To celebrate a successful season, the boys JV tennis team had one more practice. No tennis was played, though, as the boys held a pizza practice. Celebrating the successful season, the last practice was more of a reward. 

Looking back to the middle of August, the young JV squad has made tremendous strides. The young team had a very successful season going 10-5-1. Competing in an outstanding conference, the underclassmen held their own against some of the best teams in the state. 

The team had a very positive outlook on the season after winning their first match against East Kentwood. Starting out the season with three wins, the Rangers were confident and playing loose. However, following a close loss against rival East Grand Rapids, the Rangers bounced back and went on to win the next two matches. The positive energy from this team is what kept them going. 

The team has had many outstanding showings this season; one of the greatest moments was a tournament at portage northern where the team narrowly missed a first-place finish.

The key to success for this young team has been coaching. Head coach Mitch Timyan has been working with the team for a few years, helping these athletes get to the next level. 

“Everyone played three matches,” coach Timyan said, “It came down to the last match, and everyone was cheering on their teammates, which were great to see.”

In order to improve, the most important thing to do is to play. Throughout the season, every day for two hours, the team has been grinding in order to achieve the goal of being the best. For some, that may sound like a lot of work, but for this team, it was the minimum.

“Coach Timyan definitely helped a lot when it came to improving my game,” sophomore Owen Godley stated. “He was able to improve my serve, groundstrokes, and overall playing ability with some small but effective tips.”

The team’s success displayed the bright future the team has. Between the seven freshmen and three sophomores, the talent on this team could go a long way. 

“The team itself was very positive and enjoyable,” junior Kyler Pell said. “It made practice go by fast and made the season extremely fun.”

Moving from underclassman to upperclassman, the experience held by all seven seniors was key in the success and the development of the team over the course of the season. 

“The seniors work hard and ask for help,” coach Timyan said. “It shows the younger players how to improve their game and be open to coaching. This year will act as a baseline to build off of, and next season should be a breakout year for a lot of these young players.”