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WILLIAMSTOWN — Ellie Piatt’s impact goes beyond the tennis courts.

She is a recruiter in waiting.

One season after earning all-state honors by reaching the semifinals in singles, the sophomore from Wood County Christian managed to convince a handful of individuals to join the high school tennis program.

The roster experienced a spike in the offseason under third-year coach Susan Piatt. The girls side of the roster features eight individuals, including five freshmen. On the boys side, sophomore Caleb Coppernoll is joined by three others.

“I’m so excited about the numbers,” coach Piatt said. “It’s cool to have athletes who are competitive and coachable. They have learned so much already. Since joining the team, they have improved tremendously. They are so coachable.

“Getting the word out was mostly Ellie. She did a good recruiting the girls.”

Several individuals have advanced through the WCCS middle school program, while others are picking up the game for the first time.

“I told the team that my goal for them is to learn this new sport and enjoy your time being together,” coach Piatt said. “I just want them to get a little better every day than the day before. If we do that, we can call that a win.

“It helps being a small school where they know each other. They know each other’s birthdays. They have been together since they were 4. It’s neat to have that bond. I love that they are encouraging each other a lot more, too.”

Coppernoll returns as the top boys individual from a year ago. He is just one example who played basketball during the winter.

“Caleb is a great athlete – he is kind of a natural,” coach Piatt said.

As for Ellie Piatt, she spent the offseason competing at USTA events – and winning a couple of titles along the way.

“Ellie has played a lot of tournaments all over West Virginia and Ohio, which has helped her a lot,” her mother said. “When you step out of the state of West Virginia, the competition gets really fierce. To win a couple of tournaments in Ohio the last few months has helped her confidence.”

Blake Boswell joins the coaching staff. He worked with coach Piatt at the middle school level before making the jump to high school this year.

“Blake is really good at talking to players on changeovers,” coach Piatt said. “He is good at analyzing their game and lifting them up when needed. He is a good coach to talk to during a match.”

TRACK

The two most important letters within a track program are P and R. Put them together and that’s how Emily Sams coaches up her program as she enters second year with Wood County Christian.

“We had a goal-setting setting after a recent practice – the kids laid out what they want to accomplish, everything from breaking school records to getting PRs or getting certain times in certain events,” Sams said. “These goals are a little more specific with some kids, so we are putting in more endurance work and some speed work.”

Several state qualifiers return for the Wildcats, including junior Malynn Stewart, who placed seventh in the shot put. Sophomore Elliott Handley placed fifth in the 3200 and just missed out on a medal with her ninth-place effort in the 800, while senior Amber Perkins qualified in the discus.

Caroline Epling also qualified in the 400 but transferred to Marietta for her sophomore year.

The girls progressed really nicely – they PR’d at the state meet, which is always ideal to save your best for last,” Sams said. “On the girls side, it’s a small team,” Sams said. “We will never get enough points at state – my goal is to qualify as many individuals.”

On the boys side, illness swept through the WCCS camp in time for the postseason. Only senior Holden Misel (400, 800) and junior Koa Navarro (1600, 3200) advanced to the state meet.

All four members of the state qualifying 4×400 relay also return.

“Sickness invaded the boys team late – they did OK, but did not run their bet at state,” Sams said. “They ran a similar plan to the girls. It was just one of those things.

With the numbers game in her favor, coach Sams hopes to also develop a 4×200 and 4×800 relay. Junior Jason Blackwell hopes for a carry-over from his success as a middle school hurdler, while seniors Garrett Boardman and Angelus Palata could have an impact in the high jump and long jump.

A comfort zone exists now that Sams and her athletes have the one full season being on the same page. And with that, two assistants were added to the staff.

Emily Hendershot previously coached at Warren. She was a sprinter and long jumper in high school and college.

Daniel Soderlund will work with the thrower. In addition to Stewart, he will have several boys to work with.

“At the middle school, we have a lot more kids coming,” Sams said.”We have two eighth grade girls we are excited about getting.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com