Cogan, Batavia look to end state streak
On paper, it seems relatively simple: Win a couple of tennis matches on a Friday afternoon and that's it, you've qualified for the state tournament.
But it's not that simple, far from easy, and only a small fraction of the athletes who played high school tennis this season will make it through the sectional tournaments which will be played at 32 sites all over the state beginning today.
Here's a closer look at the area sectionals.
West Aurora sectional
It's been three years since Nick Chamis represented Batavia at the state tournament, and the Bulldogs have been struggling to get back there ever since. The drought should end this weekend as freshman Josh Cogan gets a chance to cash in on a high seed in the sectional.
Cogan (26-1) won the Western Sun Conference title at No. 1 singles, and is on 26-match winning streak after losing his first match of the season.
"He has a great all-court game," Batavia coach Bob Kummer said. "He's very quick and he hits some great shots."
The freshman standout will have to navigate through a crowded singles field, but Kummer is confident that he can do that.
"Josh is very competitive and he'll push his opponents from the very first point," Kummer said.
Senior Alex Haizman (15-11) will face a greater challenge after an up and down season.
"He'll have to elevate his game and eliminate his mistakes to get through to state," Kummer said. "But he's capable of doing that."
Batavia's doubles teams have struggled at times this season, and there's been a bit of a shake-up on that side of the lineup. Still, Kummer is looking for a good showing from the pair of duos who will be competing at the sectional.
Senior Adam Yangst and junior Mick Collins have posted a 12-9 record so far, while the other team is made up of Drew Demars and Kyle Stiffler, a pair of talented freshmen looking to get some valuable experience.
The Bulldogs are coming off winning the Western Sun Conference by a single point over Geneva. Kummer hopes some of the momentum from that carries over to this weekend.
"We need to keep playing the way we have been," Kummer said. "Cogan is an outstanding player and a very level headed kid. He should make it through. The rest will face a challenge."
Marmion will also be coming into the sectional on a high note, having just won a share of the Suburban Catholic Conference championship.
Lucas Brandt, a junior, started the season at second singles before moving up to the top spot for the Cadets.
"He's worked very hard on his game," Marmion coach Pat Maurer said. "Lucas has played well against some tough opponents, and we're very happy with him."
Freshman Christopher Pattermann, who has played second singles, will compete in the other spot.
On the doubles side, the Cadets are led by junior John Mason and freshman Austin McWethy who posted a 10-0 record and registered wins over strong doubles teams from IMSA and St. Francis.
"They probably have the best chance to make it through for us," Maurer said.
Seniors Brian Hoss and Steve Ausman will be working to add a memory or two or more to their high school scrapbooks for a Marmion program that has steadily grown into a solid performer in the post season.
Sectional host West Aurora showed some improvement this season, and coach Adam Camp is hoping that will translate into a respectable performance.
Freshman Matt Kuntzi may represent the Blackhawks' best shot at qualifying someone for the state meet. Kuntzi will be part of a group of closely matched players who should compete for one of the singles slots. Junior Garrett Wells will be West Aurora's other singles player.
On the doubles side, the Blackhawks will have the veteran team of seniors Kevin Thanadaouth and Jeff King, along with sophomore Alex Braun and junior Mike Holm, who won a challenge match to earn the opportunity to compete in the sectional.
"I'm looking for first round wins," Camp said. "If Matt Kuntzi can pull out a match and get to state, that would a huge success for us."
St. Charles E. sectional
St. Charles North should be well prepared for the sectional tournament across town. The North Stars have once again played a tough schedule of weekend tournaments, and that experience should pay dividends in the post season.
Top singles player Feliz Nitzsche, who finished second in the Upstate Eight Conference, will be trying to earn his first and only trip to state. Nitzsche is a transfer student from Germany who has approached each stage of the tennis season as something new to experience.
Nitzsche, the No. 1 seed, will be joined in the North Stars' singles lineup by 3-4 seeded junior Christian Hoskey, who qualified for state a year ago as part of a doubles team.
"Felix and Christian are both playing very well and all of our players are capable of qualifying for state," St. Charles North coach Tim Matacio said.
St. Charles North's No. 1 doubles team of David Johnson and John Mittvick are also the top seeded duo in the sectional. Both Johnson and Mittvick qualified for the state tournament last season, though Mittvick, then a freshman, got there as a singles player.
Nikhil Mehta and Dan Oakes, a 3-4 seed, are coming off a strong performance at the conference tournament which saw the North Stars' No. 2 duo gutting out a pair of tough wins on their way to a second-place finish.
The North Stars have made a habit of qualifying players for the state tournament, and this season should be no different.
"Ideally, you want to get all six players through and win the thing, but we'll have to see how we do," Matacio said.
Geneva has known its share of post season success, but the past few years have been a struggle. The Vikings will be looking to bounce back after getting edged out in the conference tournament.
Senior David Ta, who finished third at the conference tournament has been the Vikings' top singles player. He'll be joined on that half of the lineup by West Adelman, a freshman who won the conference championship at third singles.
"West has learned how to close out matches, and how to play against different styles of tennis," Geneva coach Peter Burkhardt said.
Geneva's doubles team of senior Wes Kappel and sophomore Colin Rapp comes into the sectional with a 15-4 record, built mostly in weekend tournaments. They earned a 3-4 seed, and should make a run at qualifying for state.
"They're both very good players, and they have similar sets of skills," Burkhardt said.
Seniors Greg Adelman and Rich Michaels will be hoping to build on their 12-6 record and extend their high school careers in the other doubles slot for the Vikings.
This will be St. Charles East junior Paul Reiff's third trip to sectional. Reiff was knocked out both last season and the year before by Glenbard North's Matt Boguslawski.
"(Boguslawski) was a tough player and he beat me both times, but he graduated, so at least I don't have to worry about him," Reiff, who is a 5-6 seed, said.
Joining Reiff at singles will be sophomore Nick Maze, who has spent the season at No. 2.
Sam Leopardo and Nick Romano, who won three matches in the Upstate Eight Conference tournament, top the doubles side for the Saints. Ryan McNally and David O'Dell round out the lineup.
"We are who we are, we're a very young team," St. Charles East coach Sena Drawer said. "But we've been learning, our skill level has increased, and we've been meeting our goals and expectations."