“Our boys performed excellently.” Coach Dan Byerly said. “Our girls fought hard but came up a little short. I feel our performance on both sides was good.”

Freshman Kaylee Wayer picked up the only win for the Lady Bulldogs taking the 1-4, 4-0 and 11-9 in a marathon tiebreaker.

Led by top seed Triston Cooley, the Crestview boys dominated Lincoln with their only loss coming in the number two doubles match.

The number one doubles team of Cooley and Ethan McNeil opened the match with a 4-0, 4-0 win in a sign of things to come.

Cooley won his singles match by the same score. McNeil, the number two singles player, won 4-2, 4-0. Three seed Bryce Bracewell won 4-2, 4-2.

Rounding out the winners for the Bulldogs were four seed Caleb Wayer with a 4-0, 4-0 win and five seed Roman Prien with a 4-2, 4-1 win.

A court rat best describes Crestview High School sophomore tennis player Tristan Cooley. Cooley earned the number one seed for the Bulldogs as a freshman, and he shows no signs of letting anyone knock him off his perch.

“The guy never stops thinking about tennis,” Bulldog coach Dan Byerly said. “He lives it. He YouTubes it. He watches everything he can get his hands on to better his skills. He’s always sharpening and he’s doing it any way he can.”

Byerly said even during the high school tennis season Cooley will play in tournaments in his constant quest to improve.

“He’s playing matches weekends in Georgia, Alabama. He’s going where the tennis is and he puts in that extra work.”

Tennis is a family affair for Cooley. His parents play and it was only natural that he followed in their steps.

His father, TC Cooley, is an associate pastor at Hope City Community Church and runs TopCat Tennis. His mother is Brie Cooley and is actually responsible for Tristan playing tennis.

“I’ve been playing tennis since I was three,” Cooley said. “My mom’s side of the family played tennis. My dad actually played racquetball, but when he married into my mom’s family, he started playing tennis.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my family,” Cooley added. “They are the ones that taught me about tennis. Basically, I grew up with playing tennis.”

Cooley enjoys playing tennis for all the right reasons.

“It’s just fun,” he said. I love every part of it. It’s relaxing and releases stress.

“It’s just fun overall. I haven’t played other sports. It’s always been tennis.”

Cooley realized he had a chance to be good at tennis while still in elementary school.

“When I was seven, I played my first tournament in Macon, Ga., and I won,” he said. “And then I won the next two tournaments and that’s when I really started getting into it.”

Coming from a tennis family helps motivate Cooley, but Byerly said the grind of an individual sport can take a toll on an athlete.

“You have to have that drive (to succeed),” Byerly said. “It also means they have to put in the time on their own. Sometimes that can be the most difficult thing because you have to motivate yourself to get out there.”

In a typical year Cooley plays between 25 and 30 tournaments or matches on the weekend. Most are one-day events where he will play three matches.

“Along with high school, I try to play two tournaments every month,” Cooley said. “That’s what my goal is. Sometimes there will be a drought and sometimes there will be a stretch that I have five every weekend.”

Cooley said he usually wins the smaller tournaments and finishes more towards the middle of the pack. It isn’t that hard for him to concentrate on the task at hand when facing someone on the other side of the net.

“It’s just forget all the nerves, be aggressive and focus on the game plan and strategy,” he said. “Focus on the player’s weakness and strength.

He enjoys facing great competition and getting to know other players.

“The players you travel around with and see all the time, those relationships are strong,” Cooley said. “There are a couple of people I see almost every tournament I go to. We are all cool with each other and we talk.”

The young Lady Bulldogs squad didn’t fare as well against Fort Walton Beach, falling 6-1.

“It went really well for the boys,” Crestview tennis coach Dan Byerly said. “Our doubles teams started off great. They swept and almost kept Fort Walton Beach from winning a game.

“They played great. I was pleased with the overall team effort,” Byerly continued. “They all just fought really hard and played really well.”

The top two doubles teams set the tone early for the Bulldogs. The number one team of Ethan McNeil and Tristan Cooley won their match 4-2, 4-0.

The number two team of Bryce Bracewell and Caleb Wayer was equally impressive in a 4-1, 4-1 win.

