Iron Horses open tennis season against Ashley Hall

Youth will be served at Philip Simmons High School when the girls’ tennis team takes the court this season. The team has three freshmen, an eighth-grader and seventh-grader among its top five players.

 

“I stress to the girls it’s not a sprint,” said veteran coach Richard Schulz. “It’s a marathon. We want to be at the state championship on Oct. 31.”

 

But before then, the Iron Horses must compete against some of the best teams in the Palmetto State. Schulz estimates seven foes on the 2020 schedule have the potential to play in state championships, whether it is for the High School League crown or the SCISA title.

 

The Iron Horses open the season Sept. 8 against SCISA power Ashley Hall and follow that up with a match against Ashley Ridge the next day. Academic Magnet, Porter-Gaud, Oceanside Collegiate, Lucy Beckham, Wando and Bishop England are among the heavyweights on the schedule.

 

Freshman Ansley Cohen is No. 1 in singles. She’s very strong and ultracompetitive.

 

“If there is a third set (in a match), she’s going to win,” Schulz said. “She is a fighter. She’s not going to lose.”

 

The No. 2 singles player is Cohen’s classmate, Amelia Whirrett.

 

“She’s going to be a great player, not a good player,” Schulz said of the freshman. “She’s very much improved from last year.”

 

Gianna Cannonie is the No. 3 singles player. She is only 12 years old and will face players who are just as good, but also six years older.

 

“She is very strong for a young lady,” Schulz said of the seventh-grader. “She is tenacious.”

 

Eight-grader Izzie Johnson holds down the No. 4 singles position while Crisleni Martinez Valdez is No. 5.

 

One player to keep an eye on who just might move into the top five is basketball standout Kylee Kellermann.

 

“She is an athlete’s athlete,” Schulz said. “If she were a football player being recruited by Clemson, she would be recruited as an athlete, not for a specific position. She is talented.”

 

Schulz also coaches the PSHS boys’ team in the spring and was heart-broken when the season was canceled in March, denying the Iron Horses a chance to defend their state title.

 

A change in seasons brings a change in feeling for the affable coach.

 

“It’s spectacularly exciting to be playing tennis, to be coaching this team,” Schulz said. “We have 20 matches in front of us, so we have a long way to go, and some time to get better.”

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the protocol for tennis this fall.

 

Teams used to use six cans of tennis balls during a match, but it has increased to 14 cans this season.

 

“The biggest problem is practice,” Schulz said. “The girls can’t touch the balls. I can touch the balls and I try to disinfect them. We have to be careful.”

 

Schulz said all the players and parents have followed the protocol set by the High School League and Berkeley County schools.

 

“Everyone wears a mask,” he said. “I go to the store and see people who aren’t wearing masks. Everyone is trying to do their best to make this season work.”