By Tanner McCord
Sports Writer
With age comes experience and after ten years of tennis, Tyler Stayer has plenty of experience. With as long as he has been playing, Stayer has created a keen sense for leadership on the court and under all the pressure situations he has developed a calm demeanor for all situations, pressure or not.
As of Oct. 20, the Coppell varsity tennis team was named district champions. Just a little over a week later, the Cowboys earned the title of regional finalists, making a solid run all the way to the regional tournament finals. Under several senior leaders, Coppell has had massive success this season, going undefeated in district play.
Out of all the matches they played, the team has maintained a record of 14-3, a good number of which are sweeps. In terms of set wins in district, Coppell has outscored opponents, 79-16.
Although every team member has been a large part of the success this year, senior Tyler Stayer has stood out when it comes to leading the team. Stayer got his start on the court when he was about 7 and has continued since then due to the influence of fellow tennis players.
“Most of my friends played, and when I realized that I was pretty good at it I wanted to keep playing,” Stayer said. “This happened probably when I became a Super in seventh grade.”
Becoming a Super means Stayer reached the highest level of tournament competition for junior tennis players and won at that level, making him a Super Champ.
As he made the transition from middle school to high school, Stayer immediately made an impact. As a freshman, he was playing the number four spot on varsity and by his sophomore year had taken over the top spot and a leadership role on the team.
“He’s always been a leader on the court and always been a critical part of our lineup,” tennis coach Jane Jackson said. “He was able to represent us at the regional tournament every year.”
Individually and as a team player, Stayer has proven to be invaluable. He started his freshman and sophomore year playing doubles and mixed doubles and as he progressed he began taking over the top spot of the boys singles category.
“Tyler brings a lot of determination and class onto the court,” Stayer’s doubles partner Danny Bush, a junior, said. “He has a calm demeanor and a lot of experience.”
Since becoming the top spot, Stayer has provided leadership for the team on and off the court, helping the team to four consecutive regional showings, and this fall season assisting the team that will go down as the best team in CHS tennis history.
Stayer and the rest of the varsity tennis team traveled to Abilene on Oct. 25 to begin the regional tournament. While there, the team was seeded for the first time ever in regionals, and advanced all the way to the semifinals where they lost a tough match against one of the top five ranked schools in the state, El Paso Coronado.
On the journey to the regional finals, the team faced a huge challenge in the semifinals. Playing against Lubbock Coronado, the Cowboys were one match away from being eliminated, being down nine matches to three.
However, with the high level of leadership and the yearning to win overtaking the whole tennis team, they were able to rally back and win seven straight matches, and in doing so, advanced.
The 2012 fall season, with the help of Stayer and other standout leaders, has been counted as a great success and focus has already been put on the upcoming 2013 spring season.
“Next season is going to be really individualized but I’ll also be playing mixed doubles with the girls number one (Abby White),” Stayer said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to make it all the way to state.”
