Stevenson boys primed, ready

Stevenson boys tennis coach Mark Linnenburger calls it a good struggle.

It's certainly one all coaches would love to have.

"It's going to be (tough) to figure out who fits where, because there are so many capable players," he said. "This is probably the deepest teams I've had."

That's saying something when you consider Stevenson's rich tennis history and the fact that the Patriots are coming off a second-place finish at the state meet.

There are ample reasons for Linnenburger's enthusiasm.

In singles, the Patriots return Blake Bazarnik. All Bazarnik did as a freshman was finish fifth in the state.

"He's bigger, stronger and his endurance is better," Linnenburger said. "He's one of the best kids I've had in (terms) of being mentally tough."

Even with what Bazarnik accomplished last year, there is no guarantee he will be the Patriots' top singles player.

Senior Chris Speer, who spent last year working on his national ranking, rejoins the Patriots.

"His serve is much bigger now," Linnenburger said. "Before it was a little bit of a liability; now it will be a weapon. Either of those guys would be No. 1 on most teams. It's nice to have two No. 1s."

Senior Allen Pukshansky, who finished top 32 at the state tournament, will likely log time at singles and doubles.

"He can play wherever I ask him to," Linnenburger said. "He'll definitely be a leader for us."

As a freshman, Richard Brej paired with then-senior Eugene Shylahka to finish in the top 12 at state. That was the best showing by a Stevenson doubles team in program history.

"He always gets the job done," Linnenburger said.

Freshmen David Packowitz and Ross Putterman have played a great deal of doubles together in tournaments. If Linnenburger keeps them together, they won't have to go through the normal transition period of adjusting to a new partner.

"It's pretty rare to have players who have played a lot of doubles as freshmen," Linnenburger said. "Both of them will definitely be strong factors."

At the start of last season, the Patriots' lineup was in a state of flux. They struggled to find consistency and were up and down for much of the year. But when the conference tournament rolled around, Stevenson proceeded to play its best tennis of the season. The Patriots rode that momentum to their great showing at the state tournament.

This season, the Patriots are favored to win conference and compete for the state title.

Although Stevenson has only had a few practices, Linnenburger likes the way the Patriots are responding to the challenge.

"The seniors have already (organized) team dinners," he said. "To me, what makes high school tennis fun is being part of a team and representing your school. That's one of the things we really try to emphasize to the kids."

Boys tennis season preview

Area players to watch: Blake Bazarnik (Stevenson, Soph.), Denis Bogatov (Warren, Jr.), Richard Brej (Stevenson, Soph.), Andrew Bucholz (Carmel, Sr.), Chris Butler (Carmel, Soph.), Mark Decanio (Lake Zurich, Sr.), Igor Fedorov (Warren, Sr.), Ben Nelson (Mundelein, Jr.), Tyler Patner (Mundelein, Jr.), Allen Pukshansky (Stevenson, Sr.), Konrad Siczek (Warren, Sr.), Chris Speer (Stevenson, Sr.), Erik Wolf (Lake Zurich, Soph.), Andrew Yopp (Lakes, Jr.).

Outlook: Stevenson placed second at last year's state meet, and this year's team might be even better. The Patriots probably have as much depth as any team in the state. … On a yearly basis Warren turns out a strong team, and this season will be no different. The Blue Devils return Denis Bogatov, who placed third at the state tournament in singles. Warren also welcomes back its No. 1 doubles team of Konrad Siczek and Igor Fedorov. Siczek and Fedorov are the defending sectional champions. … After playing No. 1 singles for most of last year, Lake Zurich's Erik Wolf will likely log a significant amount of time at doubles. The Bears are young and talented. "We'll have four sophomores on the varsity who all have a lot of potential," coach Kristin Chamberlain said. … Lakes has a chance to field the best team in the short history of the school. Junior Andrew Yopp seems to improve each year in singles, and the doubles team of Charlie Scupham and Justin Shea has state tournament experience. … Grant returns six of its top eight players from last year. The Bulldogs are led by singles players Alex Marginean and Clay Guenther. … Carmel will rely on a pair of top-notch doubles teams. "They're absolutely electrifying," coach Nancy Fehn said. "They've worked on their doubles skills and everything is really coming together." … Mundelein has some promising young talent but may be hard-pressed to match last year's 15-8-2 effort … Round Lake's numbers are up, which should make for a competitive season. Corey Case will be slotted at either No. 1 singles or No. 1 doubles. A.J. Wyroski is a more complete player this season. … Vernon Hills needs to fill singles spots, so one option for coach Doug Gerber is to use Jingyu Lee and Sam Rong at the top of his singles lineup. Lee and Rong were a successful doubles team last year. … Wauconda should have more depth than usual and make a run at the division title. Cameron Black, Kristian Kampendahl and Conner Dimick will be key players for the Bulldogs. … Grayslake Central freshman Mitch Granger will provide immediate help at singles. Senior Jon Yee is another player coach Chuck Lawson is counting on. … Grayslake North senior Neils Reimers, a foreign exchange student from Germany, will step into the No. 1 singles spot. Brian Hook and Drew Hauck are slated to play No. 1 doubles.

-- Bob Gosman