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RCNettersWinOpener
Under the direction of a new head coach, the Rockbridge County High School boys tennis team opened its season with a 7-2 road win over Staunton on Thursday.
Proud of his team, RC head coach Scott Youngdahl said, “We have a lot to work on, but our fight and support for each other is great.”
Youngdahl, who was the RC boys soccer team’s head coach for the last six years, replaces Rebekah Butler, who coached the Wildcats for the last two years before stepping down so she could go back to school. A Spanish teacher at the high school, Youngdahl, 53, is coaching tennis for the first time, but he grew up playing tennis, competing for Union High School in Tulsa, Okla. He and his wife, Janet Lee, have three children who all graduated from RC.
The Wildcats went 3-11 overall and 2-6 in the Valley District last year. The Wildcats graduated two players, Matthew Feldman and Ben Barney. Feldman was the runner-up in the Valley District singles tournament.
This year’s team has seven players, with no seniors, four juniors and three sophomores. The juniors are Vargas, Gardner Clement, Nic Faulds and Jacob Peart. The sophomores are Jaxon Johnson, Barrett Kosmas and Harrison Tanner. Five players return from last year, while Vargas and Clement are the new players.
The Wildcats were scheduled to start Valley District action at Broadway on Monday and will visit nondistrict rival Lord Boetourt today, Wednesday. They’ll return to district play on Tuesday, April 2 at Harrisonburg and will have their first home match against district rival Spotswood on Tuesday, April 9. All matches are scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
RC 7, Staunton 2
SINGLES – Laurel Shelton (S) d. Nic Vargas (RC) 8-6; Gardner Clement (RC) d. Elias Hardy (S) 8-5; Nic Faulds (RC) d. Jonah Heishman (S) 8-1; Jaxon Johnson (RC) d. Sawyer Tuttle (S) 8-3; Barrett Kosmas (RC) d. Runako Walsh (S) 8-3; Harrison Tanner (RC) d. August Schwaner (S) 8-3.
DOUBLES –Shelton and Hardy (S) d. Vargas and Clement (RC) 8-6; Faulds and Johnson (RC) d. Heishman and Tuttle (S) 8-1; Kosmas and Tanner (RC) d. Walsh and Garrett Kane (S) 8-2.
