After watching son Talon Walz win two state tournament matches before falling April 26 in the Division III quarterfinals, new Mingus Union High School boys tennis coach Tarrin Walz had a feeling his team could win State.
And after hearing that Talon Walz, along with fellow returning seniors Gary Baker and Tanner Caron — with slight help from old coach Tim Kessel — essentially ran practice for four days last week by themselves, Tarrin Walz’s feeling has only grown.
“I think we have a legitimate chance to win state,” he said during practice for the Marauders’ home opener Friday, Feb. 28, against Thunderbird High School.
Those three seniors, along with fellow classmen Gary Baker and Tanner Caron, as well as sophomores Logan Connella and Turner Walz, have been willing and able to do so as the Marauders’ projected No. 1 through 5 singles players. Seniors Micah Nevarez and Noah Rivera, in their first year of varsity tennis, project to fill the next two spots below.
“I thought we could get to state just on our top five, before Micah and Noah came out,” Walz said. “I’ve already seen Tanner and Gary compete much harder than they have in the past.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Feb. 26, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
