Scouting Tri-Cities boys tennis

The storylines that will define this year's boys tennis season will likely be about underclassmen and uncertainty.

Every school, it seems, has a highly regarded freshman or sophomore whose play and development will go a long way toward determining their program's overall success. For most teams, however, the doubles lineups remain a work in progress, which usually means a lot of 5-2, 4-3 duals decided by the third and fourth doubles matches.

Batavia

Coach: Bob Kummer

Key returners: Josh Cogan (so.), Drew Demars (so.), Mick Collins (sr.)

Key newcomers: Lucas Kuzmanic (jr.), Andrew Sterling (jr.), Erik Hilty (jr.)

Outlook: The focus will be on the Bulldogs' potent singles lineup, led by Cogan. But Kummer will likely spend most of his time this spring working on finding ways to win matches on the doubles side. The defending Western Conference and West Aurora sectional champs will sweep their share of singles matches, with Cogan poised to improve on his tremendous freshman effort a year ago.

"Josh is even more confident and mature than he was a last season," Kummer said.

As a freshman, Cogan posted a 34-3 record, winning 32 matches in a row, including two at the state tournament. Demars should be a solid No. 2, after winning 17 matches at third singles a year ago. Collins rounds out a lineup that should routinely stake the Bulldogs to a 3-0 lead.

"Mick is a really solid player, and he could have a lot of success at No. 3," Kummer said.

But that's where the certainty ends for Batavia. There's talent on the doubles side, Kummer feels confident of that, but it's not yet clear how it will all shake out.

"I'm going to do some shuffling at doubles between the one and two, and the three and four."

Kyle Stiffler (so.) and Ethan Carlson (sr.) are back as a team after playing fourth doubles last season.

"They're going to move up in the lineup, I'm just not sure how much," Kummer said.

Seniors Martin Koput and Tyler Mabry could wind up in the first or second spot. Sean Ryan, another senior, and juniors Kuzmanic, Sterling, and Hilty will get an opportunity to step up into key roles. They'll have to for the Bulldogs to have a strong shot at repeating last year's success.

Coach's quote: "We're going to have a lot of 4-3 matches. We always seem to. That's who we are."

Geneva

Coach: Peter Burkhardt

Key returners: Colin Rapp (so.), Wes Adelman (so.), Peter LeGrand (sr.)

Key newcomers: Filip Ivkovic (sr.), Ryan Barnard (jr.), Kevin Potts (jr.), Mark Kennedy (jr.)

Outlook: The Vikings graduated seven players from last year's team, and that means the lineup could have more than its share of questions marks.

Ivkovic, a foreign exchange student from Croatia, will be counted on to take some of the sting out of those graduation losses.

"I didn't know how good he was until our tryouts," Burkhardt said. "He's a very talented player, and he's got a great attitude."

Ivkovic will likely experience a bit of a learning curve as he adjusts to playing the game here, but he may also benefit from being an unknown commodity.

"Most of the top players around here know one another from playing against each other," Burkhardt said. "For us, it's great to have him at No. 1, because if you don't have that player, you really can't compete."

Rapp will provide Geneva with solid play at No. 2, while Adelman returns to defend his Western Conference title at third singles.

"Wes has grown a lot since last year, and worked very hard on his game," Burkhardt said.

LaGrand will provide some senior stability to a doubles lineup that remains a work in progress. He could team with Barnard, who spent last season on the JV squad.

Potts and Kennedy will likely team up at the No. 2 spot, and the rest of the doubles side will probably consist of some combination of senior Cooper Sartell, and juniors Andy Cisco, Tyler Livingston, and Reed Chalasta.

"Most of our graduations were on the doubles side," Burkhardt said. "There may not be much difference between our first, second, and third teams."

The Vikings came very close to winning the conference last year. But in order to repeat that success, let alone get over the top and win the Western Sun, some of those questions marks on the doubles side will have to turn into exclamation points.

Coach's Quote: "We have a lot of players who have ability and are very competitive. We just have to see how our doubles teams come along."

Marmion

Coach: Pat Maurer

Key returners: Lucas Brandt (sr.), John Mason (sr.), Bubba Weiler (jr.)

Key newcomers: Dan DeBartelo (so.), Jackson Rettig (fr.)

Outlook: Maurer will have a lot of players to choose from, as 47 of them came out for tennis this year at Marmion. His plan is to use a number of different players throughout the season.

"We have sophomores who are already stepping up, and we're going to experiment with four different, talented freshmen," Maurer said.

There probably won't be much experimentation at the top, as Brandt appears set to go at No. 1 singles, while Chris Pattermann will take over at No. 2.

"Chris has excellent physical skills, and he's worked on the mental aspects of the game," Maurer said.

The Suburban Catholic Conference's 2-3 lineup structure, means that Maurer will not need more than those two singles players in most of his team's duals. But he's looking forward to expanding the lineup for weekend quads and tournaments.

"We have a lot of players who are going to get a chance to play this season," Maurer said. "We still haven't shaken some things out, and our weekend matches should help us do that."

