With a strong forehand at his disposal, The Dalles senior Arnolfo Flores had Philomath junior Nate Houck on the run in their No. 2 singles match Friday afternoon. But Houck reacted well and not only handled the return shot but executed a well-placed lob to force his opponent into a backward sprint.
Point Houck.
In the end, however, Flores pulled out a 3-6, 6-2, 10-7 victory in a competitive match that came down to a pro-set tiebreaker to 10.
Gallery: PHS boys tennis vs. The Dalles (April 11, 2025)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s boys tennis match against The Dalles on Friday.
“I thought I played well — he just played better overall — some pretty good rallies the whole time,” Houck said. “I was trying to get him to run back and forth, so if I hit it left, then I’d hit it right just to get him running.”
Houck, who is playing competitive tennis for the first time, has been a bright spot for a boys tennis team trying to rebuild this spring. Before joining the program, he had played recreationally — and even then, not all that often.
“In PE, I’ve always been good at badminton and pickleball, those kinds of things,” Houck said. “Actually, in my freshman year, the PE teacher told me I should play tennis.”
In the No. 1 singles match, junior Lane Schell was also involved in a pretty competitive match against The Dalles junior Jonathan Rodriguez, who ended up posting a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Schell is the lone player on the tennis team with previous varsity experience but he spent his first two years in the program playing doubles. As a result, he’s in new territory as a singles player.
“I’m definitely not going to win state or anything but I think I’m playing well,” said Schell, who is now 3-3 on the season. “I’ve gotten a lot better since last year.”
Warriors coach Gary Quandt has definitely seen improvement in Schell while he faces the top players from opposing teams.
“He’s learning to be more patient, learning how to manipulate the ball a little bit better,” Quandt said. “Sometimes you will still see a doubles mentality with him on the singles court, so he’s getting better at that.”
Quandt believes Houck has a high ceiling with his tennis abilities.
“Nate’s brand new so I mean, he’s improved a ton,” Quandt said. “He’s held his own in every No. 2 singles match that he’s played. He’s playing some good players so I’ve been super pleased with him.”
Schell and Houck both said their forehand works best on the tennis court. Like most high school players, they both identified their biggest areas of needed improvement as serving and hitting backhands.
“My forehand is pretty good and I’m pretty good at the net if I can get there,” Schell said. “I could work on consistency with my serve and then my backhand, too, could be a little better.”
In addition to a steady forehand, Houck can gain an advantage over opponents with his ability to cover a lot of the court.
“I’m pretty quick, I think,” he said. “Like, if he starts to hit it to the right or left and I’m on the other side, I just take off and get there.”
For Schell and Houck, to call 2025 a successful season, they just want to improve from week to week.
Said Schell, “I just want to play to the best of my ability and get better.”
As for Houck, he said, “Just improve a lot — that’s really all I can ask for.”
Quandt said they just need a little more tennis experience on their side.
“They just need to play tennis and figure it out,” he said. “In practice we’ve been working on a lot technique and some take that better than others.”
The Dalles posted a 5-0 victory in the match. In addition to Schell and Houck, freshman Mika Laukkanen Raskauskas filled the No. 3 singles slot, falling to junior Jesus Chavez, 6-1, 6-1.
The Dalles swept the doubles matches with Philomath putting sophomores Jayden Pope and Kayden Reynolds at No. 1 and freshmen Samuel Holroyd and Laurence Mielke at No. 2.
Philomath’s next match is scheduled for Tuesday at Cascade.
