Valley junior’s quick rise up WPIAL tennis ranks fueled by love of sport

By: Michael Love
Monday, April 8, 2024 | 9:15 PM

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When Landon Harclerode picked up a tennis racket competitively for the first time two years ago, it was the start of a journey of discovery, of learning and of improving.

“My first year, it was all right,” Harclerode said of his freshman season at No. 2 doubles with the Valley boys tennis team. “I wasn’t the best on the team, but I fell in love with the sport for sure. It made me hungry to get better and want to play every day. That definitely helped me improve and move up the way I did.”

Now, Harclerode is the top player on a team that has its sights set on returning to the WPIAL Class 2A team tournament and battling for a spot in PIAA playoffs.

But first things first.

He has the not-so-small matter of facing the top players in the WPIAL as the Class 2A singles tournament begins Tuesday at North Allegheny.

“I want to keep playing like I usually play and stay out of my own head,” Harclerode said. “I want to move my opponents around as much as possible. All I can do is take it game by game and see where it takes me.”

Tuesday’s first round begins at 11 a.m. at North Allegheny, and play will continue through the semifinals. The consolation and finals will be 1 p.m. Wednesday, also at North Allegheny.

The top four finishers advance to states.

“It feels really good because in singles, it’s all about being out there yourself, and there is no one else to fall back on,” he said. “You alone have to get it done and be mentally and physically strong.”

Harclerode goes in as the Section 1 champion and the No. 5 seed after defeating Mt. Pleasant junior Aydan Gross in two sets in the section final last Thursday.

“I know I can definitely hang and be competitive with the top guys,” Harclerode said. “I can give them a run for their money. I know what I have to do to get to states.”

Gross is the No. 10 seed.

He and Harclerode also met in a section dual match March 27, and Harclerode won 6-2, 6-3 to help Valley score a 4-1 win to improve to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the section.

“(Gross) is a very good player,” Harclerode said. “The matches have definitely been competitive. He’s pushed me to be my best.”

Harclerode adds the section singles title to the doubles title he won last year with graduate Nick Bussard, now a freshman on the tennis team at Washington & Jefferson.

“It was a very cool experience, especially since it was my first tournament ever,” Harclerode said. “To be able to share that moment with one of my best friends, it was really special.”

Four senior starters — Bussard, Dylan Gentile, Zach Doran and Ethan Harclerode — moved on because of graduation.

“Being able to play with them and learn from them definitely helped make me the player I am today,” Harclerode said.

Wanting to build on last year’s momentum — he played at No. 3 singles — Harclerode used the offseason to play a lot and hone his skills.

“Whenever I could, I would want to get outside and play and hit the ball, whether it was with Nick or Dylan,” Harclerode said. “I was never too far away from the game or the court. It helped keep me sharp. It helped me stay focused for what I and the team wanted to do this year.”

Harclerode and two other returning varsity starters, sophomore Tyler Quinn (No. 3 singles) and junior Jake Ervin (No. 1 doubles), form the nucleus of this spring’s team and are joined by new varsity starters Baxter Diehm (No. 2 singles), Joshua Serena (No. 1 doubles), Ryan Long (No. 2 doubles) and Maddox DeAntonio (No. 2 doubles).

Long is the lone senior in the starting lineup.

“At the start of this year, we weren’t sure what we would become,” he said. “We lost a lot of great players and became pretty young. But we have definitely grown as a team and continue to grow. We have the best training partners, which are each other.”

Valley coach Rachel Link said Harclerode not only has become a solid singles player but also has risen to become a solid leader for a growing team.

“Landon’s evolution has been so much about hard work,” Link said. “That foundation is that he loves to play tennis. He has grown exponentially in all aspects of his game. There are pressures of being that No. 1 singles player and being that leader of a young team. He has handled that pressure beautifully.

“The expectation for the team coming into the season was to evolve and to establish what everyone’s roles would be. Landon has been the mentor of this lineup. Everyone steps up because they want to play with him, and he wants to hit and play with everyone.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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