The Bulldogs didn’t let up in singles play.

Cooley, the number one seed, won his match 6-0, 6-2. McNeil won 6-4, 6-3 in the two seed match.

Bracewell, Crestview’s three seed, won 6-4, 6-0. Things were a little tighter for Wayer, the four seed. He came away with the win, but not before being pushed to the limit going to the tie breaker in both sets of the 7-6, 7-6.

Roman Prien won the battle of the five seeds for Crestview 6-4, 6-4.

Kaylee Wayer, the two singles seed for the Lady Bulldogs, picked up the only win for Crestview’s girls. 

Crestview has three seniors on the squad in Isabella Marsteller, Addison Barnard and Sherlyn Garcia, but it will be a sophomore leading the way as the top seed.

My number one and two are a sophomore and a freshman,” Byerly said. “Kaya Wolfgramm has worked hard in the offseason after a stellar freshman year where she started as the number two, but quickly took over the number one spot.

“Also, Kaylee Wayer (the two seed) comes to us from Davidson. She’s already shown me a lot of promise. She’s talented and she works extra hard getting some lessons in and working at other facilities.”

Marsteller is currently the three seed and Barnard the five seed. Garcia has been sidelined with shoulder problems and is just now returning to form. Junior Aubrey Heath is the six seed who, like Garcia, has battled the injury bug.

Another freshman, Alissa Arroyo, is the four seed.

“She’s been an eye opener for me as well,” Byerly said. “I wasn’t expecting to have so much freshman talent and so we’re excited. She’s been impressive and again, she’s coachable, which is so important.

“We’ve got a couple of new newcomers that are, well, one at least is definitely new to tennis. The other is new to the area. And some adjustments are being made by them to just get used to our team.”

Bella Bonilla, a sophomore, is new to tennis, having only started playing the game about four months ago.

“She already shown tons of improvement in her game,” Byerly said. “I’m excited to see where she takes it. She’s got passion for it right now. Hopefully, she will stay with it because she’s just an athlete that I can tell is really going to be something for us one day.

“The other girl I was speaking of is Katherine Ferguson. She’s a sophomore and she comes from Georgia and where she was on the team with the high school. She’s got a little bit of experience but in a smaller small-town situation.”

“This boys team will be my strongest to date,” he said. “We’ve got a returning letterman in all five of my top positions and two seniors out of that group. They are my two and three seeds right now with Ethan McNeil at the two seed and Bryce Bracewell at the number three. So, it’ll be great to see how they finish their career here.”

“My number one seed, Tristan Cooley, is just a sophomore, so to see the growth that he’s already had since his freshman year. It’s been amazing and he’s off to a fast start. He’s been a part of four match wins for us with no losses as far as his playing goes this year.”

Junior Caleb Wayer is the four seed for the Bulldogs.

“His progress has been amazing,” Byerly said of Wayer. “He works really hard in the offseason, and I could see a lot of improvement in his game. At our five seed is Roman Prein and he is a sophomore and doing quite well.”

“He was one that kind of missed out on being in that top five last year as a freshman because of the group that we have. Now he’s joining the competition and really showing me that he deserves to be there.”

A trio of freshmen, Ali Ingersoll, Damian Miles and Brendan Barnard made the team. Byerly said the freshmen have potential but have yet to show they have what it takes to knock a seeded player out of his spot.

Byerly expects Cooley to be one of the top, if not top, players in the area. The coach also believes the Bulldogs can compete for the district title.

“With proper seeding, and some really good play, we should be in good shape to challenge all of the schools and our district for that championship,” he said. “So, I’m really excited about the guys.”

“There’s nothing negative about that I can say about this kid,” Bulldog coach Dan Byerly said. “I don’t just mean tennis, he is just an all-around standout young gentleman. He performs right in the classrooms, right on the courts.

“He has respect for his teammates, his teachers, his coaches, opponents,” he added. “It’s just unmatched as far as I’m concerned.”

Byerly said any nerves he thought the freshman might have shown quickly disappeared.

“We started (the season) against Niceville, so he was definitely nervous,” Byerly said. “But he knows what to do with those nerves once he’s playing on the court.

