TEAM TENNIS: Goose Creek Memorial Patriots seek return trip to playoffs in 2022

Ismael Dutchover is one of the originals when it comes to Goose Creek Memorial. Dutchover has been on campus since the doors opened and enters his 15th season of coaching tennis for the Patriots this fall.

“It has been nice to watch kids progress from the time they join tennis to the time that they leave us,” Dutchover said. “Nothing is more rewarding.”

Last fall, the veteran coach watched his team tennis group improve from the year prior and punch their ticket into the UIL Team Tennis Playoffs.

“It was great for the kids to see improvement within the program. Having the same teams in our district for two years and seeing us finish one spot higher than we did the year prior was good for the program,” Dutchover said. “It lets them know we’re improving and we’re hoping to keep that trend going for years to come.”

Now, what will they do for an encore, especially going into a new district in 2022? On the boys side, Harsh Agrawal will be in that No. 1 line for the Patriots - “He’s going to be taking things to the next level,” Dutchover said.

David Ramirez will be another name to remember, along with Owen Baker and Jiayi Yang.

On the girls side, Amy Chen will hold down the No. 1 spot, followed by Mariam Malhi in the No. 2 line, which could make for a potent one-two punch up top.

“The depth of our team should improve from what it has been,” Dutchover said. “[Our goal is to] stay in the playoffs. We finished fourth last year and if we can continue the trend and adapt to the new district we’re in, improve a spot, that’s a good goal for us to have.”

This story was originally published in the VYPE GCCISD Fall Magazine in August.