Boy’s Tennis

Parkway South’s boys’ tennis team is back this spring, and there is much hype surrounding the young Patriots because of one player. Freshman, Carson Haskins is a newcomer to the varsity tennis roster, and is nationally ranked.

Haskins has only one thing in mind for his first year at South: win state.

“My goal for my freshman year, and hopefully years to come is to be a state champion,” said Haskins.

Carson would be the first tennis state champion at South, and he hopes this dream is something that can become a reality.

Haskins said he has been playing tennis since a very young age, and has already made a big name for himself. Being a successful athlete in the Haskins family is something that has been continuous. After all, Sarah Haskins is his cousin, who is one of Parkway South’s most notable and successful athletes.She competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing as a triathlete. She also won the gold medal in the Pan- American Games. Currently, Carson is ranked number one in the Missouri Valley, and 15th overall nationally in the class of 2018.

Carson’s decision to join the South tennis team is something that he considered for a long time. He said he had to decide between playing high school tennis, or competing in nation wide tournaments by himself. Haskins even considered Parkway West’s tennis team, which is one of the best in the area.

 

Even though Haskins is only a freshman, he is already starting to look at colleges.

“I’ve already began looking at some division 1 schools, and among them is Illinois,” said Haskins.

This years’ roster is one young and exciting team for the Patriots, and varsity coach Nick Tanurchis can’t wait for the year to begin.

“This year we have a very young team with only freshman and sophomores on the varsity roster, however I expect this team to achieve more than last year. Last year we were under .500, and our goal is to finish over that mark this spring,” said Tanurchis.

Tanurchis is also very confident in Haskins this year, and he has seen great qualities in him on and off the tennis court.

“Carson brings a lot to this team, and we have already noticed he has a great work ethic. He is very humble, and we’re hoping he is very successful here,” said Tanchurias.

The JV coach for South tennis, Ryan Grice, is also very excited for the season.

“I’m very excited about this year’s team, one in which that is very young. We had lots of players graduate last year, however I’m looking forward to seeing our talented freshman compete,” said Grice.

One of Parkway South’s toughest opponents this season will be Parkway West, the same school  Haskins was interested in attending. However with Haskins, the Patriots are a confident bunch.

As for Carson, the toughest opponent he could face on his journey to a state championship is Micah Klousia, a senior from Springfield Glendale. Haskins has known Klousia for some time playing alongside him in tournaments. However, Carson Haskins is a very confident young talent, that is absolutely focused on becoming South’s first ever state champion tennis player.

“It took myself a while to decide if I was going to play tennis for a high school, or continue to practice and compete on my own. I made the decision to come to South, and now I am focused on being the best I can be,” said Haskins.