WHITEFISH, Mont. — This spring, Whitefish tennis teams dey prepare for intense competition as dem face tough opponents in Northwest A league. With a proud history of seven state titles for boys and three for girls, dem no go slack for dis season.
Whitefish boys dey led by new coach Doris Puglisi, who take over from Chris Schwaderer. Puglisi dey optimistic about her team as dem get experience players like Jack Oehlerich, who finish sixth at state last year, and Owen Erickson. On the doubles side, Puglisi go rely on Walt Seigmund and Aaron Anderson, calling dem “the new dynamic duo.”
“I hope they will develop into a strong doubles team. They look very good so far,” Puglisi talk about her players. She also dey look for new doubles partner for junior Cole Moses as dem start the season.
The girls team, under experienced coach Pat Dryden, also dey show promise, with Liesl Brust leading the singles after she win a match at state last year as a freshman. Dryden also bring back his strong doubles team of Zoey Marzo and Kamry Kelch. However, he still dey find a new partner for Mercer, with several candidates in the mix, including veteran Gretel Vine and freshman Emy Hansen.
“In fact, we’ve had a few challenge matches already, and the team dey deeper than it has been for a while,” Dryden noted. “Polson go always be tough.”
Speaking about Polson, dem dey face a rebuilding phase, according to coach Bob Hislop. With just one senior girl and three senior boys, no returning all-conference players this year, Hislop hope to build a competitive team. Ruger Ellis and Benson Moss dey hold down the No. 1 and No. 2 singles, while Max Violett and Marcus Lucas take the No. 1 doubles spot.
Polson girls recently perform well, beating Hamilton and Libby in their first games. “The Lady Pirates bring plenty firepower,” Hislop added.
For Libby, Ryan Beagle, the reigning singles champion, solidify his spot after scoring all his team’s points at state last year. Coach Kyle Hannah dey hopeful for the senior doubles pairing of Dylan Warner and Eric Thompson, while Maggie Fantozzi and Marissa Hollingsworth dey lead the girls team.
Columbia Falls dey also establish for this season as coach Michelle Colliander sees strong performance from senior Will Pickard in doubles, while the girls’ side dey replace their No. 1 player Lexi Oberholtzer who don graduate.
Bigfork’s coach Matt Porrovechio get a young team, with Cassy Schicht expected to lead in singles and Regan Waller and Taylor Howlett as the top doubles team. However, he still dey work on other team arrangements as Seth Christians dey recover from knee injury.
As the season dey unfold, teams dey get ready for matches with Whitefish facing Ronan and Bigfork recently. Coaches dey hopeful that their players go show the fire and talent needed to succeed when dey hit the courts.
