Everything came full circle for the Thorp family of Kent two weeks ago.
Keeping with a family tradition that was established well before they were born, Kennedy Catholic’s Mitchell and Jamie Thorp brought home a state boys doubles tennis championship. The Thorps — Mitchell, a junior, and Jamie, a freshman — knocked off Seattle Prep brothers Evan and Drew Beckam, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6, to capture the Class 3A state title on May 28 at Kamiakin High in Kennewick.
That capped a perfect season for Kennedy’s dynamic duo, which finished the year 17-0.
The win proved particularly precious to the Thorps, who live in Kent, but attend Kennedy, which is located in Burien. While it was the first high school state championship for the brothers, it’s the second overall for the family: Their mom, Maryann, won a singles title playing for Kent-Meridian in 1979 (then as Maryann Raftis). But while she won her title more than three decades ago, she also coached the younger Thorps to the title this season.
“This was just a dream come true,” Maryann said.
The entire season, however, proved to be a dream come true for the entire Thorp family. Mitchell and Jamie not only posted an unblemished overall record, but lost only the one set all year – and that was in the title match.
“It’s really cool to keep that tradition in the family,” Mitchell said. “Now we have to one-up (our mom).”
Assuming they stick with doubles next season, the Thorps certainly should get that opportunity.
The Thorps proved to be the talk of the Class 3A tournament as they moved through the first three rounds with utter ease. They derailed Jared Thomas and Andrew Smith of Mercer Island in the first round, 6-3, 6-4. Their precision play continued in the quarterfinals, where they throttled Columbia River’s Alex Morawski and Chris Perez, 6-2, 6-2. The Thorps would not be dinged in the semifinals, either, dispatching Andrew Nguyen and Benny Tran of Sammamish, 6-2, 6-3.
In fact, it wasn’t until the championship match that the Thorps hit a minor roadblock, when they dropped their first set of the season. After cruising through the opening set (6-2) against the Beckam brothers, the Thorps appeared primed for another sweep with a 5-2 advantage in the second.
“We almost broke them,” Mitchell noted.
Instead, the Seattle Prep duo stormed back to take the set, 7-5.
Facing adversity for the first time in their season, Maryann brought her boys together.
“We got tight and they were loose,” Maryann said. “Before you knew it, they had rolled off four straight games.”
No doubt, Mom knew when to put on the coach’s hat.
“She got us all together, and got our frustration out,” Mitchell said.
Just enough frustration was relieved to allow the Thorps to pull out a nail-biter 7-6 finale in a match that lasted more than two hours.
“It was very intense,” Maryann said. “A roller-coaster.”
A roller coaster that included the perfect family finish.
“It means a lot to win the title,” Mitchell said. “It shows that all the hard work I’ve put in since age 9 … it all paid off. It’s nice to get a state title and be able to say I’ve got that my whole life.”
Of course, the Thorps might not be done just yet, though there is the possibility that both will go on to play singles next year.
“We both want to play singles, but it could go either way,” Jamie said.
Regardless of what happens, one thing remains clear:
“You have definitely not heard the end of the Thorp brothers,” Jamie said.
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