SJM_FallAthletes_1022FINAL_REG1 . qxp_Feature 10 / 26 / 22 1 : 22 PM Page 2 SJM : Do you know what you’re doing next year ? ST : I’m still deciding what college I want to go to but I’m and off the field this fall . samanthatepes definitely going to be playing . Playing college tennis was my dream growing up and it’s kind of crazy to think Shawnee girls tennis that it’s all coming together right now . Tennis has been Tepes , a senior , has played first singles every very individual for me except for high school , where season of her career at Shawnee and led the we’ve had a great team . So I’m looking for a great team SJM : When did you move to running back ? Renegades to their second consecutive sectional with a nice culture that is super supportive and close . I’m BB : The next year we moved to New Mexico and championship this fall . She also captured her looking for a good coach who will help teach me how to my dad put me at running back . first Burlington County Open title and her third get better . Olympic Conference American Division crown . SJM : Have you lived all over the country ? SJM : Are you a fan of professional tennis ? Do you BB : Yes . My dad and my stepmom are in the mil - watch it a lot ? South Jersey Magazine : Is it hard to believe this is itary so we’ve lived in Alaska , the D.C . area , New ST : Yeah , I do . My favorite player growing up was Ana your final season of tennis at Shawnee ? Mexico , Central Jersey , and then I came to Chero - Ivanovic . A lot of people don’t know her but I loved Samantha Tepes : Being a senior and looking back at it kee my freshman year . I hate staying put in one watching her play . I just like her style — she was very all , it’s just crazy to think that it’s going to be over place . This is the longest I’ve ever lived some - cool , calm and collected . She wasn’t one of the best of [ soon ] . I’ve been with this team for four years and I where and it’s kind of driving me crazy . I’m urg - all time , but that’s what I liked about her . She would think we have nine seniors on our team . It’s going to be ing to get to college . just come out of the blue and play amazing . a lot different leaving them . SJM : What’s different about South Jersey from SJM : What did you think of Serena Williams ’ exit SJM : What did it mean to you to win the county tour - the other places you’ve lived ? from tennis at the U.S . Open this year ? nament this year ? BB : Jersey is different , there’s just something ST : She’s the greatest of all time and someone all of us ST : Winning the Burlington County Tournament was about it . New Mexico is the desert , there’s not as tennis players look up to . She’s a great role model definitely my big goal for the year . I think the farthest I much to do there . But here we have the Shore , and her tennis is incredible . It was kind of sad to see her had made it was the final but I lost , so being able to win we have rivalry games and all of that stuff . go because I loved watching her matches . I wish she that meant so much to me . I really trained and put in a would’ve won the whole thing . lot of time getting ready for that tournament . SJM : How did you get the nickname Bam ? BB : When I was a little kid , my brother couldn’t SJM : Have you ever been to the U.S . Open ? SJM : How did you get started in tennis ? say my real name when we were living in Alaska . ST : Yes . My dad has taken me so many times . I remem - ST : My dad [ Mark Tepes ] is a great tennis player and he He couldn’t say Brandon so he’d say , ‘ Bran Bran . ’ ber going on one of the hottest days when I was 7 years coached me from a very young age . He’s been with me My parents translated it to Bam , and my whole old and the only way to keep me cool was to keep eat - the whole time . He played four years at Virginia Tech life it stuck , wherever we went . Most people ing water ice . Me and my sisters have gone but I and he got me into it . I was on board from the begin - don’t even know my real name . haven’t gone in a while , so I’d like to go next year . It ning . I had to choose between tennis and soccer in sixth was fun . grade , and I knew tennis was the sport for me . It’s a SJM : What made you commit to Stony Brook ? very individual sport , which can be tough in some as - BB : With the options I had , I felt it was best , es - SJM : Are you a Shore person ? pects , but I also like it in some ways . I’m out there by pecially because with the transfer portal , I didn’t ST : Yeah , we go to the beach a lot . We usually go to LBI myself and I get to focus on myself and what I need to want to wait too long and lose my offers . If I or Wildwood as a family , and then my sisters and I go to do . I also love having that relationship with my dad . waited , I would’ve been stuck . I love coach Ocean City sometimes . [ Chuck ] Priore and the campus is nice so it was a SJM : Your two sisters decided to focus on soccer , right ? good fit . SJM : You’re really going to miss your sisters when ST : Yes , they’re playing on the varsity team together . you go away to college , aren’t you ? Julia is doing amazing and so is Tori . They’re hav - SJM : What do you want to study ? ST : I think that’s the biggest thing about go - ing a blast . We’re super close — if I didn’t have BB : Athletic science or physical science . I just ing away to school , because if I do go far my sisters , I don’t know where I would be . want to stay active . I can’t sit still in an office [ for it’s going to be really hard to be away They’re my biggest supporters . We all a career ] . I need to be doing something . from them . We’re always together , we played tennis but they exceled in soccer . eat dinner together , and then we SJM : How do you spend your free time ? hang out together as a family . So it’s BB : My favorite thing to do , even more than going to be a big change for me . football , is to snowboard . I picked that up in New Mexico — they have mountains and it gets really cold there . I just fell in love with it . I go to the Poconos and I’ve been trying to get up to Ver - mont . I would love to go to Switzerland too . SJM : Do you enjoy the bonding aspects of football ? BB : Yeah . I feel like of all the teams I’ve played for , Cherokee is a real brotherhood . We’re always trying to do something as a team , whether it’s going to breakfast or just hanging out . We don’t have our own friends groups ; our friend group is within the team . It’s pretty cool that all of these guys do these things together and everybody gets along . SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 19 issue 7 SouthJerseyMagazine.com | 35