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Rochester boys tennis preview: Mayo once again has the look of a powerhouse

pat ruff, post-bulletin, rochester, minn.
·6 min read

Apr. 3—Head coach: Josh Heiden. Assistant: John Scheuermann.

Last season: JM finished 11-4. It lost to Lakeville North in the Section 1AA semifinals.

Key returners: Sr. Nathan Moos; Sr. Krish Khurana; Sr. Trajan McBroom; Sr. Alex Younk; Jr. Philip Dahlen; Jr. Alex Shabestari; Jr. Milan Lecic (top singles player); Fr. Arjun Khurana; Fr. Zach Moos.

Outlook: John Marshall has at least 10 players who got varsity action last season and Rockets coach Josh Heiden says the bulk of them have shown significant improvement. Junior Milan Lecic is the top returning player. He manned the No. 2 singles spot last year. There is parity in the JM lineup which likely will lead to players jumping from one position to another. JM showed improvement in doubles last year and more work needs to be done for the Rockets to play with the best teams in the Big NIne.

Coach Heiden says: "I really love this team! The returning players have created a culture of fun, inclusiveness and hard work, so hopefully that filters down to the new members of the team. The younger guys seem to be motivated and excited to learn as well. They are all competing hard and pushing each other in practice, so hopefully that continues all season. In addition, the captains have asked to add some more matches, including a few more top-tier teams to our schedule this year. I feel this will help us be more prepared as we move into the postseason."

ROSTER

Seniors: Nathan Moos, Krish Khurana, Trajan McBroom, Alex Younk, Matthew Huang. Juniors: Philip Dahlen, Alex Shabestari, Milan Lecic, Trever Nikolai. Sophomores: Nate Nigbur, Ben Hill. Freshmen: Arjun Khurana, Zach Moos, Zach Brue, Zach Moos. Eighth grade: Braden Duchateau.

Head coach: Ben Maes. Assistant: Justin Howard.

Last season: Century finished 16-3 overall and lost 5-2 to Mayo in the Section 1AA championship.

Key returners: Jr. Kian Rehfeldt (1-3 singles, 1 doubles); Sr. Prabhav Kaginele (1-3 singles, 1 doubles); Sr. Paige Sargent (1-3 singles, 1 doubles); Sr. Cam Nelson (3-4 singles, 1-2 doubles).

Outlook: Century is traditionally one of the top teams in the Big Nine and Section 1AA. That should go unchanged this season. The Panthers are bolstered by the return of two of their top four singles players from last year, senior Prabhav Kaginele and junior Kian Rehfeldt. Also in the mix this season is Paige Sargent, a senior who had played with the Century girls team until this year. Sargent is one of several new players on this Panthers team, many of them with promise.

Coach Maes says: "We have a few seniors who will compete hard. It's their last shot to go to state. At the same time they will be a great example for our new, younger generation of players."

ROSTER

Seniors: Prabhav Kaginele, Cameron Nelson, Paige Sargent, David Sohn. Juniors: Caleb Baker, Cory Li, Kian Rehfeldt. Sophomores: Soren Krych, Owen McMaster, Dean Wang. Freshmen: Rowan Johnson, Mahdev Krishnan, Tim Schroeder. Seventh grade Apollo Homb.

Head coach: Jeff Demaray. Assistant coach: Avi Misra.

Last season: Mayo finished 19-5. It landed fourth in the state tournament. In the individual state tournament, the doubles team of Tej Bhagra and Spencer Busch finished second.

Key returners: Fr. Tej Bhagra (No. 1 singles); Sr. Phil Wisniewski (No. 1 doubles, No. 2 singles); Sr. Ben Erickson (No. 2 singles, No. 1 doubles); Sr. Caleb Neisen (No. 3 singles); Fr. Caleb Kennel (No. 1 doubles): So. Noah Wisniewski; 8th-grader Ian Li; So. David Teng; Jr. Daniel Meunier; Sr. Zach Thomas; Sr. Quinn Kallmes; Jr. Blake Thackery; So. Max Rivera.

