“While the Renegade netters have occasionally used the Larry Joe Harless Center courts at Gilbert as a home away from home, they have mostly had to hit the road. “It’s hard when you have to travel everywhere to play,” Rose noted.
“We’re hoping that now that we have these courts, some of the kids will take up tennis during the summer,” he said. “They’ll be open to the public during the summer. If there’s interest, we might be able to have some camps.
“The courts, located west of the softball field, have lights and a set of bleachers for spectators.
Rose says his teams have reversed roles since last year, with the girls club having experience and the boys squad dominated by newcomers.
On the girls side, top seed Autumn Lester “has improved since last year,” Rose remarked.
As she pulled out an 8-5 win in last week’s match with Independence, the coach said experience was the difference. “Last year, she would have lost that match,” he stated. “Now she knows what to do.
“Maria Browning, Mariah Francis and Moriah Shepherd are the other singles seeds.
All four play doubles as well, along with No. 3 doubles team Jamie Reichert and Samantha Campbell.
“They’re a lot more aggressive than they were last year,” Rose commented, “and they’re playing better tennis.
“Last year,” he added,” they were waiting for something to happen. Now they’re making things happen.
“The boys team, on the other hand, is young and learning.
Todd Midkiff is the No. 1 seed in singles. “He’s playing very well,” Rose remarked.
Austin Grubb, Kyle Midkiff and Avern Collins are the other singles players.
Anthony Vance plays No. 2 doubles with Grubb. Two duos share the No. 3 doubles slot: Dayton Workman and Richard Paynter and Sean Kennedy and Nathan Perry.
“Most of the boys are athletic,” Rose pointed out. “The footwork and the speed are there. They just need to learn how to play tennis.”
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