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Sept. 16, 2019
Young players dominate Underclassmen compete more for varsity tennis Fletcher Haltom
O
haltofle000@hsestudents.org
f the seven players on the boys varsity tennis team, six of them are underclassmen. Last year’s varsity team was led by five senior players, which left a substantial number of spots to fill. The team believes it will need its young players to perform at a high level in order to compete against more experienced teams. Typically, a team that features six underclassmen would not be expected to be as competitive as teams that are led by upperclassmen. However, this team has a different mindset, and they are attempting to make up for the lack of experience by playing their best whenever they step onto the court. This effort has paid off, as the team’s record as of Sept. 9 is 5-1. including an invitational victory. “You can just tell by the atmosphere - everybody is going 110% in practice, and you can tell that everybody is out there being competitive,” sophomore doubles player Nicholas Rasmusson said. Rasmusson is one of the five sophomores on the varsity team, along with one freshman and one senior. He recognizes the potential issues that having such a young team could cause, but remains optimistic about their future. “I think that inexperience might come into play during sectionals and regionals, but we just have to keep playing, and I think that will make us better in the future,” Rasmusson said. The players see a bright future for this young team, in spite of potential challenges. Many of the best teams in the state feature rosters that are full of skillful upperclassmen. Carmel, which is currently ranked first in the state, features a team lead by four upperclassmen. However, the FHS team believes that they are well rounded and have many skilled players, despite their youth. “I think we will have plenty of good players to go around, and we will be a much deeper team in the future,” sophomore doubles player Andrew Leonard said. Senior singles player Owen McEldowney said that the team has definitely stepped up and taken leadership roles, which should benefit the team during sectionals and regionals. In order to compete on the varsity team, the underclassmen players have to be committed to practicing in order to improve their skills. “A lot of the players have played during the summer and winter to get better,” McEldowney said. The team’s attention is now focused on making it into sectionals, and they are hopeful that they will make it to regionals. Last year’s team made it to the regional finals before being knocked out by North Central. “The biggest thing about having so many underclassmen on the team is that it allows for teams to underestimate us,” McEldowney said. “So we can come in and beat them and they won’t expect it.” The next home match will be on Sept. 24 against Cathedral.
Sophomore Nathan Simkins reaches to hit the ball during a match against HSE on August 28. FHS won 3-2. Photo by Emma Nguyen
