The Forest Lake boys tennis team has a new leader at the helm this season: head coach Mark Daniels, who’s optimistic about what’s ahead for the talented program. Following a 10-10 season in 2023 and falling in the team sectional 7AA semifinals, the Rangers return with a majority of their team from last year after losing a couple of key pieces to graduation.
This year’s rotation of key players for Forest Lake include a valuable pair of seniors in Frank Kerkow, a singles player, and Braden Anderson, who’s making the transition from doubles to singles this year. Junior Malachi McKinnon will be returning from another season on the rink with the Long Island Gulls in the Amateur Hockey Association to be back on the court with the Rangers this spring.
“He still has some hockey commitment, so we are waiting for his return,” Daniels said.
Daniels says that he is aiming to finish well enough in the Suburban East Conference to give his boys the best shot possible when they prepare for section play.
“I think we have a pretty good chance. It’s hard to say, because I’m so new and I haven’t been around the guys as much as I would have hoped to in the past,” Daniels said, regarding his expectations.
“I feel like we have a great senior class and some really strong up-and-comers, so I’m hoping to finish fairly strong in our conference. I don’t want to put a number on it, because we know how that goes. But I expect to compete well within our conference.”
Being a new head coach can certainly be a challenge in and of itself. Daniels discussed in depth his ways of coaching, as well as the potential speed bumps the team might come across throughout the spring season.
“What I’m looking to do is to try and build better technical skills amongst our players,” Daniels said. “Just like any other program, you have to build up the technical skills and the mechanics and so on, especially with just hitting the ball. Also, just going out there and taking care of business when we are out on the courts.”
Regarding any seasonal mishaps: “The challenge is going to be getting some of the under-performers from last year and molding them into an area where they meet expectations. I think there’s been higher expectations set on them in the past, and they haven’t quite met that yet. So what I’m hoping for is to get them to believe in themselves and to play at a higher level. So that will be the challenge – getting them to a level where they can play at.”
The Rangers will look to establish a rhythm of consistency amongst their newest leader, in hopes of making a push in both the team and individual Section 7AA tournament.
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