Aaron Healy is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mountain View High School for AZPreps365.com

After a heartbreaking loss to Brophy’s men's tennis team last season in the state playoffs, the Mountain View Toros are looking to bounce back this season and hopefully reach state once again under head coach Kim Roberts. 

“Fighters.” That's how Roberts described his team during last year's state playoff run. He shared how his team was mentally tough and prepared, but Brophy, at that time, was just more talented. 

Roberts and the Toros are facing a few challenges this year after losing a couple of their key starters from last year, but that doesn't leave any room for excuses, Roberts explained. The Toros have to find a way to come together and connect as a team if they want to be successful this year.  

“I thought they bonded pretty well last year, but this year everybody is a little older and a little more mature, so there's a lot more cohesiveness this year,” Roberts explained. 

The team as a whole is a close unit, but there are two standout athletes that the Toros have. Last year freshman tennis players JD Manning and Brayden Wagstaff performed extremely well and led them to state as the No. 1 and 2 players on the team. Their talents have grown from last season and they hope to translate that success coming into their sophomore year.

“Last season was hard with COVID restrictions, but we won all the matches we were supposed to win last year and we rallied around that as a team,” Manning said. 

“We can take the confidence that we built from last year knowing that we can do it again, knowing that our team probably isn’t as strong as last year. As a player I’ve gotten way stronger than last year and I think we’ll definitely do way better than we did last year,” Wagstaff added.    

The team has a strong bond heading into this season because of the fun they have as a group. “It's pretty fun, we get together as a team a lot and hang out a lot. This sport is more of an individual sport so having a good team experience is definitely a fun part of it,” Manning said. The fact that the Toros have such a great tennis coach is why Wagstaff believes the Toros will have a successful season and he’s really looking forward to it. 

Roberts believes the team really needs more in-game experiences with tennis to push them to winning the state title. “Unfortunately our kids don't play enough tournaments. Aside from the No.1 player, I think if all these kids played in tournaments, our whole team would improve quite a bit because it would give a little bit more tournament time for the kids,” Roberts said. 

Getting enough experience in the big games is really what sets teams up for success, Roberts explained. Last season Manning and Wagstaff felt like they weren't as prepared for state competitions compared to this year. 

“Last year was pretty different because everything was so new to me and I was a freshman, but this year since I already have a year under my belt. I kind of know how everything works and I can have more control and have more of an idea of what I’m doing out on the court,” Manning said. 

“I’m not new this year because I was a freshman last year. I’m more aware of what's going on and I know what to look for in the game,” Wagstaff added.     

Sharpening mental tools and being prepared as a team is a big part of their success and they hope to continue to strive for this season’s goals. Roberts really wants to make it to the state finals this year and believes his team has a great shot of winning it in 2022. 

Manning and Wagstaff have some personal and team goals as well. Manning has the personal goal to reach state and make the state championship as a singles player. As a team, he believes the Toros can at least make it to the semifinals. Wagstaff made it to the quarterfinals in doubles last year and believes that he can make it to the semifinals or even the state championship with his doubles partner. Both players just want the winning feeling back within the team. 

Roberts always knows how to give his players the best advice before going into a match.

“Never, never, never give up. The match is not over until the last point has been played, so until that last point has been played, you have a chance of winning it. Winning a match is about mental toughness and coming up with a great strategy against each individual player, and if you can do that, you can beat a player several levels above you,” Roberts said. 

The advice from Roberts will hopefully lead the Toros tennis team to a state championship.