Amstutz ready to coach VW tennis team

VW independent sports and submitted information

After lettering all four years, 2016 Van Wert High School graduate Brandon Amstutz has been hired to coach the Van Wert Cougar boys tennis team, which will open the 2022 season at Kenton this Friday.

Amstutz played first singles when the Cougars captured the WBL tennis championship in 2016, the first time in almost fifty years. He was a two-time district qualifier and won the Lima Invitational first singles tournament in 2016.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from Blufton University in 2020 and is currently a teacher at Paulding junior high school.

He began coaching in 2018 at Blufton high school as a volunteer assistant, then took over the program in 2020. During this time he implemented an off-season workout program, a new Saturday morning rise-and-fall competitive play program and saw team numbers increase from 12 to 17 players.

He has given one-on-one tennis lessons since 2018 and has coached four first singles players and two district qualifiers.

In a press release, the Van Wert County Tennis Association said it’s looking forward to Amstutz’s leadership of the boy’s tennis program and thanked Alex Schmidt for coaching the team the past several years and for serving as a volunteer assistant coach this year.

The Association also said it’s thankful for the Van Wert County Foundation’s continuing financial assistance to maintain the tennix complex, considered by many to be the best in the Western Buckeye League.

The first home match of the season is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5, vs. Elida.