Mingus Union High School’s boys tennis team continued its turnaround under first-year head coach Tarrin Walz on Tuesday, April 15, with its second win of the spring over Kingman High School.
The Marauders [8-2] beat the Bulldogs 7-1 at home to stay ranked No. 9 in Division II and maintain their outside shot at a first-round home state tournament match with two regular-season team matches remaining against Flagstaff and Bradshaw Mountain high schools.
“We beat Flagstaff and Bradshaw, we’ll get it,” Walz said. “Bradshaw’s tough, but every match is a new match — that’s the way the kids look at it.”
Walz’s sons, Talon and Turner, the Nos. 1 and 4 singles players for the Marauders, respectively, made short work of the Bulldogs in their matches — Talon winning 6-4, 6-0 and Turner scoring a 6-0, 6-0 shutout.
“Everything goes through me this year,” said Talon Walz, a senior facing the final chance at a state title in his high school tennis career. “I went undefeated last year, but I’m more confident this year because I’ve played more challenging opponents. We made it to the semifinals two years ago, but were, like, [No.] 40 last year.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, April 16, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