One spot that is set is Marmion's top doubles team, as Mason, who qualified for state last year, will pair with Weiler to make life difficult for opponents.

"If they can stay healthy and work together, they should have a very good season," Maurer said.

Chris Solis and Mike Deufel, both seniors, will be penciled in at second or third doubles.

Sophomores Will Graft, Reid Weigelmann, and DeBartelo, a transfer from Geneva, are in the mix for the other doubles spots, along with freshmen Lucas Wilson, Brett Koskinen, Joe Mendez, and Rettig.

Coach's quote: "Our conference will be very tough at the top. But with the players that we have, I believe we're going to be really hard to beat this year."

St. Charles East

Coach: Rob Livermore

Key returners: Paul Reiff (sr.), Nick Romano (sr.), Sam Leopardo (sr.), Bryan McNally (sr.), David O'Dell (sr.), Nick Maze (jr.)

Key newcomer: Justin Bowman (fr.)

Outlook: Livermore, who has served as the Saints' JV coach, takes over for longtime coach Sena Drawer, and he is inheriting a lineup that is experienced and among the deepest that St. Charles East has had in some time.

"I coached most of these players at the JV level, so the transition has been very comfortable," Livermore said.

Reiff, a steady, solid, four-year varsity player, returns at No. 1 singles. He'll provide experience and stability at the top, while Bowman, a freshman who Livermore is very high on, will be at No. 2.

"We've got a really nice mix of older and newer players," Livermore said.

Maze is presently penciled in at third singles, but could play some doubles as well.

Romano and Leopardo will be at the top of the doubles lineup, followed by fellow seniors McNally and O'Dell. Junior Sam Decker and sophomore Conner Davis are tentatively slotted at third doubles.

"We have some really good players who have been working hard during the off-season and have come in with a strong desire to do well," Livermore said.

With strength at the top, and some nice options throughout the lineup, the Saints have a chance to surprise some teams and piece together a very nice season.

Coach's quote: "It's still too early to say how things are going to turn out for us, but I do expect our squad will perform well. I feel very good about my team."

St. Charles North

Coach: Sean Masoncup

Key returners: Nikhil Mehta (sr.), David Johnson (sr.), John Mittvick (jr.), Parker Featherston (jr.), Christian Hoskey (so.), Danny Oakes (so.)

Key newcomers: Dominick Amalraj (fr.)

Outlook: Like their crosstown rivals, the North Stars have also undergone a change at the top as Sean Masoncup steps into the shoes that Tim Matacio filled from the program's inception through last season.

Masoncup had a successful run as the coach of Geneva's boys teams until he departed to work on his teaching career and start a family.

"I always hoped to coach again, and I stayed close to game these past four years," Masoncup said. "I'm very excited to get back into it."

The North Stars should give Masoncup a great deal to be excited about.

The No. 1 doubles team of Johnson and Mittvick have already racked up their share of wins and trophies, and will certainly be adding to that success this season.

"John has a lot of power, as everyone knows, and David has the best hands I've seen in a doubles player," Masoncup said. "They complement each other very well, and they're just a terrific team."

The singles side will be led by Mehta, who qualified for the state tournament last year as a doubles player, at number one, and Christian Hokey at number two. Amalraj, a freshman, is slated to play third singles.

"That's a spot that you need to win, and I think he'll do well there," Masoncup said.

Parker Featherston and Danny Oakes would be the top doubles team in many programs, and that means they will be a very tough number two for the North Stars. Pat Corrigan and John Terwilleger, both juniors, will play third doubles, and senior James Reid will pair with Connor Davis, a sophomore, at fourth.

"I have a couple of seniors who can step in and play when we need them, and some underclassmen who are also very good," Masoncup said. "We have a really nice mix."

The North Stars have talent and depth and the ability to give any opponent fits. This should be a very good season at St. Charles North, both for the players individually and the team as a whole.

Coach's quote: "I definitely think we can do some good things. Winning a conference championship is something we'd like to do. I experienced that as a player and a coach, it was great, and I want these guys to have that experience too."

West Aurora

Coach: Adam Camp

Key returners: Matt Kunzi (so.), Garrett Wells (sr.), Aaron Greco (sr.), Michael Holm (sr.)

Key newcomers: Luke Frerenhoff (jr.)

Outlook: It's been a tough stretch for the Blackhawks these past several years, but maybe there's some hope on the horizon.

West Aurora's singles lineup returns from last season, a year older and more experienced. Kuntzi will again be in the top slot. The sophomore showed improvement throughout his freshman season, and promise in postseason play. Still, playing the top spot in the DVC will continue to be a major challenge.

Wells and Kennan Johnson are back at first and second singles, giving the Blackhawks some stability in the lineup.

The shakeup is on the doubles side, where Aaron Greco teams up with fellow senior Michael Holm at the top spot, and Krystan Reformado, who started out at third doubles last year, partners with Luke Frerenhoff at number two.

From there, the Blackhawks have a mix seniors and juniors who will have to step up if the team is to improve significantly on last season's performance. It won't be easy.