“With his tennis knowledge, he knows where to place the ball,” he added. “He’s looking at every shot, every point, trying to find a weakness in his opponent and what the best thing he can do to win his match.”

Cooley said his dad married into a tennis family and it was the family’s love for tennis that pulled him into the game.

“My favorite part of tennis is just being in the company of the other people, and the competitiveness of it,” Cooley said. “I think it’s just a mental game. The biggest challenge is just trying to stay mentally right.”

The old saying is a player has to have the “want to,” as in want to put in the work to succeed. Byerly sees that in his young star.

“He’s got the talent,” Byerly said. “And he’s got the desire to go with it and let his skills take him as far as he wants.

“I see him advancing to regionals and to state by the time he’s a senior,” he added.

Cooley has his own tennis dream.

“I’m hoping for before high school I would go undefeated and hopefully win district,” Cooley said. “I’d like to go to at least (Division II) college on a tennis scholarship. And then maybe have the chance to just be a tennis coach.”

Crestview picked up wins in both the boys and girls number one and number two seeds. Tristan Cooley and Ethan McNeil were winners for the boys. Kaya Wolfgramm and Ashlee Hammonds won for the girls

The Crestview boys top double team of Cooley and McNeil also won.

Cooley, a freshman, took care of his singles match winning 8-2. McNeil, a junior, won his match by the same score.

Cooley and McNeil won their doubles match 8-3.

Wolfgramm, a freshman won 8-4. Hammonds, a senior won 8-4 as well.

“My top seeds were playing excellent,” Crestview coach Dan Byerly said. “Tristan Cooley, our number one and Ethan McNeil, number two were dominating.

“That’s not to say our lower seeds didn’t play well.

The Bulldogs were playing without their number three boys seed, Bryce Bracewell, who had won against Destin earlier in the year.

Playing on a slower clay surface at Destin might have made a difference, but Byerly said it shouldn’t have been much of a difference.

The clay surface plays slower and the ball has a different spin when it bounces as opposed to the hard surface the Bulldogs play on at home. The coach pointed out that the Crestview players have played on a clay surface and that the April 5 match was just Destin’s day.

The Bulldogs opened the 2023 slate with a double loss to Niceville. The Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Bulldogs 7-0.

Niceville’s boys beat Crestview 6-1.

Freshman sensation Tristan Cooley was the only Bulldog to pick up a win in the second seed match with Cooper Seymour. Cooley won the match in straight sets 6-2, 7-6. The second set ended in the tie-breaker.

“We were nervous from the start and Niceville has another well-rounded team,” said Bulldog coach Dan Byerly. “However, we are confident we will be winning some matches this year.”

Gone will be the worn and, in places, hazardous courts that resembled cracks in the ground after an earthquake. In their place will be new courts with a surface that should allow the Bulldogs and their opponents to get the most out of their game.

“It’s going to be good to get on the new courts,” Bulldog tennis coach Dan Byerly said. “I was concerned about the safety of the kids first and foremost. Between the sizes of the cracks in the courts and stuff we didn’t have any options so we used it as best we could.

“I knew that past there had been some attempts to fill the cracks and I could see that. One of the very first things I did was just clean the whole place up, sweep it down and get all the rocks and things out of the way so that we minimized the possibility of injuries.”

The Bulldogs were able to avoid court-related injuries last year and now the Bulldogs can concentrate on playing their best tennis.

Byerly said the company replacing the courts is one that specializes in building and replacing tennis courts. As they were tearing up the old courts, Byerly said they noticed an issue with the subsurface beneath that court that was likely the cause of the buckling in the old surface.

The contractor immediately brought in a certain kind of fill dirt specifically for the purpose associated with tennis and the ground base from which they were working.

“I talked with them, and tennis courts is all they do,” Byerly said. “That was exciting to hear.”

Byerly is only in his second year at CHS, but his understanding is the courts had previously been resurfaced within the last 10 or 12 years. He’s hopeful that these courts will have a longer life.

Not only are new courts going down, but the whole tennis court complex is getting a facelift.

“It’s real exciting to know that it is going to get done right this time,” Byerly said.  “We are getting new fences, new everything. “It’s going to be in the exact same space, but brand new. I’m really excited about that with the team I’m going to have.”