By Cooper Chadwick
After finishing tied for fifth place last year at the 4A tennis state tournament, McPherson is looking to return nearly the same roster and have hopes of surpassing that fifth place finish.
Some key returners for the Bullpups this season are senior Alex Berger who finished fourth in doubles last year and earned honors such as all-state and academic all-state. Another key returner is Beger’s doubles partner senior Bryson Archer, who also earned honors such as all-state and academic all-state. Senior Owen Neighbors is also an important returner for McPherson, qualifying for state last year in doubles.
McPherson is coached by head coach Tyler Brown in his 18th season with the Bullpups. He previously coached for six years as an assistant and is now in his 12th as the head coach.
“After I was done playing, coaching allowed me to still be involved with athletics,” Brown said when asked what made him get into coaching.
This season, Brown has high expectations for this talented group of athletes.
“We are hoping to move into a top four team in 4A this year. We were plagued with injuries last year which hurt us down the stretch of the season so hopefully we can stay healthy,” Brown said.
When asked about his coaching style Brown couldn’t really describe it but did comment on how his team just “gets after it” and “grinds”, but they also have fun doing so.
