Chiefs, Maidens tennis team still adjusting to Class A tennis
RONAN HIGH School No. 1 tennis player Morgan Brooks delivers a powerful shot to Clark Fork’s No. 1 tennis player Emma Hopwood in a non-conference match at Ronan High School. (Jason Blasco/Lake County Leader)
The Ronan Chiefs, Maidens’ tennis program has cultivated some of its young talents to compliment some of their established players that qualified for state in Class B last season, according to coach Leslie Luedtke.
Luedtke, who is in her first-ever season as a varsity head tennis coach, said she hopes to qualify four of her team members at the Class A state tournament May 24-25.
The freshman team, which consists of Caden Bourdon, Conner Cornwell, Vicente Ortega, Joey Parnell and Sherman Violette, has made a lot of progress, according to Luedtke.
“I am hoping for at least four state contenders overall,” Luedtke said. “My freshman boys are really starting to step up and we are still mixing and matching a lot of doubles teams to get ready for Divisionals. Our freshman boys are learning a lot.”
The Chiefs’ tennis team consists of some veteran players and some solid senior leadership by their sole senior Coleman Taylor. Juniors Austin Taylor and Thomas Yellowbird also complement Taylor, who is signed to play football in NCAA Division III at Crown College in Minnesota.
Sophomore Garrett Anderson is another player on an experienced Chiefs’ squad that looks to provide leadership as the postseason rapidly approaches.
“Right now we are just focusing on trying to work on our fundamentals and making sure our serves are in,” Luedtke said. “We are also working with short-hand volleys and having good ball placement on the court. We are focused on playing the sport correctly.”
During the end of the 2016 season, the Montana High School Activities Association had a realignment that dictated the reclassification of several conferences and sports based on the number of student participants that was effective at the start of the 2017-2018 school season.
This move had an impact on all classifications and teams, including moving Ronan from Class B to the Class A classification, where they now compete with schools with larger populations.
Luedtke said she felt the realignment has changed the competitive dynamic for her team in what can be a game based on numbers when examining the team component of the sport.
“Being in Class A is such a difficult transition,” Luedtke said. “We’ve had some of the other team’s freshman players beat our seniors. Transitioning from Class B to Class A has been a huge step for our kids.”
The Chiefs, Maidens’ tennis program has taken the change in stride as they continue to focus on the fundamental components of the game.
“The kids are doing so awesome and we are trying to get everyone seeded for Divisoinals,” Luedtke said. “We hope we can get everyone to place at least once, they get to Divisionals and keep pushing through it.”
The Maidens tennis program may be small in numbers consisting of only three players: Morgan Brooks, Madison Sevier, and Skyler Shima, but they’ve adjusted to the rigors of playing in the new classification, according to Luedtke.
“The kids are doing awesome and I am just hoping for more numbers next year as we continue to build our program,” Luedtke said.