\u201cIt\u2019s still winnable,\u201d he kept saying to himself, ignoring the scoreboard that displayed his side\u2019s ballooning deficit.<\/p>\n
James Wood\u2019s Josh Lucas wasn\u2019t used to losing. Far from it, in fact, as he was one of the most accomplished Colonels in program history. Finding himself down 7-1 against Sherando in a Northwestern District doubles matchup on April 23, Lucas and his partner, Ander Pratt-Perez, looked to regroup before it was too late.<\/p>\n
Lucas, a senior, smiled and looked at Pratt-Perez, telling him that they were still in it and to just breathe. The moment released the tension that had weighed them down all match long, and allowed the duo to get back on track. They won the remaining games to take the match, 9-7, an improbable comeback after falling so far behind.<\/p>\n
The match stood out as a microcosm of the season as a whole for Lucas, who, for the third consecutive year, is The Winchester Star Boys’ Tennis Player of the Year. A moment of adversity that in the past would have derailed his performance instead provided perspective, demonstrating the growth of his game this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big theme for me this year was just to enjoy playing tennis,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cI\u2019ve found that the more I\u2019ve enjoyed playing, the better I end up playing. If I\u2019m playing nervously, I tend not to play well, just because I\u2019m so worried about what shot I’m going to hit, instead of just enjoying it in the moment and realizing that\u2019s why I play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas didn\u2019t always approach this season in the same way, though.<\/p>\n
The shaft in his mindset shift originated in his defeat in the Region 4D quarterfinals last year. After finishing the regular season undefeated, Lucas took the loss to Handley\u2019s Jack Boye hard, finding fault in himself for the way he played.<\/p>\n
Frustrated with his performance, he vowed never to feel the pain of that loss again, committing himself to a rigorous training regimen. He played tennis 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for most of the summer. No skill was too elementary, no technique too difficult, as he attempted to overhaul his game. He competed in tournaments every weekend. He practiced with college players to test his abilities, namely Neal Love and Dom Suwak from Shenandoah University and former Handley standout Nick Mueller, who played most of his college career for Bucknell.<\/p>\n
As physically demanding as his training was, he couldn\u2019t let go of the frustration he felt from the loss that ended his 2025 season. Every detail of that match served as a reminder of why he was doing what he was doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt lit a fire under me,\u201d Lucas said.<\/p>\n
The grueling pace of his preparation, though, eventually took its toll. Lucas injured his shoulder during one practice session, an ailment that wouldn\u2019t heal for much of the year. Still, heading into the spring high school season, Lucas felt confident that he was ready to make amends for last year\u2019s defeat.<\/p>\n
He picked up where he left off in 2025, winning his first few singles matches as he continued his tireless practice routine.<\/p>\n
Despite the success he was having on the court, there came a point when Lucas felt that something was off, like a part of him was missing. He wasn\u2019t enjoying playing the game that had taught him so much. Before he knew it, the season was racing by, and he was burned out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt like my senior season went by really fast,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like I didn\u2019t have the time that I had in other seasons, just because I was so focused on preparing for this match or that match that the enjoyment factor slipped past.\u201d<\/p>\n
This realization forced Lucas to reevaluate his priorities. He decided that he would do his best to love playing tennis again to finish his high school career, rather than focusing on results.<\/p>\n
He changed his practice routine, choosing to focus on just two to three areas of his game at a time. He took more time off. As he had done for the last five years, coaching at Winchester Country Club\u2019s tennis program became a necessity to help him get his mind off his own game and allowed him to see the sport as he once had\u00a0\u2014 a passion to nurture, not to dominate.<\/p>\n
Soon, his mental space improved, as did his relationships with his teammates fora Colonels squad that went 6-9, an improvement from 2-14 in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJosh has really developed as a leader this year,\u201d James Wood coach Tanner Jones said. \u201cHe took that on as a responsibility last year, and he used this year to be a big part of our development as a team. I think that\u2019s what I\u2019m most appreciative of, is how much he was able to help our other players, not just by leading by example, but also by being a second coach at practice. We\u2019re really proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas began making relationship-building an intentional part of his practice routine, treating it as seriously as he would improving his backhand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really tried to be more engaged with the team this year,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cI made sure to incorporate everyone and just make sure that I\u2019m able to give them that experience and build friendships with all of them as a peer, not just as a team captain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back in his comfort zone, Lucas continued his winning ways. He and Pratt-Perez finished 9-3 in doubles and fell short 6-3, 6-2 against Charlottesville in the Region 4D quarterfinals. Lucas went 12-3 overall this season in doubles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In singles, Lucas went 15-1, earning a spot in the Region 4D semifinals, one round further than last year. He fell to Blacksburg’s Reed Marsden 6-4, 6-2.<\/p>\n
In typical fashion, Lucas identified perceived weakness in his game that contributed to his loss, but this time, he afforded himself some grace.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was upset, fresh off the loss, because we were really close,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a tough loss, but at the same time, I wasn\u2019t too mad because I played well. It was more so, \u2018What do I need to work on?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucas plans on continuing his career next year for NCAA Division III Mary Washington University,\u00a0where he plans to study neurosurgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he reflected on his high school career, Lucas saw that the game was integral to who he was as a person, and he was grateful for his time at James Wood.<\/p>\n
\u201cTennis has taught me a lot of humility,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve played with a lot of different people with a lot of different play styles, and I think the biggest thing I\u2019ve learned is to always respect your opponent and respect the ball they hit back over the net. The game has really shaped my whole persona, and who I am today has revolved around tennis and all the lessons I\u2019ve learned from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones believed Lucas played a pivotal role in building James Wood\u2019s program, but it was more than just Lucas\u2019 physical abilities that made him so special. His mental strength and work ethic also set him apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are so appreciative of him,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI think it\u2019s easy for people to see Josh\u2019s record this year and assume it was all smooth sailing, but it only looked that way because of the work that he put in. He put himself through so much adversity between the end of last year until now, and it\u2019s a testament to his work ethic. He is an outstanding preparer. He knows exactly what he needs to do to get ready for what he wants to be successful in. It\u2019s such a joy as a coach to see the work happening, and it translate into success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones hopes Lucas continues to be himself in whatever he does in the future, because that was what enabled his success on the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really just want him to stay active in life and stay involved with communities that he chooses to be involved with,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWhatever he chooses to be a part of in the future is going to be better off because he is associating himself with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Faced with the challenge of earning a spot on the Mary Washington squad, navigating a new campus, and long hours studying, Lucas is all smiles about the opportunity. He’s not worried. For him, the experiences of the next year are part of his journey, both as a tennis player and as a person. He plans to approach it the same way he did tennis matches\u00a0\u2014 with dogged determination and tireless effort, because to him, that’s the only way he knows how.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a firm believer that anyone can do anything as long as they\u2019re willing to put the work in and stay disciplined,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s true not just in tennis, not just in sports, but in life, in general.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s still winnable,\u201d he kept saying to himself, ignoring the scoreboard that displayed his side\u2019s ballooning deficit. James…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28953,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2529,2531,8148,50,28,2528],"class_list":["post-28952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-eedition","tag-high_school","tag-james_wood","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-winchester_star"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}