The Fremont High boys tennis team will have a veteran look when it opens the season Thursday versus Millard West at 4:30 p.m. at the high school tennis complex.
Three seniors return from last year and the three remaining spots could very well be filled with three more seniors.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors and they’re all on the top half of the ladder,” said head coach Justin Bigsby. “That can be good and bad with so many guys fighting for six spots but we could easily have a team of all seniors as far as the top six.”
Returning after a state tournament appearance are seniors Alec Richards, Jack Larsen and Zach Weaver.
The trio will be counted on as leaders this season and all like the look of the team thus far.
“Things are going really well,” said Richards. “We have a lot of seniors this year so we have a lot of experience to bring back to the court.”
“I think we’ll have a pretty solid team this year,” added Larsen. “With three returning guys with experience and some playing all summer long it really helps out the team quite a bit.”
“Everyone is solid all around and can play either singles or doubles,” said Weaver. “I think we’ll probably be better at singles.”
Weaver returns to No. 1 singles while Richards and Larsen was last year’s No. 2 doubles team.
“Natural progression says that they will be No. 1 doubles but we’ll see,” Bigsby said of Richards and Larsen. “They’re just one of those natural doubles teams. We aren’t sure if they’re still going to be a doubles team but they’ve already got that edge at least we know we’ve got that to fall on.”
Bigsby said Weaver attended a tennis academy in Florida this summer and was on the court the most over the summer.
“He’s not rusty and is coming in hitting the ground running,” Bigsby said.
The remaining seniors are currently battling for the final three spots.
Bigsby said all have looked good during practice and all have improved their game over the summer.
Tyler Ketchem, Spencer Brown, Charlie Ronan, Scott Speicher and Nate Samuelson Spencer Brown round out the senior class.
Speicher returns after holding down the No. 7 spot last year.
Bigsby allows challenges throughout most of the season where players can challenge another player a spot or two ahead on the ladder and if that player wins the challenge they take over that spot on the ladder.
Bigsby said he closes the ladder on Sept. 12.
“Some coaches leave their ladder open the whole season; I don’t want us focusing on trying to beat each other all the way through; at some point we need to say that we’re done,” he said.
Not returning this season is senior Andy Sajevic. The three-sport varsity letterwinner since his freshman year will sit out the tennis season to concentrate on golf.
“Everyone knows Andy’s best sport is golf,” said Bigsby. “In the back of my mind I always knew it was a good possibility depending on how he progressed in golf.
“He’s got a great chance to do some really, really cool things with golf so we wish him all the best and he’ll be here cheering us on.”
While the team will likely be made up of only seniors Bigsby said the team still needs some work.
“We’re raw; I’ll use that coaching term,” said Bigsby. “We have the potential and the talent; we just need guys to learn how to use that talent.”
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