Boys tennis: Scouting DuPage County and Fox teams

BARTLETT

New coach Craig Cichowicz returns senior William Qualls.

Newcomers for the Hawks, which finished fifth in the Upstate Eight Conference last year, are sophomores Tej Patel, Ayyan Qureshi, Dylan Alvarez and Keshav Barot.

"It is a transformational year for our program," said the Bartlett coach. "Every spot in the lineup is up for grabs. "Having played in the IHSA state tournament multiple times, I know what it takes to make it to the state tournament."

BATAVIA

The Bulldogs will be spearheaded by seniors TJ Stras and Erik Warner. The doubles duo qualified for the Class 2A state tournament two years ago.

Others returners are seniors Andrew Dorman, Denny Platt and Nick Maskell along with junior Eric Otten and sophomore Kush Adhvaryu.

Newcomers include Thomas Alster, Braden Cox, Oliver Bernard and Nathan Hiller along with sophomore Lucas Hilbert.

"Wheaton North has won four straight DuKane championships," said coach Brad Nelson. “They are the team to beat and considered the favorites until someone knocks them off. St. Charles East and St. Charles North return strong players and Wheaton Warrenville South has a talent. The race this season in the conference should be a little closer."

BENET

The Redwings, runner-up in Class 1A to Chicago Latin, move to 2A in 2024. Juniors Zach Bobochak and Hugh Davis are the defending Class 1A doubles state champs.

Junior Patrick Burke placed in the top 12 in singles a year ago.

Others back are seniors Michael Campione and Alex Brown, junior Grant Perry and sophomore Peter Charuk.

Freshman Charlie Flavin hopes to crack the lineup.

"Moving to 2A is a lot to live up to," said coach Michael Hand. “We have a tough schedule to create an environment for success. The conference (East Suburban Catholic) is a tough conference with seven of the top eight players returning."

CARY-GROVE

The Trojans return junior state qualifier Bryce Schectman from a team that posted a fifth-place finish in the Fox Valley Conference and a second-place effort in the Cary-Grove 2A sectional.

Other returners are seniors Nate Deal, Noah Marrano, Derek Passaglia, Nick Veach and Gavin Henriques along with sophomore Chris Ptaszek.

Newcomers seeking court time are senior Landon Johnson, juniors Jack and Lincoln Karlovsky, Ignacy Nowik and Leo Petropoulos and freshman Owen Lonergan.

"With seven returning players the players are eager to prove themselves," said coach Amanda Schueltze, in her 18th year. "We need people to step up and fill open spots. (Prairie Ridge) has to be the favorite. Huntley and Jacobs will be as competitive as always. We hope Bryce can get another shot at state.“

DOWNERS GROVE SOUTH

The Mustangs are gunning for a fifth consecutive West Suburban Conference Gold championship.

Senior Sam Plys, committed to Hillsdale College, tied for 13th in the state in 2A singles a year ago. Senior Paul Spang, who will play tennis at Grinnell, is also back for coach Josh Forst.

"We have a blend of experience with Plys and Spang along with some good up and coming players,“ Frost said. ”We compete at the highest level with many tournaments in the Chicago suburbs which gets us ready for the IHSA series."

CRYSTAL LAKE SOUTH

The Gators, under new coach Mark Scheuerich, would like to improve on a 6-12 overall record and 2-6 mark in the Fox Valley Conference.

Senior Jack Dacy was a state qualifier in Class 1A a year ago. Others back for South are senior AJ Smith and sophomores Eryk Bucior and Zeke Boldman.

"We want to play competitive matches in the FVC despite losing several key starters from last season," said the Gators coach. "We want some of our players to make a strong run and qualify for the state playoffs."

DUNDEE-CROWN

Coach Yuto Tskuida believes this is the best team he has had in 5 years in Carpentersville.

Back for the Chargers are seniors Nick Miller, Ben Riggio and Braeden Jones along with junior Casey McKinney and sophomores Cavan Svec and Pranav Saravanan.

Newcomers joining the mix are freshmen Aarav Shah and Sebastian Llavona.

"This is one of the strongest teams I have had since I have been here," said Tsukida. “I want to push them to be successful. We hope to have amazing results in the conference and sectionals.”

ELGIN

The Maroons were fourth in the Upstate Eight Conference a year ago, and they return senior Ayush Sanghavi and junior Aadi Sanghavi.

