Apr. 3—MITCHELL — It's a new era for the Mitchell High School boys tennis team.
For the last 13 years, longtime coach Pat Moller was at the helm, but he stepped down from the position following last season. Former assistant coach Tyler McEntee was given the reins and was tasked with leading the Kernels into the future.
McEntee played tennis at Mitchell from 2007-10 and has been an assistant coach for the past four seasons, giving him an understanding of where the program is at and what he has to work with.
He said there's pressure as a first-year head coach, but it's not because he's following up one of the best boys tennis coaches in program history.
"It's just all the possibilities that you have to analyze for how I want to run this team. How do I want to run practices?" McEntee said. "Right now, we're trying to decide our varsity lineup. Trying to decide between all these talented kids, who's going to get a varsity spot and at what flight and building a team that we think can win at any level is where the pressure really lies."
McEntee did say that getting into the groove as the head coach has been a bit of an acclimation process. As for what changes he may make early on in his tenure, he said he is implementing some new advanced strategies.
"We're experimenting with recording some matches, getting some advanced statistics that way and analyzing the game a little bit more after the fact, instead of just trying to be present and taking notes," McEntee said. "That's where I'm trying to learn, but otherwise, I'm just doing what we've done best for the last four years. Then over time, we'll tweak things as we go."
The Kernels bring back a solid core of returners, including four state participants from last season.
After making it to the No. 2 singles consolation championship last season, senior Luke Jerke is expected to be one of Mitchell's top performers and leaders. Junior Matthew Mauszycki returns after a sixth-place finish in No. 3 singles at state last season. After finishing sixth in No. 4 singles only as an eighth-grader, freshman Cooper Star is primed to take another step forward. Junior Asher Dannenbring also returns after a fourth-place finish in No. 6 singles.
McEntee said the keys to sustained success will be about finding a core team identity, which may take some trial and error in the beginning, but he knows what type of tennis he wants the Kernels to aim for.
"You have a lot of highs and low lows, and just trying to keep those even keel throughout, let the losses go by and focus on the next point," McEntee said. "I like to play very consistent tennis. You can play very flashy, high-powered tennis, or you can play very slow and grind it out. I think we like to sit somewhere in the middle and be aggressive, but comfortable."
The Kernels open their season with a triangular against Brandon Valley and Yankton in Yankton on Friday, April 4. McEntee said these first few weeks will be about finding a base line for every athlete and maximizing their talent from there.
"Some might need some help on a second serve, some might need help with volleys, they're all extremely unique," McEntee said. "They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it's trying to maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses."
