“We’re inexperienced, we’re green, we’re young.”

Sequim High tennis coach Mark Textor is blunt when he describes his squad heading into the 2022 fall season.

Turnout for the squad has the longtime SHS leader looking at playing some athletes brand new to the sport in varsity matches.

“This season is just going to be about mastering the strokes and learning the game [for the majority of players],” Textor said at a preseason practice last week.

Sequim is rebuilding after losing six Wolves who saw action at the Olympic League tourney — singles players Connor Bear, Koda Robinson and doubles players Adrian Brown, Henry Hughes, Kaiden Jones and Jackson Van De Wege — to graduation.

Bear and Robinson in particular helped Sequim to its 10-3 mark last season; as singles players the duo posted 23 wins in 26 matches, just two of those forfeit wins.

But Sequim has one of the best players in the state returning in junior Garrett Little. As a freshman in 2020, Little went 13-0, winning the Olympic League singles title. Last fall — with a full postseason — Little was nearly unbeatable, going 22-2 and losing only to eventual state champ Josh Chou of Sammamish, in the district finals and the state 2A semifinals.

Textor said Little will get a lot of work during practices and in season from coaches to keep him sharp for the postseason.

“I’m looking forward to challenging him,” the Sequim coach said.

Joining Little are two returnees in senior Espn Judd and junior William Hughes. Both picked up a win with their doubles partners at the league tourney and earned a combined 15 doubles victories for the 2021 Wolves.

Textor said he’s looking to see each of them take proverbial steps forward this fall.

“The rest are mostly beginners,” Textor said.

Sequim opens the season with a home match against Bainbridge on Sept. 7, the first day of school, and plays the following day at Bremerton.

Fall sports preview:

SHS boys tennis

Head coach: Mark Textor (17th season)

2021 record: 10-3; three singles, three doubles to league tourney; two singles to district tournament; one singles player (Little) to state 2A tournament (third place)

Key returners: Garrett Little Jr., William Hughes Jr., Espn Judd Sr.

SHS boys tennis 2022 schedule

Date, Opponent, Time

Sept. 7, Bainbridge, 4 p.m.

Sept. 8, at Bremerton, 4 p.m.

Sept. 13, North Kitsap, 4 p.m.

Sept. 15, at North Mason, 4 p.m.

Sept. 19, Kingston, 4 p.m.

Sept. 21, at Olympic, 4 p.m.

Sept. 22, Port Angeles, 4 p.m.

Sept. 27, at Bainbridge, 4 p.m.

Sept. 29, Bremerton, 4 p.m.

Oct. 3, at North Kitsap, 4 p.m.

Oct. 5, North Mason, 4 p.m.

Oct. 6, at Kingston, 4 p.m.

Oct. 11, Olympic, 4 p.m.

Oct. 13, at Port Angeles, 4 p.m.

Oct. 18-19, Olympic League tourney, Poulsbo, TBA

Sequim Gazette photos by Michael Dashiell Garrett Little warms up with teammates at a preseason practice last week. The junior placed third in singles at the class 2A state tournament in 2021.