"We want to have a good conference season before the new schedule begins next season," said coach Sonepheth Rattana. “We want to improve every day since I have only two returners from last year's varsity team."

FENTON

Jeff Porto, in his 22nd season, returns seniors Mike Melnyk and Damian Micor along with juniors Federico Martell and Andrei Toader, and sophomores Sean Saltenberger, Kacper Grych, Angel Lemus and Peter Szostek. The Bison add freshmen Brayden Lavaric, Garrett Wawczak, Alejandro Robles and Chris Bednarz.

GENEVA

Junior state qualifier Tyler Masoncup is the top returnee for the Vikings and is joined by seniors Zach Graham, Luke Hogan and Gaving Bryant along with juniors Xander Mercado and Tyler Hogan.

Newcomers include seniors Quinn Kennedy and Jacob Hollis, juniors Connor Levin and Grayson Gaerline, sophomore Kirill Lunin and freshman Aaron Masoncup.

GLENBARD EAST

Sophomore Finn Talbot qualified for the 2A state finals as a freshman. Others back include seniors Ben Polyak, Deklin Artelt, Tommy Gill and Chase Palmeri, junior Alex Cook and sophomore Arnav Mehta.

The Rams would like improve on a second-place Upstate Eight finish and a fourth-place effort in 2A sectional action.

"We have tough competition in the conference and want to contend for a conference championship," said 11th year coach Steve Hoogerheide. "We want to have fun, improve our tennis games and strengthen our friendships among teammates. We want our athletes to be on a trajectory to be men of a character beyond high school."

GLENBARD SOUTH

The Raiders, under the guidance of Wade Hardtke, are the defending Upstate Eight Conference champs.

South returns junior state qualifier Jordan Abbott. Also back for Hardtke's troops are senior Miles Kubik and junior Jon Park. Seniors Nathan Puzon, Al Slaughter, Jack Biancalana, junior Haris Basha and sophomore Ashrith Valluri also are looking for spots in the lineup.

"We have three returning players and this is a rebuilding year," said Hardtke. "Glenbard East is the front-runner. We want to compete for the top part of the conference."

GLENBARD WEST

The Hilltoppers, fifth in the West Suburban a year ago, return seniors Mike Fox and Jim Gilbert along with junior Garrett French and sophomores Charles MacDonald and Nick Harding.

"We hope to finish somewhere in the middle of a tough conference," said coach Tad Keely. "We are growing as a team."

HAMPSHIRE

Junior Braden Koffen is back as a state qualifier as a sophomore.

Others returning are seniors Caed Steuber, Ryan Regalado, Nicky Adam, Nicholas Roeder and Phoenix Phelps.

"We want to develop mentally and physically," said coach Dylan Clark. "We want to finish in the top four in the FVC tournament. This is the first year that outcome seems within grasp. We want to place at sectional and send players to the state tournament."

HINSDALE CENTRAL

The Red Devils are seeking a third straight Class 2A state championship.

Senior catpain Alex Kotarski, a runner-up in Class 2A singles a year ago, will play in college at Xavier.

The junior duo of Nathan Hernandez and Bodie Tescher were third in the state in doubles action.

Senior Aidan Hernandez, a Davidson recruit, hopes to help the Devils to the three-peat.

Newcomers hoping to break into the lineup are junior Zuhayr Khan and freshmen Barry Zhy, Patrick Wand, Richard Zhang and Amir Khan.

"We want to win a third straight championship and win the conference and sectional again," said 15th year coach John Naisbitt

HINSDALE SOUTH

The Hornets were second in the West Suburban Conference Gold, won a Class 1A sectional and took 14th at state.

Junior state qualifiers Zeke Bisharat, Ansh Desai and Rohan Bansal, as is junior Ethan Pan.

"Downers Grove South will be tough in the conference as usual," said coach Steve Snider. "We want to finish in the top five in the state."

JACOBS

Jon Betts begins his 19th season as the Golden Eagles coach.

Jacobs was a perfect 8-0 in Fox Valley Conference regular season action and was runner-up to Prairie Ridge in the conference tournament.

Junior Augie Nelson and sophomore Soham Kalara are returning state qualifiers. Returners include seniors Austin Dinh, Liam Hulewicz and Sam Penna along with juniors Ryan Fulton and Rudra Rathop.

Senior Nicholas Haaser, junior Brennen Miller and freshmen Ronnav Deshmukh and Jack Soto will also be in mix.

