Dalton High School junior Watts Dantzler is many things. An all-state football player and one of the top recruits nationally as an offensive lineman. A double-double player on the Catamounts basketball team.
But now the 6-foot-7, 315-pounder has a new role on a new team: junior varsity tennis player.
Dantzler grew tired of track and field weight throws, so he decided to try something different.
"He definitely has the weight for a lineman," Dalton coach David Hilley said. "He moves well and has good movement, but tennis is still a skill sport. Physically he's in good shape, but he won't dominate; he's learning how to play and keep score."
TEAMS TO WATCH
1. Notre Dame boys: The Fighting Irish return their entire lineup from a 2009 state-tournament team.
2. GPS: Led by Sarah Evans and Bronte Goodhue, the Bruisers will be one of the top teams in Division II-AA in 2010.
3. Cleveland girls: The Lady Raiders return five girls with starting experience from a state-tournament team.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Girls
1. Sadie Shackelford (St. Andrew's-Sewanee): The sophomore comes into the season as a two-time defending Division II-A state champion.
2. Sarah Evans (GPS): Evans is ranked as the No. 1 player in the 18s division of the Tennessee USTA and was a Division II-AA state finalist.
3. Kayla and Ahmee Kelly (Arts & Sciences): The twin sisters won the Class A/AA state championship last year.
Boys
Senior Blake Garrett, a four-year starter for the Catamounts, admitted he was a little surprised by Dantzler's game.
1. Nathan Schley (Grace Academy): Schley was a Class A/AA state semifinalist and will be a force after the Golden Eagles' basketball season ends.
2. Alex Cooper (Baylor): After advancing to the state tournament in doubles last year, Cooper is the seventh-ranked junior singles player in Tennessee.
3. Austin Smith and Bret Wade, Soddy-Daisy: The Trojans duo advanced to the Class AAA state tournament a year ago.
"Initially I didn't think he would be that good," Garrett said, "but he's a decent tennis player. He has a good net game because of his height, and we've been working with him on his ground strokes. He has a decent serve -- pretty good for a player starting off."
Hilley noted that as eager as Dantzler was to get on the court, his teammates were just as excited about the opportunity.
"The top three guys had been looking forward to him coming out," Hilley said. "Watts was amazed about how hard they could hit the ball and get it in. A lot of people don't realize that it's not something that you just pick up and do.
"We're not going to make him change his outlook on what sport he wants to pursue in college, but he's nice and a real happy-go-lucky kid."
Dantzler has picked a good program to play for, as the Catamounts have won three region championships and advanced to the state playoffs in each of Hilley's eight seasons in charge.
"This year, we have a really good team," Garrett said. "I expect us to perform like we have in the past. We want to win all of our region matches and go back to state. It's my last chance to prove something at Dalton. We've been to state every year I've been here, and we don't want to stop now."
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