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HS boys tennis: Top area prep teams led by Penn, Saint Joseph

Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune
·5 min read

Expect the 2023 area high school boys tennis season to look a lot like it did a year ago.

The powers to be on local prep courts appear to be the same squads that dominated the landscape in 2022. Perennial power Penn, under longtime coach Eric Bowers, will look to make another strong postseason push in 2023.

The Kingsmen went 18-3 in 2022, advancing all the way to the North Semistate before a 3-2 loss to Lafayette Harrison ended a terrific postseason run.

Penn should be led this fall by star singles player Chris Chen. The junior went 21-7 a season ago at No. 1 and No. 2 singles and earned MVP honors in the Northern Indiana Conference.

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The Kingsmen also return Evan Knapp and Quinn Lippert from last year's lineup. Knapp went 24-3 at No. 2 and 3 singles and No. 2 doubles, while Lippert was 26-1 at No. 2 doubles.

Penn did lose All-NIC performers Jeffery Bao and Eli Deitchley at No. 1 doubles from a season ago. The Kingsmen, who won their first regional title since 2018, also graduated David Bao at No. 2 doubles.

Penn's Evan Knapp during the regional tennis matches Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021 at LaPorte High School.
Penn's Evan Knapp during the regional tennis matches Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021 at LaPorte High School.

"We lost a lot of talented players from last year," noted Penn coach Bowers.  "However, I feel we have several players including Jaden Shim, Caleb Oneese, and Noah Systma who have played a lot of tennis and are ready to join the returning letterwinners in the lineup."

South Bend Saint Joseph looks strong again

New Saint Joseph coach Matthew Halfpenny will have plenty of brotherly talent on his roster this fall.

Saint Joe returns Colin and Luke Blumentritt and Will and Jake Westberry from last year's team that finished 18-5. Saint Joe won its fifth straight NIC title and 14th sectional crown in a row before a 3-2 loss to rival Penn in the regional semifinal match.

Halfpenny takes over for longtime coach Steve Bender, who retired. Bender was the all-time winningest boys coach at Saint Joe with a 244-33 mark from 2010-2023.

"For this upcoming season, our expectations as a program are to: prepare with intention, embrace the competitive process, be a unified group, and enjoy our time together," Halfpenny said. "With such a short season, roughly 10 weeks, our expectations are to make the most of our time together. Success will ultimately be the end result if we can take care of these important components."

Saint Joseph No. 2 singles player Colin Blumentritt during the the first round of sectional tennis play Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 at Leeper Park in South Bend.
Saint Joseph No. 2 singles player Colin Blumentritt during the the first round of sectional tennis play Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 at Leeper Park in South Bend.

Senior Colin Blumentritt was 22-3 at No. 2 singles and senior Will Westberry 21-3 at No. 3 singles in 2022. Both were All-State selections. Junior Jake Westberry and sophomore Luke Blumentritt posted a 23-3 mark at No. 1 doubles a season ago and were second-team All-State choices.

"Our expectation is for our returning players, along with other senior leadership to play pivotal roles in the varsity line-up," Halfpenny stated. "With the addition of some talented freshmen, I feel there will be opportunities for underclassmen to make an impact with the varsity and junior varsity line-ups."

Bremen aims for more success

Bremen will look to make its mark again after claiming its fourth straight sectional championship in 2022.

The Lions, who went 11-8 overall and 4-3 in the NIC a season ago, lost to Peru 5-0 in a regional semifinal match.

"We will have what I believe to be our largest team in the history of Bremen boys tennis as we are expecting over 20 young men to play this fall," said Bremen coach Steve Hickman.  "It should be a rewarding season for the Lion players and coaching staff."

The Lions must replace standout Mariano DeLeon from a year ago. The top singles player was an Indiana senior All-Star in 2022 and is now on the coaching staff for the Lions.

Bremen does welcome back a trio of key players, led by seniors Camden Hickman and Max Varner. Hickman was 15-10, mostly at No. 2 singles a season ago and was a second-team All-NIC selection. Varner posted a 20-5 mark, mostly at No. 3 singles. Junior Brock Ginter, who played mainly doubles in 2022, is also back and expected to move into the singles lineup this fall.

"We will be better balanced this season as we played mostly freshmen and a sophomore at doubles last season," noted coach Hickman. "Our goals are to finish in the top four of the NIC and the always tough eight-team Concord Invitational tournament that includes Lake Central, Penn, Valpo, Westview and Concord."

Goshen returns plenty of talent

Goshen should once again be the cream of the crop in the Northern Lakes Conference in 2023.

The RedHawks were slated to return five of their top seven players from last year's stellar squad. Goshen finished 23-1 in 2022, losing to No. 8 North Central 4-1 in the Homestead Semistate.

Coach Daniel Love's team is expected to be led by seniors Pi Wellington and Isaac Stahly this fall. Both were All-NLC performers last year with Wellington at No. 1 singles and Stahly going undefeated at No. 3 singles.

The RedHawks were also slated to return seniors Moses Kratzer and Myles McLaughlin and junior Kyan Miller from its doubles lineup of a year ago. Kratzer and Miller lost just once last season at No. 2 doubles, that coming in the semistate.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA boys tennis preview: Penn and South Bend Saint tops in area again