"This could be an interesting season and there is a good deal of young talent in the Fox Valley Conference," said Betts. "Dundee-Crown, Prairie Ridge and Huntley return a lot of young talent. PR returns much of their 2023 championship squad. Cary-Grove has solid talent and one of the state's best coaches. We graduated four starters from last spring and have a few promising newcomers. We are an excited for the opportunity to be compete for the FVC title."

LAKE PARK

The Lancers were sixth in the DuKane Conference and sixth at the 2A sectional in 2023. Seniors Oliver Kubicki, Mikolaj Bratko, Leo Coulolias and Alexander Babiarz and junior Kyle Petrovich are back, joined by freshman Michael Cozzi.

"This is the most competitive team I have coached since I joined the program," said Christian Pawlak, in his third year. “We hope to finish in the top half of the conference."

LARKIN

After a winless year, 15 players return with varsity experience: seniors Gorden Xaykosy, Jayden Hernandez, John Catalan, Ayden Fender, Abraham Hernendez and Jose Flores, juniors Alexis Alonso, Carlos Alarcon, Brian Espinoza, Jonathan Lopez, and sophomores Carlos Astudillo, Marco Montes De Oca, Jonathan Bermudez and Edwin Perez.

The Royals also have newcomers senior Gustavo Montilla, juniors Martin Castillo and Fernando Pacheco, sophomores Roberto Hernandez, Santiago Ruiz and Jesus Sanchez, and freshman Daniel Ortiz-Gonzalez.

"We hope Gorden Xaykosy, Jayden Hernandez, Ayden Fender, John Catalan and Alexis Alonso will all place higher in the brackets (Upstate Eight),“ coach Zaida DeBeck said ”We have a well rounded group of gentlemen who have a love for tennis.“

MARMION

The Cadets are led by junior Ben Graft, who returns as the runner-up in singles action in Class 1A.

Marmion was third in the Catholic League, second in the sectional and 10th in the state last year.

Back for the Cadets are seniors Brady Sartain and Aaron Sudman along with juniors Sam Pall, Sam Lin, Jed Koss, Cam Dempsey, AJ Mimford and Owen Theriault. Newcomers are sophomores John Sitar and Owen Cousins,.

"Out goals are top three in the conference, top two in the sectionals and top eight in the state," said Brian Cole, in his sixth year.

METEA VALLEY

The Mustangs, were fourth in the DuPage Valley Conference and third at sectionals last year. Senior singles Class 2A state qualifier Akshay Baid is the top returner, and he has company with senior Jack Jordan, junior Mihir Arya, and sophomores Ameya Tyagi and Rish Railkar.

"We want to be conference and sectional champs," said 10th year coach Kole Clousing. “We want to qualify the whole team for the state meet."

NAPERVILLE CENTRAL

The Redhawks return state qualifiers senior Peter Paik and Rhoan Jha along with other returners senior Charlie Morgan (Wisconsin Whitewater) and juniors Emil Nehran, Jason Xu and Zach Highouse.

Newcomers include seniors Braden Rodemeyer and Drew Lifka, juniors Christian Coleman and Oscar Riddle, sophomore Braeden Rodemeyer and freshman Jason Cheng.

"We want to do better than last place in the DVC,“ said coach Kevin Schillerstrom.

NAPERVILLE NORTH

The defending DVC champs have seniors Brandon Dumbell, Sujit Vellanki and Alex Maitland, junior Aarush Bhardwaj and sophomore Noah Eun back in the lineup.

Junior Qooly Somoza, who has battled injuries his first two years, will try to make an impact along with freshmen Max Buxbaun, Yanson Lew and Kush Shar.

"We are rebuilding," said Heather Henricksen in her 23rd year. "We graduated seven seniors but we still have high expectations.“

NEUQUA VALLEY

Coach Will Rose's troops claimed DuPage Valley Conference and sectional championships, placing 13th at state. State qualifiers senior Johnny Mou and junior Andy Yu return, joined by seniors Adi Bansal and Rudy Shen, juniors Evan Yang and Ricky Kim and sophomore Akhil Matham.

New players include senior Yash Dighe, juniors Anthony Yang and Aditya Rakshit, sophomores Ishaan Rayhav and Boris Sirotkin and freshmen Shaurya Kanhari and Jayden Chiou.

"The DVC is extremely balanced," said Rose. “This year is no different. We want to maximize our potential and use our opportunity to grow and develop players for the future."

