By Adam Kujawski, Staff Writer
Harlingen High tennis coach James Tanamachi has been pleasantly surprised with his team’s performance this season.
The Cardinals graduated four starters from last year, including the team’s top boys athlete and top three girls, but continue to play competitive tennis.
“For a younger team, I’m happy with our record,” he said. “I thought they might struggle, but the kids who have stepped in have played really well.”
Tanamachi says wins against “perennial powerhouses” such as San Benito and Brownsville Veterans Memorial are good indicators that his team has what it takes to play in the postseason. He even thinks losses against teams from San Antonio and Houston from earlier in the year provided positive reinforcement for the team’s potential.
Everything isn’t perfect, though, and Tanamachi thinks there is room for improvement within the sets themselves.
“I’d like them to improve their confidence,” he said. “Also, sometimes they’ll get ahead in a match, win the first set 6-0 or 6-1 and then become relaxed and it gets taken to a third set.”
Harlingen High is one district win away from qualifying for the area tournament. The Cardinals are 9-3 on the season, including 3-0 in district play.
Alongside skill, mixing in team unity and perseverance is a recipe for success.
Contributions by Nick Byrum and Kylie Leach have stood out to Tanamachi. Byrum, a team captain, is an example he gave of somebody who has stepped up this season. He had been the No. 1 boys athlete but just lost his first challenge match, bumping him to No. 2 for the next match. Leach, also a team captain, has worked her way back from a torn ACL that sidelined her for nine months and has continued to play well.
To illustrate his team’s solidarity, Tanamachi recalled a story from a few weeks ago, when the team was running 2.5 miles as part of a conditioning exercise. With some kids struggling, the senior leaders on the team elected to hold back, keep pace with the younger members and finish as a group.
“They’re a pretty cohesive unit,” he said. “They work hard and have one of the best attitudes I’ve seen as a team.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.