferson will resume its intercity rivalry at 4:30 p.m. today against Joplin's Eagles at the Joplin Athletic Complex.