SOUTH ELGIN

Coach Eduardo Molina's Storm took fourth in the Upstate Eight and fifth at sectionals, and are looking for senior Jasjeet Talwar to lead this year’s team.

ST. CHARLES EAST

State qualifiers Tiernan Price, Alex Sternowski and Teige Donehoo return for coach Rob Livermore, with newcomers Brockmeyer and Tommy Slonen looking for spots in the lineup.

"The conference is competitive," said coach Rob Livermore, whose team was 9-6 and second in sectionals last year. "We graduated seven seniors but we have many quality players ready to fill their shoes. We want to increase our standing in the conference and build upon last season's postseason success."

ST. CHARLES NORTH

Senior Jon Spicer, top 16 finisher in Class 2A singles, will be joined by state qualifiers senior Noah Bajuk and junior Cole Weddle. Seniors Daniel Hokr and junior John Bambales also return with varsity experience. Sophomore Josh Denz will be part of coach Sean Masoncup’s 22nd team.

"We want to compete every match and get better every match and every practice," said Masoncup.

ST. FRANCIS

It is a rebuilding season for the Spartans, who lose 6 of 8 top players and 9 of 13.

Sophomore Umar Bajula is the top player for coach Tom Castronova. Bajula was 2-2 at the Class 1A state meet as a freshman.

The Spartans placed seventh in the rugged Benet sectional. They also feature senior Will Loughman, juniors Jake Rzeszutek and Blake Reynolds, and newcomers senior DJ Tenuto, juniors Jack Brink, Connor Chapparro, Anthony King, Aedan Kuch and Peter Williams, and sophomores Ben Kolin, Henry Kopec, Brendan Leegan and Jackson Zeman.

The Spartans begin their first season in the Chicago Catholic League North with Loyola, Fenwick, Marmion, DePaul Prep and St Ignatius.

"We are in the high skill north," said Castronova. "We have our work cut out for us."

TIMOTHY CHRISTIAN

Keith Mills stepped down after 22 years and will assist new coach Rick McLean.

The Trojans, third at the 1A Hinsdale South sectional, return seniors Elliott Mathew (17-8), Hendrik DeVries (1A state qualifier) and Andrew Ausmus along with junior Luke Tuscherer and sophomore Elliot Tandy. Newcomers include senior David LaBarbera and Travis Lemkull and junior Timo Kacian.

"We have a 57-7 record over the last three years and return five starters," said Mills. “Benet moving to 2A should help but Hinsdale South is loaded. Class 1A is tough for us being one of the smallest schools."

WEST AURORA

The Blackhawks were 9-1 in the Suburban Prairie and sixth in the 2A Metea Valley sectional under coach Bill Stanley, in his 26th year. They return senior Will Hipp, junior Josh Hartman and sophomores Cole Loomer and Jonathan Hoskins.

Newcomers include senior Evan Herbert, sophomores Kucas Van Lear, Dexter McWilliams, Grant Klausner, Tyler Byrne and Timothy Plummer and freshman Nolan Wyeth.

"We hope to be top two in the SPC," said Stanley. "We want to get better every day and stay disciplined. We are 31 players strong and we are a young team that is extremely hard working. We are determined to compete for a conference championship."

WHEATON NORTH

The defending DuKane Conference champs were second in a 2A sectional and 18th in the state.

The strength for Eric Laird's troops is in doubles play. Wheaton North returns its top three doubles duos led by No. 1 doubles David Hill and Dylan Wallace. The second doubles team of senior CJ Coppolatta amd junior Will Arneson along with the third doubles duo of juniors Jack Nelson and Archer Matthias are also back.

Seniors Keegan McCarthy and Bharath Sudharson also return, with newcomers juniors Milo Saenz and Gavin Kelly and freshman Henry Jonas looking for spots.

"There a lot of competitive strong returning players,“ Laird said of the DuKane. ” It should be a fun seaosn with a lot of close matches."

WILLOWBROOK

Coach Ed Delacruz welcomes back seniors Dave May and Nick Gillono, and juniors Cole Williams, Mohammed Kamel, Mohammed Hameed and Diego Morales.

Newcomers are Will Greco, Omar Areanas and Brogan Byrne.

"Downers Grove South and Hinsdale South have strong returners," said Delacruz. "We want to take the next step and qualify sectional players to the state tournament.“