NEW PALESTINE — As the youngest of six siblings, New Palestine’s Ezra Schwier has never felt excluded. Instead, his parents’ philosophy has always been encouragement.
Whether academics, sports or life, Beth and Randy Schwier have inspired their children to chase down their dreams, be humbly motivated and always show support and appreciation for others.
Ezra Schwier admittedly embraces each day with that simple, yet powerful, mindset.
Work hard. Be a good person and friend. Don’t shy away from living life to your fullest potential.
While the New Palestine senior understood that lesson in his youth growing up, it wasn’t until the tragic death of his oldest brother, Andrew “Drew” Schwier, on Sept. 7, 2017 when that perspective truly became clear to him.
A former soccer player at New Palestine and Bethal College, Drew Schwier, 26, had an entrepreneurial spirit and a profound love for people, Ezra recalled. No more so than for the connections he effortlessly built with everyone.
Ezra fondly remembers the times he spent with Drew and his older brothers, Tucker and Jackson playing football in the family’s backyard or wrestling until someone would eventually submit.
His competitiveness as a student-athlete grew roots in those moments but so did his compassion.
Drew would often make the effort to ensure Erza was included in anything his older brothers and sisters, Lilly and Daisy, were doing. He encouraged Ezra, and he never missed a chance to cheer on his favorite sports teams until the day he was senselessly shot and killed outside his home during a suspected robbery on the eastside of Indianapolis.
“It was an unimaginable loss. I honestly didn’t know how it would impact my life when he died. You hear about that kind of stuff happening, but you never think that’s going to happen to your family. It really kind of changed the way I looked at my life,” said Ezra Schwier.
“My brother really lived life to its fullest and that’s where I get my competitiveness from. He was super competitive and always into sports. He was always at Pacers games and Indy Eleven soccer games. Colts games. So he was the embodiment of an Indiana sports fan, so that’s where I kind of get my sports spirit from.”
As the 2021 Daily Reporter Boys Tennis Player of the Year, Ezra Schwier also found purpose in tragedy, and it led to an unforgettable four-year tennis career that included four Hancock County Tournament individual titles, two team championships and a pair of sectional team trophies.
But Schwier won’t take any credit for his individual accomplishments without acknowledging others.
It’s his way of honoring Drew.
“I kind of knew after he died that I wanted to kind of continue his legacy and just live like he did. Everyone he came in contact with he was encouraging. People could see that he was different, so he was my inspiration in sports and in my life to live the way he did,” Schwier said. “We’ve always been super close as a family, so to have my (siblings’) support and my parents’ support over my career as a player has been huge.”
Schwier originally started playing tennis as a “fun hobby” while being home schooled during his middle school years. The activitiy served as a physical education credit at the time, but it eventually blossomed into a passion.
In the fourth grade, Schwier enrolled at school in New Palestine and from there tennis became an annual occurrence, beginning with doubles play before eventually becoming a back-to-back, one-singles varsity county champion the past two years.
As a freshman at New Palestine, Schwier teamed with, now senior, Devon Bird, to win a junior-varsity doubles title at the county tournament. He was part of the Dragons’ sectional championship roster, and as a sophomore, Schwier won his first varsity county title at one doubles.
In his junior season, Schwier advanced to the IHSAA individual sectional tournament, which echoed his progression as a one singles competitor, but it didn’t satisfy his desire to help the program reach its former heights of winning nine consecutive county team titles (2010-18) and seven straight sectional championships (2012-18).
“It was definitely hard for us to lose the streak in county and sectional for the past two years, and that’s what Jack (Havel) and I said before the season, that our goals were to win county, to win sectional and kind of redefine the culture of our team,” Schwier said.
“You kind of get what you put in. I kind of learned that over the summer (of 2020) that if I would just show up the first practice in August without touching a racquet all winter and summer, I wasn’t going to have the success I wanted. I knew that I was going to have to put in work over the winter.”
Schwier and some of his teammates began building for the fall of 2021 over the winter months at the Indianapolis Racquet Club. In the summer, four of the Dragons’ six senior starters (Havel, Ezra, Zach Au and Clayton Wesley) trained with Mt. Vernon assistant coach Graham McMullen at his tennis academy.
The results were evident a few months later as the Dragons claimed four of five individual county titles and the team championship this fall — the program’s 16th since 1998 — and were second in the Hoosier Heritage Conference en route to a 19-4 overall record.
“There wasn’t really one moment that kind of defined the season. It was just the relationships I built with the team and the culture that my co-captain, Jack Havel, and I were trying to create within the team,” Schwier said. “But, I guess, I would have to say the sweetest victory was at county. Defending my title at one singles against my friend and great opponent Adam Koon (of Mt. Vernon). That was a match I was looking forward to and I knew it was going to be tough. But, that was the sweetest victory, if I had to name one.”
Koon would defeat Schwier in the sectional finals during their rematch in three sets, but the Dragons’ 18th team sectional title all time was solidified with a 4-1 victory over two-time, defending champion Mt. Vernon.
“Ezra does an outstanding job representing New Pal. He handles himself so well and connects with all of his teammates as a leader,” New Palestine head coach Jean Graham said. “He’s the role model. All the boys watch him. No one ever questions why he played No. 1, but he’s worked at it. He stood out as a freshman and kept getting better and better.”
Named an Indiana Tennis All-Star as a senior, Schwier competed one last time this past weekend for New Palestine during the showcase event after the Dragons advanced to their second team regional finals in program history at North Central High School last month. New Palestine beat Heritage Christian 3-2 in the regional semifinals before losing to North Central 5-0 in the finals.
During his all-star match, Schwier was energetic as usual, Graham noted, not only for the opportunity and honor but just because that’s his way.
“I just try to make it fun. I’m not trying to just go out there straight faced. I know some athletes are like that, but I kind of like to have fun with it and kind of entertain my friends and teammates that are watching. Other sports get to celebrate, so why not tennis, too?,” Schwier said. “Some people probably might argue that I’m a better doubles player than a singles player, though.”
2021 Daily Reporter Boys Tennis Team
First Team
Singles
Ezra Schwier, New Palestine
Adam Koon, Mt. Vernon
Matt Hyre, Greenfield-Central
Doubles
Clayton Wesley/Jackson Havel, New Palestine
Corbin Tilley/Jackson Weidner, Greenfield-Central
Second Team
Singles
Zeke Dixon, Eastern Hancock
Zach Au, New Palestine
Colin Darley, New Palestine
Doubles
Moses Haynes/Devon Bird, New Palestine
Bryce Wennen/Wyatt Sutton, Eastern Hancock
Coach of the Year: Jean Graham, New Palestine
Honorable Mentions: Mt. Vernon — Manny Downs, Robbie Moore. Greenfield-Central — Christopher Long, Casey Hunt, Tyler White. Eastern Hancock — Nolan Stout, Peyton Stephens, Myles Wennen.