Outlook: Mayo, forever the most dominant team in Section 1AA, looks like it will keep that status this season. The Spartans return nine of their top 10 players from a team that last year finished fourth at state. Mayo also has several strong junior-varsity players who are competing for varsity spots. All of it makes Mayo one of the deepest teams and programs in the state. Also on its side is freshman Tej Bhagra, one of the top five singles players in the state. The Spartans have the look of a top-three team in Class AA.

Coach Demaray says: "We have a very experienced team and our goals are high this year like most years. Playing another tough schedule should prepare us for the post season. We are a tennis family at Mayo and want to stress having tons of fun with our teammates, learning life lessons and becoming not only better tennis players but better people are the ultimate goals."

ROSTER

Seniors: Phil Wisniewski, Ben Erickson, Caleb Neisen, Zach Thomas; Quinn Kallmes. Juniors: Daniel Meunier, Blake Thackery. Sophomores: Noah Wisniewski, David Teng, Max Rivera. Freshmen: Tej Bhagra, Caleb Kennel. Eighth grade: Ian Li.

Head coach: Steve Tacl. Assistants: Joe Boyer, Ben Kopecky.

Last season: Lourdes finished 15-6. It lost 4-3 to Breck in the state semifinals, then beat Rock Ridge 5-2 in the third-place dual. Marjan Veldic finished third in singles at the state individual meet and the doubles combination of Ethan Leeser and Freddie Suhler finished second.

Key returners: Sr. Marjan Veldic (No. 1 singles); Fr. Evan Ritter (No. 2 singles); Jr. Ethan Hubbard; Jr. Charlie Young; Jr. Jack Fitzgerald (No. 3 singles, No. 1-2 doubles).

Outlook: This is a new-looking Lourdes team with six seniors having graduated from a collection that last year finished third at state. The team's strength is its senior and junior leadership, with them aiding the young players in building their confidence and competitive toughness. The top player here is Marjan Veldic, who may be the top Class A player in the state. Veldic finished third at state last year.

Coach Tacl says: "I enjoy these years when there is turnover amongst our roster. The new guys are always hungry, recognizing the opportunity to make an impact and to help our team. We'll need some first-year varsity guys to step up!"

ROSTER

Seniors: Marjan Veldic. Juniors: Ethan Hubbard, Charlie Young, Jack Firtzgerald. Sophomore: Max Orth, Noah Doherty. Freshman: Evan Ritter, Andy Fink. Seventh grade: Joseph Palen, Easton Ackley.

Head coach: Kady Monson. Assistants: Brett Pauley, Simon Brandt.

Last season: Schaeffer finished 13-7 overall. It lost 7-0 to Lourdes in the Section 1A championship.

Key returners: Jr. Asher Monson (No. 1 singles, No. 1 doubles); So. Noah Monson; 8th grade; 8th grace Grace Monson; 8th grade Bethany Monson; Fr. Hudson Zimmerman.

Outlook: The Lions were the second best team in Section 1A last season. They figure to be at about that level again despite not having a senior on the roster. Junior Asher Monson — one of four Monson siblings on the team — is Schaeffer's best player. He figures to line up at No. 1 singles or No. 1 doubles this season. Schaeffer has an abundance of well-trained players. The Lions also have an abundance of players who are sophomores or below. Their similar abilities lend themselves to competitive practices and growth this season.

Coach Monson says: "We are a young team, but have talented and well-trained players. It will be exciting to see what all their off-season work looks like when we gather together as a team. I anticipate that the players will make each other stronger because there are many of similar abilities. I think that one of our strengths will be depth."

ROSTER

Juniors: Asher Monson, Neil Vokoun. Sophomore: Noah Monson. Freshmen: Hudson Zimmerman, Braden Phetsarath. Eighth grade: Noah Ryder, Grace Monson, Bethany Monson, Alex Yovchev.