A soft-spoken, multi-talented athlete who trains hard in whatever sport she might be competing in, Philomath High’s Adele Beckstead represents a stable and reliable presence during a season of great change in the girls tennis program.
The Warriors have a first-year coach in Mark Orozco and a half-dozen seniors, including state medalist Bailey Bell, were lost to graduation. Three of the four singles players and the top doubles team that competed at districts last year are gone.
It’s a new start for girls tennis.
A regular on the tennis court for the Warriors since her freshman season, Beckstead returns for a final go-round. She will be attempting this spring to advance to state for the fourth time.
As a freshman in 2022, Beckstead lost in the first round but then won three straight, including a 6-2, 6-0 victory in the consolation finals. The following year to end her sophomore campaign, Beckstead had a tough draw in the opening round against the eventual state champion and went 1-1 in consolation matches. And last season, she lost her first match and won twice in consolation matches before falling in the consolation final against the tournament’s No. 4 seed.
“Her skill level is pretty good,” Orozco said after wrapping up a practice last week. “I think to get her into the top four will be the goal and hopefully we can get her there.”
Looking at the team as a whole, Orozco said the team’s tennis ladder was just being established so no decisions had been made on how the varsity lineup might look — other than Beckstead will be at No. 1 singles.
“Our doubles teams are wide open and I have a couple of promising freshmen that are going to probably crack the lineup,” he said. “I really don’t have any other seniors other than Adele and so I think from a team perspective, that’s good with a new coach coming in because it gives us some time to get to know each other and build a program.”
Orozco said he will make decisions on player lineups to put the Warriors in the best possible position at the district tournament.
“My outlook is what’s best for the team and how we score points at districts — that’s going to be the ultimate determining factor,” Orozco said. “My philosophy on Oregon tennis — and I’m not from here — is that the season is not really that important to me because there’s no league championship … it’s all about districts. So what we do on a season basis is not important. What’s important is building our doubles teams and our singles players to where we’re able to feel the team can, again, score points at districts.”
Orozco succeeds Greg Thorson as the head coach. Originally from Kansas, he formerly coached at Crescent Valley when the Raiders won state titles in 2022 and 2023. He connected with the Warriors job opening through Mark Henderson, Philomath High’s principal and former athletic director at CV.
Weather permitting, the season is scheduled to begin for the girls Tuesday at Lebanon. This year’s schedule features six home matches with the first arriving April 1 against Dallas. The district tournament will feature early-round matches at Molalla before finishing up in Salem.
“When it comes down to it, I think my goal is to finish second,” Orozco said about the district, which also includes defending state champion Marist Catholic. “If they just do what they need to do, I think we’ll be OK.”
