'Cats have experience and youth

Able to get outdoors only twice during the first two weeks of the practice season and with the first two dates postponed, the Columbia Falls boys tennis team is anxious for its first outside competition. The Wildcats' duals against Bigfork last Thursday and Whitefish on Saturday were called off due to weather and court conditions.

Weather permitting, the 'Cats open the season next Tuesday at Polson at 3:30 p.m. The home opener is not until April 27 when C-Falls hosts Bigfork.

Third-year coach Gary Yee lost Cody Maynard to graduation and Weston Bartkoski, who went to the U.S. Naval Academy, but five seniors are on the squad. They are Grant Getts, Jake Ronish, Scott Hopkins, Billy Garcia and Brad Wyman.

Also on the team are juniors Jon Riffey and Tim Spencer; sophomores Vadim Zvyagelskiy, Matt Wilke and Raphael Kim, an exchange student from Korea; and freshmen Parker Johnson, Brian Marcille, Miroslav Zvyagelskiy, Adam Richardson and Austin Weaver.

"It's half a young crowd and half an older crowd," Yee said. "We have about five kids who are new to the court."

Playing doubles, Getts and Maynard were C-Falls' only two state qualifiers last season.

"We're pretty solid this year," the coach said. "We have a good crop of freshmen. They're really hungry. Some basketball players have come by."

Getts, Ronish and Vadim Zvyagelskiy appear to be the top three singles players, and the spot they play is yet to be determined. Yee is excited about the abilities of Zvyagelskiy.

Getts — who has been to state twice in doubles — lost his partner, Maynard, and Ronish could fill that role this year.

While practicing in the CFHS gym, the 'Cats worked on "a lot of corrective things," according to Yee, such as strokes. Time is also being spent on singles and doubles tactics.

"I'm hoping to qualify more people for state than I did last year," Yee said. "We're working on analyzing opponents' weaknesses and developing a strategy to play against them."