Something special awaits Tri-Cities players at state

A top 8 seed on the doubles side and a top 16 in singles are the highlights from our area at this weekend's boys state tennis tournament.

St. Charles North's David Johnson and John Mittvick had a stellar season, and they have been rewarded with a 5-8 seed, while teammates Parker Featherston and Danny Oakes are seeded 16-32.

A year ago, there was some disappointment at Batavia when the brackets were announced and Josh Cogan, despite a record-setting 30-win season was not seeded. This time, Cogan is a top 16.

Batavia

Cogan was not given any breaks by the folks who seed the tournament last season, so he went out and made his own, winning four matches as a freshman.

He learned a great deal from that experience, and he'll carry that with him from his first serve through to the last point in this year's tournament.

"Last year I was really nervous," Cogan said. "I'll be nervous this year, too, but I'll also be focused on playing my game."

The fact that Cogan made it deep into the second day at last year's tournament despite his poor draw, begs the question of how far can he advance as one of 5 sophomores in the 9-16 slots.

"I'm a one-match-at-a-time type of coach," Batavia's Bob Kummer said. "But I'm hopeful that he can get through three rounds the first day."

Cogan will open against Matt Papke, a Rockford Guilford sophomore making his first trip to state.

Geneva

There's always a bit of risk involved when two singles players are paired up as a doubles team for the post season. In the case of Geneva's Filip Ivkovich and Colin Rapp, the gamble paid off. The duo qualified by finishing third in the Lake Park sectional.

The experience will be a new one for both players, but especially for Ivkovch, an exchange student from Croatia who has enjoyed a terrific season as the Vikings' top singles player.

"My teammates have talked to me about it a little bit," Ivkovich said. "I know it's the biggest tournament with the best players, and it will my only chance to play in it, so I'm looking forward to it."

The duo will be tested immediately, having drawn Highland Park's Davd Zak and Zach Brint, a 3-4 seed, in the first round.

Marmion

When John Mason and Bubba Weiler qualified for state by finishing third at the West Aurora sectional, they extended a season that saw Marmion capture the Suburban Catholic Conference title, having finally overcome St. Francis' dominance.

It will be Mason's second trip to state.

"Last year was kind of overwhelming," Mason said. "It's a big tournament, and the competition is unbelievable. You have to bring you're A-game to every match."

Weiler has been to the tournament before, just not as a player. As a member of tennis family, he knows what it's going to take to get through the first day's matches.

"We've been starting really slowly lately, and we won't be able to do that at state," Weiler said.

Over the past few years the state tournament has become a regular event for Marmion players, and coach Pat Maurer understands what Mason and Weiler need to work on to be successful.

"They're going to have to stay on top of their game and close out sets," Maurer said. "If they do that, they can give anybody a challenge."

The Cadets' first challenge will be a strong one as they square off against brothers Jordan and Justin Leskera, a 9-16 seed from Edwardsville.

St. Charles East

Of all the newcomers this season, Justin Bowman was among those who drew the most attention, and for good reason. The freshman showed an ability to dominate opponents, while at the same time exhibiting the kind of focus usually seen in older players.

"Justin's composure is excellent," St. Charles East coach Rob Livermore said. "He is very levelheaded."

That quality helped Bowman survive a first set loss to St. Charles North's Nikhil Mehta in the qualifying round of the Lake Park sectional.

"He can play in tight situations and makes good decisions most of the time," Livermore said. "His opponents have to beat him. He won't do it to himself."

Bowman will need to maintain his composure when he faces Downers Grove South's Joey Leto, a sophomore who is seeded 17-32, in the opening round.

St. Charles North

Taking over this season, Sean Masoncup inherited a deep and talented roster of players who had become accustomed to winning under Tim Matacio, and guided them through an impressive season, a sectional title, and now has them poised to go to the next level.

The North Stars know they have five very good players heading to state, and that should give them an opportunity to make a lot of noise in the team competition.

Johnson and Mittvick have all the potential to play deep into the tournament.

"Their goal is to make it to Saturday," Masoncup said. "That's everybody's goal, but if they consistently play the level of tennis that they're capable of, they can get there."

They open against Jordan Pohlmann and Alec White of Mascoutah. Assuming Johnson and Mittvick get through the first couple of rounds without a lot of unnecessary drama, their success beyond that may depend on the duo's ability to make adjustments to whatever opponents throw at them.

"They're both multi-talented players," Masoncup said. "They have power, they have lobs, they can play different types of tennis, and they're very heady players."

Talk to Masoncup long enough and he'll start talking about the North Stars' "other" doubles team.

Featherston and Oakes looked like a solid second doubles team going into the season. But over the past two months they have emerged as much more.

"In my mind, they're capable of anything," Masoncup said.

They spent the season posing a challenge to Johnson and Mittvick, then finished second at sectionals, pushing the top team in a 6-4, 6-4 final.

"It's helped them out tremendously to be able to play our number one team in practice every day," Masoncup said.

They will open against Jason Gibbons and Nick Demirjian of FW Parker.

Christian Hoskey is a state tournament veteran who has been there twice before, once in singles and once in doubles.

"I've learned that you can't give anything to anyone at state," Hoskey said.

Hoskey, who is unseeded, drew Ryan Haas form Metro-East Lutheran in Edwardsville, another unseeded player, in the first round.

As a senior, Hoskey knows this tournament will be the last time he plays high school tennis. But that does not mean that feels a particular sense of urgency.

"I know what I'm capable of, and that's all that I need to keep in mind," Hoskey said.

That five local teams will be represented at the state tournament (six if you include IMSA) is an indication of how the sport continues to grow in this area. Now, if a few things go their way, some of the players may find themselves playing in really big matches before the weekend comes to an end.

"At the state tournament, you have to be an exceptional player, but you also have to get some breaks, and a have little bit of luck," Kummer said.