Cougar tennis team in rebuilding mode

Rusty Graham knew the York Comprehensive High School boys’ tennis team would start the season with a lot of new faces in key roles.

“We lost singles players No.1, 2, 3 and 5 from last year’s team,” said Graham, head coach of the Cougar tennis team.

Lancaster prevailed 6-0 Monday on the YCHS courts, but the Cougars had their moments.

York’s No. 1 singles player Matthew Goforth pushed Lancaster’s Isaac Thomas before Thomas was able to pull away in the second match with a 6-2 advantage.

Playing aggressively around the net and returning many his opponent’s power serves, Lancaster’s No. 1 won the first match, 6-4.

“Matthew played No. 4 singles last year, so he’s filling that No. 1 spot this season,” said Graham.

“He lost five or six deuce points today; that was the key,” Graham said. “Matthew played a close match and he played hard. He’s definitely the best player on our team. There’s no doubt about that.”

Goforth said he knew the first match could have gone either way.

“It really was a competitive match,” said Goforth. “My opponent played well. I’ve got things I need to work on, ground strokes and putting away vollies.”

Goforth is a junior in his third year of organized tennis.

“It’s gonna take a lot of practice and hard work to get where I want to be,” he said. “I’m willing to put in the hard work and dedication.”

Goforth said he is playing with more confidence around the net than any phase of the game.

“I am putting it away at the net,” he said. “My ground strokes need work, especially my backhand.

Goforth knows he is building competitive advantages on the court.

“I’m becoming aggressive at the net,” he said. “The key is working on areas of the game that need improvement, giving it my all and not giving up when I’m down.

“Don’t get mad and don’t let your opponent get to you.”

Noah Arnold, York’s No. 2 singles player, lost to his opponent 0-6, 0-6, but felt it was a learning experience.

“I put my head in there and played real hard,” he said. “It’s only my second season playing tennis. My sister got me into playing the game. I really like the sport.”

Arnold’s game plan is to improve as the season goes along.

“Maybe next time I’ll have a few more shots,” he said. “My goal is to pick up a couple wins along the way.”

Arnold said he knows it takes a lot of work to reach the level of play for which he strives. “I play tennis with my sister in the off season,” he said. “I have confidence in my ground strokes.

“I need to improve my net play and be a little more aggressive in my game.”

No. 3 Jacob Southard, No. 4 Tyler Doan and No. 5 Juwan Barnett were beaten 6-0, 6-1.

The Cougars’ No. 2 doubles team had to forfeit due to an injury to Clint Black.

Jackson Montgomery competed against a Lancaster opponent in a singles match approved by both coaches and made a strong showing, losing the first match 2-6 and falling in a closely-contested second match 5-7.

With the regular season having just begun, Graham believes there will be better days ahead.

“It’s a young team,” he said. “We’ve got to practice hard and get better. Two or three years from now, we’ll have a darn good team.”

Graham believes confidence has a lot to do with raising the team’s level of play.

“I think after this first match, a lot of the new kids have a match under their belt,” he said. “Even in losing, their confidence is way up.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Cougar tennis team in rebuilding mode."