Outlaws will have small team on tennis courts

The boys tennis squad currently has four players, and all are fairly inexperienced. The team will welcome any new players who would like to join and learn the game. There will be no cuts, and everyone is guaranteed to earn a varsity letter.

Senior Barry Jaxon and juniors Matthew Riehle and Zenus Ortega return as third-year players, but their tennis experience has been limited due to COVID. All three joined the team brand-new to the game in 2020, but after two weeks of practice the entire season was cancelled. In 2021, the season was limited to six weeks, but players were able to put their skills to use in matches and the district tournament.

This year, Jaxon, Riehle, and Ortega will get a full season of practice and matches, so Coach Carl Click expects to see a great deal of improvement from all three.

“Early on in practice I’m impressed with their muscle memory from last season,” said Click. “There is not a lot of dropoff.”

Ben Skidmore (freshman) joins the squad as a first-time tennis player, which is not unusual for Sisters High School.

Click told The Nugget that over the years the tennis team has had many student athletes want to try a new sport in the spring and just have some fun.

“Those players usually get a lot better in a hurry,” said Click. “They may not win a lot of matches, but you can certainly see great strides in their skills, and that makes the game enjoyable.”

Since the team has limited numbers, players will most likely play twice in each match, both singles and doubles. Click noted that players will also play in different doubles combinations.

The team will kick off their season at Ridgeview on Monday, March 14.