By RICHIE HALL
The boys tennis teams that met for a scrimmage Thursday at the Noblesville East Middle School courts have one thing in common.
The Millers hosted Hamilton Heights, and both teams have a bit of a youth movement going on. Noblesville does have some experience on its squad, but a couple of freshmen will also be seeing varsity time as the regular season starts next week.
Millers coach Tim Samons said his team has “a lot of freshmen” on the team, and those players “have a good chance to really make an impact on the team.” The two that are already on the varsity lineup are No. 2 singles Noah Bushong and No. 3 singles Michael Krukover.
“They give us a little more depth,” said Samons. “It’s the deepest team we’ve ever had since I’ve been here.”
The remainder of Noblesville’s lineup is an experienced group of junior and seniors. No. 1 singles is a senior, Jacob Hoffman. The Millers’ No. 1 doubles team consists of senior Ben Smith and junior Evan Voigt. Another pair of juniors, Jonathan Maskew and Will Graham, are playing at No. 2 doubles.
With all this excitement over the lineup, Noblesville is looking for improvement next year, especially in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. Samons said the No. 1 goal of the Millers is to finish in the upper half of the conference.
“We need to finish a little higher than we did last year,” said Samons. “Last year was a tough season for us. I really feel like with the addition of a few new players and the improvement of some players we already have, that that could happen this year.”
NEW COACH AT HEIGHTS
If the Millers are trending young this year, the Huskies are even younger. Heights has one senior (JP Etchison) and one junior (Aiden Ray) on its varsity roster.
The Huskies also have a new coach: Justin Davis. He is not new to Heights tennis, however: Davis graduated from Hamilton Heights in 2013, where he played under the former coach, Cameron Scott. He was also an assistant for the boys team for three years, and for the girls team for one year.
“It’s great,” said Davis. “I love the atmosphere and I love the team camaraderie. I like just the overall opportunity to have my own team and to follow in Cameron Scott’s footsteps. He coached me and me and him see eye to eye on a lot of things. So it’s been a fun year so far.”
Davis is well aware of how young this team is – “We’re not the Husky Dogs, we’re the Husky Pups,” he said. But the team is already seeing progress. Davis said he has been working with the players all summer, doing challenge matches and getting them prepared for the matches they will play once the season begins.
“They’re holding it together really well,” said Davis. “A lot of maturity, even with the young team. Respectful young guys and I’m ready for a good season this year.”
Etchison is slated to play No. 1 singles, with Ray at No. 2 singles. Freshman Ben Wolfgang is on the list at No. 3 singles. The doubles slots are filled with sophomores: Nic Rice, Josh Russell, Liam Huss and Jake Martin.
As for goals, Davis is keeping them simple.
“I’d like to just say have fun and improve every single day, one way or the other,” said Davis. “I’m not the coach to only want to win record-wise. I’m the type of coach that wants to win each day. Just like Cameron Scott, we used to have a shirt that said, ‘Win the day,’ and that’s definitely what I would like to see this team do individually and as a team.”
Josh Russell (left) and Aiden Ray (right) are two of Hamilton Heights’ varsity boys tennis players this season. The Huskies are also being led by a new head coach, Justin Davis. (Richie Hall)
Noblesville freshman Michael Krukover will play No. 3 singles for the Millers. (Richie Hall)