The Right Match When East Valley’s Joel Scruggs Decided To Give The Sport Of Tennis A Second Chance, He Soon Landed In First Place

Because Joel Scruggs couldn’t hit a baseball well, he discovered that he could hit a tennis ball better.

Scruggs became East Valley’s first state qualifying boys singles tennis player last weekend, four years after he decided baseball wasn’t his sport.

First introduced to tennis in Arizona by his dad at age 12, he said he didn’t like it much and concentrated on baseball instead.

Had his family not moved back to Spokane, he probably would have stayed with it.

“I was on the eighth-grade varsity at East Valley Middle School and my hitting was gradually decreasing so I said something’s got to change,” Scruggs said. “When I got to high school I decided to try tennis and it worked out.”

He began playing varsity as an EV High freshman and for the last three years has played No. 1 singles for the Knights.

This year Scruggs went undefeated in 14 dual matches, and overcame the Frontier League jinx which has sidelined past tournament favorites during district to qualify for the State AA Tournament next week in Tacoma.

Scruggs survived a second-set scare to beat Pullman’s Mike Stratton 6-2, 6-7, 6-2 during a slight drizzle that, said his coach, Don Krueger, distracted his opponent. Scruggs stayed focused.

“I had the lead up to 4-2 and kind of got conservative,” he said of his second-game loss. “During a 10-minute water break he left the court and I walked around and told myself I had to come out strong; that I would regret it if I didn’t win.”

A first-game victory shifted momentum back to Scruggs who didn’t let a little rain on the court deter him.

“It was quite a scary event, especially when he looked alright in the second set” said Krueger, who last took a doubles team to state in 1988. “When he split sets I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ It was what you call a Maalox moment.”

Scruggs took his first tennis lesson at age 12 but couldn’t beat his dad, which helped in his abbreviated decision to choose another sport.

“He said one day I would beat him and I didn’t believe him,” Scruggs said. “But the day came. It was pretty cool.”

And the day came in league that he would be No. 1. The best he had done until this year, however, were semifinal losses in both singles and doubles during Frontier League district tournaments.

“When he came on as a freshman he set a goal to go to state” said Krueger. “To see him get what he wanted was fantastic, primarily because Joel is such a terrific kid. He’s always polite and helpful and has been so coachable over the years, even as a senior.”

The biggest difference Scruggs said was an ability to win matches when he wasn’t playing his best and an improved serve that produced points.

The fact that he has played nonstop locally since his freshman year, entering area tournaments on his own, instilled in him a confidence that kept him calm in the finals.

Calmer than his coach, who has waited eight years for this to happen.

“The smile on Mr. Krueger’s face when I came off the court was worth a million dollars,” said Scruggs.

This year’s 3-5 season was East Valley’s best and earned for Krueger coach of the year recognition.

“I was hoping, with seven returning seniors, to duplicate the girls’ championship,” Krueger said.

It wasn’t to be, making Scruggs’ state qualifying effort all the more satisfying.

“Through the years it was not easy,” said Scruggs. “I got my clock cleaned plenty of times. This year it was my turn to return the favor.”