Apr 3, 2019 3 min read

Name: Logan Cutts

School: Canon-McMillan

Class: Junior

Sport: Tennis

Cutts’ week: Cutts entered the week undefeated as the Big Macs’ No. 1 singles player. He helped the Big Macs chalk up two wins, 3-2 over Seneca Valley and 4-1 over Trinity.

Cutts defeated Steve Vandrak 6-0, 6-2, in the Seneca Valley match and Evan Carrier 6-0, 6-0, in the Trinity contest.

Those wins raised his record to 6-0 and helped Canon-McMillan move to 5-1. Cutts had his winning streak stopped Tuesday afternoon when Ethan Estatico of Chartiers Valley defeated Cutts 7-5, 6-3.

He has been playing tennis since age 7 and he feels desire and dedication made him a strong tennis player.

“My strength is my intensity,” Cutts said. “I have a fighting spirit. My legs, I feel I can run anything down. I can beat a lot of kids I might not normally beat on willpower. My legs are important because if I can’t move, I will have a tough time winning.”

Cutts has been the No. 1 singles player for the past three seasons. He was third in the Section 4-AAA championship and qualified for the WPIAL tournament.

He did not qualify for states, which is a goal for this year.

“He is an extremely competitive player,” said Jim Kochanski, the Big Macs’ head coach. “He has a lot of natural skills. His footwork, his backhand, his serve make him a really good tennis player.”

A busy schedule: If you can’t find Cutts on a tennis court, then try the area’s ice rinks. He is a valuable member of two ice hockey teams, Canon-McMillan and the Pittsburgh Predators, whose seasons overlap tennis.

Somehow, he makes it work.

“It’s tough but one always helps with the other,” he said. “I think that being an athlete always transfers over to other sports.

There is one drawback.

“Usually, I can’t play in any USTA events because they are on the weekend and that’s when my hockey games are played,” Cutts said. “I wish I could play more USTA events but it’s kind of tough.”

Cutts is a versatile hockey player, spending time at every position but goaltender.

Cutts does not have a USTA ranking because hockey keeps him from competing in those events. He has a solution for that to help in the recruiting process.

“I’m going to make a video with a tennis pro, and send it out to recruiters,” he said. “If you are not ranked high, they might not notice you. With a video, they are more likely to want you.”

Compiled by Joe Tuscano