Consistency on the court holds the secrets for Mitchell young boys

MITCHELL– Preparing for the Class AA state competition, Mitchell High School boys tennis is trying to find constant play throughout the two-day event.Specifically, the Kernel

players are all working on refining the little information, from footwork and placing to serving, aiming to enhance a seventh-place surface from in 2015’s competition. Head coach Tyler McEntee explained those little modifications propel a player at that phase forward in the bracket.”They all have great fundamentals,” McEntee stated.” There’s constantly going to

be obstacles, no matter what the level is that they’re dipping into. It’s simply solidifying those abilities and attempting to mold them into where they can play 4 or five matches in a day and still produce great tennis for us.”Mitchell heads into the state competition, which starts Thursday in Sioux Falls, off a 15-6 dual record in the routine season and a third-place finish in the Eastern South Dakota Conference competition. At the ESD fulfill, Sutton Thompson won the Flight 6 songs title while the Kernels’No. 2 and No. 3 doubles posted runner-up finishes. Thompson, a senior, has actually been an essential cog in the Kernels’ lineup in the lower flights along with junior Dawson Adams

and freshman Cooper Star, as the trio have a combined 48 match success in singles play. The success of the lower flights stem from a basic frame of mind going into each match. “If you say it’s one game at a time, I really believe you have an opportunity against anyone in the state,”Thompson stated.”Play your game, play your strength and let the game come to you. … We’re just not looking past any opponent, no matter what their record is.” “Our bottom-end players are actually type of the rock of the majority of our double meets,” McEntee included.”Tennis is such an individual, mental-heavy sport and these guys have revealed tremendous strength in the last three months just through the sheer will of overcoming some hard moments.” Mitchell’s Luke Jerke returns a ball close to the internet during a Class AA high school boys tennis double on Friday, April 11, 2025, at Hitchcock Park.Adam Thury/ Mitchell Republic Thompson sports the very best match record on the team, going into state at 19-2 in Flight 6. Adams and sophomore Asher Dannenbring have won 17 matches each at Flight 5 and Flight 3, respectively. Fellow senior Luke

Jerke is 16-8 at Flight 2, while Star and junior Matthew Mauszycki will represent the Kernels in Flight 4 and Flight 1, respectively.In doubles, Thompson and Star are 18-6 in Flight 2 and Dannenbring and Adams are 18-5 in Flight 3, with both sets coming off a runner-up surface at the ESD satisfy. Jerke and Mauszycki ended up in fourth location in Flight 1, where staying focused throughout their time on the court will play an essential part in figuring out the outcome of state.”A big issue we had this year is focusing on the task at hand,”Jerke said.”For every game we just aren’t focused and we lose games we understand we shouldn’t have, we just reset and attempt to do better. Everyone have

the technique that suffices to dip into a high level. We simply have to be psychologically prepared.” Mitchell’s Asher Dannenbring(left)hands doubles parter Dawson Adams the ball throughout a high school young boys tennis dual on Monday, April 21, 2025, at Hitchcock Park.Blake Durham/ Mitchell Republic McEntee also wishes to see how well the Kernels can adjust each match, not only to their challenger’s game but likewise to their environment. Although first match nerves are going to be felt the moment the state tournament begins, the Kernels are all set

for the moment. “We have actually had upset losses at

the beginning of competitions previously,” McEntee said,”However these guys are prepared to complete and hopefully improve on our standing from last year like we did with the ESD competition.” The Class AA state kids tennis tournament begins at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, in Sioux Falls.

Day 1 matches will be held at Tomar Park, McKennan Park and Lincoln High School, and if weather condition becomes an element, matches will be moved indoors to the Huether Family Match Pointe center. Blake Durham is a Sports Press Reporter for the Mitchell Republic, having participated in October of 2023. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in December of 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Durham can be discovered covering a variety of prep and collegiate sports in the location.