The South Whidbey tennis team is young this year, but they’ve been working hard the past two weeks.

But are they hungry enough for victory?

“We’ve miles to go before we’re there,” said Falcon coach Tom Kramer.

“The hunger to do well, to make it all the way to state, varies from one player to another. That’s why we play matches.”

Kramer, in his 36th year as tennis coach at South Whidbey, said that the key to victory on the court is the ability to handle pressure.

“You either learn to play despite the pressure that is brought to bear, or fall by the wayside,” he said.

“We lost a strong group of seniors from last year — Ben Snow, Grant Neubauer, Jake Ewing and Jon Adams — and that always hurts,” Kramer said.

At least from a team standpoint. Individually, last year’s 2A state champion Riley Newman will be back, and he is arguably the man to beat in the tough Northwest League.

“But his Sehome opponent Will Topp is back as well, so get ready for some fireworks when they meet,” Kramer noted.

The rematch is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Besides Newman, Kramer has high hopes for Van Morgen, Harrison Price and Brendan Riley. On the doubles side, there’s Jonah Jolley, Zach Comfort, Eric Vanderbilt-Mathews and Steve Raden.

This is Jolley’s fourth year as a Falcon, and he knows what has to be done.

“My weak point is aiming my serve,” he said. “My strong point is my volley game, especially my backhand.”

Jolley said he plays doubles because he enjoys the team element, the chance to share the blame and the glory depending on the final score.

“We don’t know who our partners will be yet, at least not until Coach Kramer sees how we do at Anacortes on Thursday,” Jolley said.

He added that, unlike some sports, tennis is a skill that he can enjoy all his life.

“Even when I get as old as you,” he told a gray-haired sportswriter.

There are seven freshmen on this year’s squad, ably coached by assistant Sandi McKenzie. For them, the coaches focus on how to keep score, tactics, strategy — all the basics.

For the more experienced players, Kramer stresses form, hitting the ball properly, footwork and racquet preparation.

“Each degree of racquet face off the perpendicular equals six feet of forward propulsion on the tennis court,” Kramer explained. “The racquet has to be precise or you’ll either hit the net or the ball flies outside.

“We call those ‘mystery shots.’”

The coach understands how easy it is for players to become distracted by the elements — it rains here, from time to time — or by opponents.

“The trick is to get the kids focused on the job at hand and to put their egos and abilities on the line,” Kramer said.

They’ll need all the focus and commitment they can muster. Once again, the season’s schedule will prove challenging as they face regular tennis powerhouses like Squalicum, Bellingham and the Wolves from Sequim.

“Given our shallow depth, any school we face will give us much- needed experience,” the coach said. “To do anything well takes discipline and concentration. Any time a young person takes on a challenge and succeeds, that’s a plus.”

At 2:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18 the team welcomes Mount Vernon.

Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or sports@southwhidbey

record.com.