The Fountain Central boys’ tennis team has a new look to it for the 2021 season.
Brayden Prickett is the lone returning starter from a 2020 team that gave the Mustangs their fourth-straight sectional title last fall.
“We are very inexperienced this season, but we have good numbers from both our sophomore and freshman class,” longtime FC coach Chris Webb said. “So we feel good about the improvements we will see throughout the season. Our gial is the same each and every year and that’s to get better each day.”
Carter Merryman is the lone senior for the Mustangs this season and he joins sophomore Koby Wolf as the other two returning lettermen to Prickett.
Webb is also looking forward to a number of freshmen and sophomores who are ready to step in and compete. Sophomores include Noah Armstrong, Wes Jackson and Cole Garbison along with freshmen Skyler Hoagland and Gabe McCollum.
While the Mustangs have gotten accustomed to winning in recent years — Webb knows it will be tough to replace the six seniors from the class of 2021 and realizes there are other ways to measure success.
“The Class of 2021 did a great job of setting the tone in terms of both work ethic and attitude,” he said. “They will be very difficult to replace, but they have left us with a strong foundation in terms of player expectations. Our guys we have this season are working extremely hard. Watching a young team grow and witnessing younger players develop confidence is one of the most rewarding parts to coaching. We will be measuring success this season though the daily improvements I fully expect to see from our group.”
