By RICHIE HALL
The Noblesville boys tennis team has been on a roll the past two years, and the Millers want to keep that going.
Last season, Noblesville qualified for the IHSAA state finals for the second consecutive season. The Millers bring back three of those players for this year’s team, with several young players moving in to the varsity ranks.
The returning players are all seniors. Dane Campbell was part of the Noblesville No. 1 doubles team last season and was named Second Team All-State. The other seniors, Parker Stallings and Dustin Turpin, were the No. 2 doubles team.
“Parker and Dane have played varsity matches since they’ve been freshmen,” said Millers coach Chris Pyle. “Dane’s been a varsity starter since sophomore year. Parker was a varsity starter for most of sophomore year.”
After those three, Pyle said the team will be young, “but experienced and young,” said the coach.
“The young players coming in, they play tournaments year-round, they play at local clubs all year round,” said Pyle. “They’re together all the time. They’re going to step right in and it’s going to be just like another match. They’re going to be business as usual.”
Two juniors to look out for are Nicky Schmiegel and Joey Beahrs. Pyle said those two “made significant strides from when they were freshmen.” At that point, Schmiegel and Beahrs were “middle to bottom” junior varsity players.
“They’ve played a ton and have dedicated their time to getting to this point and I think they’re going to be really, really good this year,” said Pyle.
A pair of sophomores will likely figure into the varsity lineup. Zach Cousins played No. 2 singles for Noblesville’s JV team as a freshman, but Pyle noted that he was playing well against the varsity players.
“I remember him last year just seeing those seniors, how they acted, how they treated matches, how they took care of business, how they won with class, dignity and effort,” said Pyle. The coach said Cousins wants to “embrace it and make it his moment when it’s time. I think I have a lot of guys like that.”
Elijah Mason is the other sophomore likely to make an impact, and Pyle calls him “probably the most athletic player on my team” and “an incredible talent.”
“He plays with the athleticism of a professional athlete,” said Pyle. “A lot of raw talent, but it’s starting to become a lot more polished. I think he’s going to make a huge impact on our team.”
Pyle said the Millers’ lineup is “starting to take shape,” but there’s no official lineup yet. And the top seven won’t necessarily be singles or doubles specialists, telling his players they’re “going to play the spot you need to play in order to help the team win.”
“It’s taken four years to develop that,” said Pyle. “We’ve talked about all seven players playing at some variation at doubles. We’re in a really great spot where we can do a lot of different things. The boys have all embraced it and they’re all ready to go.”
Noblesville will play its first three dual matches on the road, traveling to Pendleton Heights on Aug. 19 before playing at Avon and Floyd Central later that week. The Millers’ first home meet will be against Fishers on Aug. 26.