Bulldog Bond: Whitefish’s Kelch, Hunt built tennis chemistry

Whitefish’s Mason Kelch and Dane Hunt do nearly everything together.

“There are definitely not many moments when we aren't by each other's side,” Kelch said.

Their relationship has created one of the most formidable duos on the tennis court in Class A, one that earned a Northwest A divisional championship last Wednesday.

“I just think we know what each other is doing without talking about it,” Hunt said. “It’s nice having the chemistry.”

“It's kind of just like telepathy at times,” Kelch said.

On the tennis court they came together as a doubles pair during their junior season.

“They are a special doubles team,” Bulldog boys coach Chris Schwaderer said. “We have had a tradition of really strong doubles teams the past few years.”

Schwaderer says Kelch and Hunt embody the type of player that Whitefish tennis tends to bring in. 

“Success comes from getting athletes more than getting a lot of club tennis players,” Schwaderer said. “Super skilled, super athletic, competitive and really hard-working. They bring the entirety of their athletic skills to the tennis court, and they are fun to watch.”

Kelch notes that anytime they are struggling coaches remind them to have fun and talk with each other. “Any time you see us having fun we are probably going to be playing our best tennis,” he said.

The pair started their friendship as freshmen on the Bulldog JV football team.

Hunt had moved to Whitefish from California.

“I had never played football before,” he said. “I wanted to play quarterback and I remember me and him were in the same quarterback room freshman year.”

Over the years, both moved out to play wide receiver; Hunt as a sophomore and Kelch as a junior.

Kelch plans to continue his football career after high school, joining Montana Tech this fall. Hunt’s future plans see him attending the University of Mississippi.

The duo also played basketball together.

Kelch and Hunt headed into the state tournament Thursday and Friday at Flathead Valley Community College as one of the No. 1 seeds; they’ll first take on Dillon’s Isaac and Zach Sandall.

A year ago at state the pairing, after a solid divisional performance, found themselves losing in the semifinals against Billings Central’s Matthew Newbury and Gabbo Giammattei. Kelch and Hunt settled for third place.

“We are just coming out with a different mindset,” Kelch said. “Just taking every game, every point one at a time. We know how far we can go, it's just a matter of doing it.”

It’s been a team effort to get to this point in the season, Kelch and Hunt practice daily against another top duo in Class A: Buren Brust and Jesse Burrough.

Burrough notes how he and Brust learn from each match they play against their friends and rivals. 

“They take advantage of all the weaknesses we have,” Burrough said. “Playing against them has made us a lot better, as they point those weaknesses out.”

The teams faced off against each other to start the season when Whitefish played a shorthanded Ronan squad. They set their goal for the season that day.

“Before we started the match I remember joking, ‘We are going to start the year playing each other, and hopefully we will end the year playing each other,’ “ Burrough said.

Editor's note: Since the writing of this story, Kelch and Hunt completed their season at this year's state tournament with another solid third place finish. They grabbed a victory in the third place match after dropping their semifinal to the eventual champions from Billings Central: Brayden Peterman and Aiden Sorenson.

    Whitefish's Mason Kelch hits a return in a boys doubles match with teammate Dane Hunt against Bigfork at Riverside Park in Whitefish on Thursday, May 9. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Whitefish's Dane Hunt hits a return in a boys doubles match with teammate Mason Kelch against Bigfork at Riverside Park in Whitefish on Thursday, May 9. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider