The boys tennis season is well underway and the Journal-area teams should be a threat to fill up the top 10 or top 20 state positions again..
The Journal didn’t hear back from Loyola Academy, Maine East, Niles West, Northridge, St. Viator and Wheeling.
Here’s a look at the Journal-area teams who responded back:
Buffalo Grove Bison:
Head Coaches: Michael Naughton (11th season, 54-74 record) and Mark MacDonald (5th year, 25-29 record)
Assistant Coaches: Mark Cushing
Last season’s record: 8-5
Key returnees: Ben Finkelshteyn, Peter Dunkle, Anthony Safonov
Key newcomers: Aneesh Rajareddy, Jake Boehm
Rest of varsity roster: Daniel Lee, Shivkumar Verma, Luka Stojanovic, Nicholas Fedchuk, Mahideep Nimmagadda, Ethan Ting
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “Compete in the MSL East/conference, multiple medal winners in conference tournament and multiple state qualifiers,” Naughton said.
Key games/invites: duals: Fremd, Hersey, Prospect; invites: Bison Invite, Pitchford
Conant Cougars:
Head Coach: Matt Marks (4 years as head coach, previously 5 years as JV coach)
Assistant Coach: Amar Patel
Last season’s record: 9-7 record; 5th at conference; 3rd in sectional
Key returnees: Koko Atanasov (Sr.), Kiril Anastasov (Sr.)
Key newcomers: “This year we are fortunate enough to have an abundance of freshman talent. We have seven starters on varsity this year that are freshmen: Maximus Rysz, Kabir Motwani, Austin Wu, Nathan Desai, Haruki Watanabe, Avi Singhal and Puneeth Chandrasekaran.”
Rest of varsity roster: Krish Bothra (Jr.), Ayush Maniar (Sr.), Samarth Nadgir (Sr.)
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “Gain experience and compete with the best teams in the state. Our keys to success include equal parts skill development, mental toughness and unwavering support for each member of the team.”
Key games/invites: “Palatine 16 Invite, Stevenson quad, Pitchford Invite.”
Coach’s thoughts: “As our young, talented tennis team takes to the courts this season, we seize the opportunity to cultivate their potential and shape a legacy that extends far beyond the present. With promise gleaming in their eyes and determination pulsing in their veins, we embark on a journey not just for today, but for the next three years and beyond. Each match, each victory and each setback is not just a moment in time, but a stepping stone toward a future where our team’s potential knows no bounds. Let us harness this energy, this enthusiasm, and this talent, for in our hands lies the power to carve a path of greatness for years to come.”
Elk Grove Grenadiers:
Head Coach: David Dompke (2nd year)
Assistant Coaches: Mike Radakovitz
Last season’s record: 0-10
Key returnees: Adrian Akasala, Karl Heitman, Colin Podgorski
Key newcomers: Albert Akasala
Rest of varsity roster: Fredryll Patingo, Kevin Orbe, Kyle Orbe
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “Serving, limit double faults.”
Key games/invites: “Lake Park, Fenton.”
Coach’s thoughts: “Looking forward to growing this second season.”
Fremd Vikings:
Head Coach: Johnny Kent (3rd year as Fremd Coach, 7th Year overall, first 4 at Grayslake North)
Assistant Coaches: Matt Klein
Last season’s record: 10-8 (Lost 6 matches 3-4)
Key returnees: Andrew Spurck (2023 singles state champion), Amaye Shyani (2023 7th/8th place in state in doubles), Shashwat Srivatsa (7th/8th place in state in singles), Ved Mistry (2023 state qualifier in doubles), Stanley Zeng (2023 state qualifier in doubles), Vedanth Srihari (conference champion at No. 3 singles last year)
Key newcomers: Leroy Jing (Fr.)
Rest of varsity roster: Liam Nance, Patrick Sze, Ethan Rybka, Jacek Kawcynski, Levyn Mathew, Mantra Mittal
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “We return most of our lineup from last year (only losing 1 senior to graduation) and return 3 first team All-State players so we are certainly hoping for another historic year on the courts. We are hoping to break through and win the MSL this year in addition to winning sectionals again (hoping for 5 straight) and then compete once again for a state trophy. We are excited to see what Andrew can do to follow up his singles state title last year and what we can (do) on the state level. We also want to improve on our overall team record. We play a very difficult schedule and last year we were close in many matches, but lost six of our matches 3-4. We are hoping to be much stronger all the way down the lineup so hopefully we can flip some of those results. Our key to success will be being a more consistent team that plays with great confidence and has resilience in the tough moments. We were able to do that well at state last year and we are hoping to build off that this year.”
Key games/invites: “At Hinsdale Central (April 8), at New Trier (April 10), vs. Barrington (April 23), Jay Kramer Invite at Hinsdale Central (April 20) and Pitchford Invite (April 26-27).”
Any upcoming milestones: “Andrew Spurck and Amaye Shyani both have chances to achieve 100 wins in their career. Andrew is at 76 with Amaye being at 74. We are unsure if we are going to be playing Andrew at singles or doubles this year, but in either case he has a chance to make history. Only 19 players have won multiple singles state championships while only five players have won a singles and a doubles state title (in years where you could not play both-8 if you do). If he does go the doubles route, he would be seeking to be the first to win the singles title and then go and win the doubles after.”
Coach’s thoughts: “This year will mark the end of Amaye and Andrew’s careers with us. We are fortunate to have had them for four years and they have made a big impact on raising the status and view of Fremd tennis around the state. We look forward to a great year and hope to continue to add some trophies and titles to our trophy case this year. It should be a fun year with some great competition against the state’s best once again.”
Glenbrook South Titans:
Head Coach: Phil Ralston (1st year for tennis; IBCA Hall of Fame basketball coach)
Assistant Coaches: Mark Dec, Bill Lange, Josh Robbins, Alex Nauert, Michael Gerb
Key returnees: Alex Denizov, Bryce Abban, David Kaminsky, Alex Pop, Luc Zarzuela
Key newcomers: Shaan Harjani, Gavin Johnson, Arjun Shah
Rest of varsity roster: Leo Zarzuela, Enzo Zarzuela, Rohan Jain, George Bahrain, Charlie Finkel
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “We’ve got a great group of returning varsity athletes that won a sectional last year. We’ve got to find the best match ups to put us in a position to win conference and repeat as sectional champs.”
Key games/invites: “Conference matches against New Trier and GBN, Hersey Invite and Deerfield Invite.”
Program history: GBS opened in 1962-63 and had a F/S tennis team coached by Cliff Capp. Bill Stetson coached the team the following season when it became a varsity squad. Stetson was later followed by Ronald Preissig, John Wilhelm, Randy Wheeler, John Love and Larry Faulkner (1976-2021). Chris Thomas coached the team the past two seasons, winning a sectional title in 2023. Phil Ralston, an Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Famer, is currently in his first year guiding the team.
Hersey Huskies:
Head Coach: Andy Walton (10 years)
Assistant Coaches: Rob Pihl
Last season’s record: Sixth at state
Key returnees: Mitch Sheldon (signed with Michigan State), Kuba Pasielak, Andrew Weber, Sam Yeh, Andrew Stan, Joey Aiello, Drew Smith, Anthoney Emme
Key newcomers: Brent Chen, Matt Sikorski, Tyler Wyntik
Rest of varsity roster: Ben Werling, Jimmy Panos
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “Our keys for success are keeping everyone focused on in-match goals and proper competitive attitude. Goals for the season are to win the Mid-Suburban League conference championship, sectional championship and top three at state.”
Key games/invites: “New Trier, Hinsdale Central, Stevenson, Fremd. The Pitchford invite April 26-27 is the biggest of the year next to the state tournament.”
Coach’s thoughts: “We are incredibly excited for this year’s team. It is the strongest, most seasoned team Hersey tennis has ever had and we are really looking forward to seeing how far we can go. We have several players who have the potential to grab all-state honors and we’re setting our sights on some state championships as well.”
Leyden Eagles:
Head Coach: Mike Anderson (5 years)
Assistant Coaches: Scott Leu, Bill Heisler
Last season’s record: 6-7
Key returnees: Szymon Wojtaski, Santiago Ruiz, Diego Hertado, Layne Hammer, Michael Panocho, Justin Ocampo, Chris Juraszek
Key newcomers: Ethan Gonzalez
Rest of varsity roster: Jack Swiontek, Nick Swiontek, Joshua Pasumarthi
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: ‘Be consistent, have fun and remember this is a lifetime sport. The fun doesn’t stop when you graduate.”
Key games/invites: “West Suburban Gold conference invite.”
Coach’s thoughts: “In a sport where it takes a tremendous amount of repetition, we are a team mostly comprised of 2-4 year players. It’s amazing to watch how far they’ve come in just a short time.”
Maine South Hawks:
Head Coach: Jerry Smith (6th season as boys coach, also spent 10 years as Maine South’s girls coach)
Assistant Coaches: Caroline Carneske JV coach, Juan Diaz JV 2 coach.
Last season’s record: 8-10
Key returnees: “Gionia Maccaferri, Brandon Griffin, Anthony Benbenek, Dexter Kelleher, Michael Simmons and William Dolan are all returning seniors. Walter Szulczewski and Andrew Oberholtzer returning junior varsity players.”
Key newcomers: “Nicholas Marhoff and Alex Kolev are both freshmen that are looking to make big contributions this season.”
Rest of varsity roster: “Ethan de la Navarre, Elliot Natura, Daniel Krzesinski, Pat Bayraktarov, and Austin Rajchel are all up and coming players who have a great opportunity to earn a spot on the varsity roster.”
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “I believe we are well-positioned for a successful season due to several factors. Firstly, our team benefits from a strong balance of returning players and incoming freshmen. This blend of experience and fresh talent injects vitality into our squad and fosters a dynamic environment for growth and improvement. Furthermore, our approach emphasizes the importance of hard work and pushing ourselves during practice sessions. We believe that dedication and determination are fundamental to achieving our goals and we are committed to pushing our limits to reach our full potential. Additionally, we recognize the significance of gelling as a team. Building camaraderie and cohesion among our players is essential for fostering a supportive and unified environment, which ultimately translates into success on the court. Lastly, we are focusing on enhancing our doubles strategy. We understand the pivotal role that doubles play in team competitions and we are dedicated to refining our skills and tactics to excel in this aspect of the game. I am confident that our emphasis on a balanced team composition, hard work, team unity and strategic improvement will serve as the cornerstone of our success this season.”
Key games/invites: “Palatine Invitational, Hawk Invitational, Prospect Invite and the Pitchford are some of the big tournaments that we hope to excel in this season. As always, we look forward to competing in the toughest conference in the state. The addition of Deerfield to the CSL South ony makes the road more difficult. We are looking forward to the challenge.”
Upcoming milestones: “My senior class has 40 wins over the past 3 seasons. Gionia Macceferri is looking to qualify for the IHSA state tournament for the 3rd time this season.”
Coach’s thoughts: “I am looking forward to competing against the best teams in the state. I predict our very difficult schedule will help prepare us for the postseason.”
Maine West Warriors:
Head Coach: John Hauenstein (6th straight season, 12th year overall; 2001-06, 2019-24)
Assistant Coaches: Mike Godlewski
Last season’s record: 4-12 overall, 0-5 CSL North
Key returnees: Pedro Fernandez (Jr., returns at 1st singles), Thomas Noonan (Sr.), Charlie Freeman (Sr.), Aaron Grata (Sr.), Roberto Koziol (Sr.), Max Dinse (Sr.), Thomas Serpico (Jr.)
Key newcomers: Tristan Okurowski (Fr.), Shailen Pathank (Fr.), Alec Bayro (Fr.), Victor Polissky (Fr.)
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “We are looking to be much more aggressive and capable in our doubles teams. We also have four freshmen who will be competing for spots in the varsity lineup, so the internal competition will be a terrific motivation for players to elevate their game.”
Key games/invites: Maine West’s Under the Lights quad (was scheduled for April 26, but canceled), Maine East dual (April 30) and CSL title (May 10-11).
Upcoming milestones: Hauenstein and Godlewski’s final season.
Niles Notre Dame Dons:
Head Coach: Steve Jankowski (23 years)
Assistant Coaches: Michael Smith, Tom Crowley (assistant varsity), Jim Uhll (head JV), Cindy Christoffel (assistant JV)
Last season’s record: 4-3 in conference
Key returnees: Michael Rios, Sean Coath, Alexander Dobek, Maddux Chan, Max Stalenczyk, JT Hollingsworth, Joshua Harris, Trent Davis, Ryan Hammer
Key newcomers: Manos Georgitsis, Brian Forde, Daniel Jackson, Jacob Sandoval, Luka Munson
Rest of roster: Ethan Sacks, Charlie Maksud, Luke O’Regan, Zachary Baffa, Brian Tran, Colin Sorce, Gabriel Meadows, Johnny Haring, Billy Haring, Joseph McCarthy, Johnny McGovern, Maximilian Girardin, Ethan Carre, Shane Abad Singh
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “We lost some key players at the top of our lineup so we are going to need the boys to step up big time this year. We are a very deep team, but the conference is very top heavy lineup-wise, which isn’t ideal. We look forward to the challenges ahead and to improving day by day.”
Key games/invites: “Our local rivals: Maine East and Niles West, and of course the entire ESCC conference.”
Coach’s thoughts: “Our longtime practice location in Park Ridge has been taken away, so we have been thrown a curveball to start the year. Special thanks to the Village of Morton Grove for working with us to get a few locations for our guys to play. We have over 50 boys that want to play tennis this year. This is a direct reflection on my coaching staff and the competitive nature they bring with them.”
Palatine Pirates:
Head Coach: Jim Lange (15th season)
Assistant Coaches: Brody Muck
Last season’s record: 6-6
6th Place at MSL Conference Tournament
Key returnees: Pablo Castro (Sr., signed with Illinois Wesleyan for golf), Nate Royer (Sr.), Ishhaan Mishra (So.)
Key newcomers: Krish Handa (Fr.), Chris Brewer (Sr.), Luke Meehan (Sr.)
Rest of varsity roster: Ryan Moi (Sr.), Aashman Mittal (Sr.), Zach Martin (Sr.), Victor Jacome (Sr.), Jaime Gabriel (Sr.)
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “This year is about getting one more ball back. We are working hard on the mental toughness and conditioning aspects of the game to compete in a loaded conference.”
Key games/invites: “Palatine 16 Invite (May 4), Pitchford 32 (April 26-27) and Pirate 6 Invite (April 6).”
Coach’s thoughts: “We are witnessing the zenith of boy’s tennis in the MSL. With the returning state singles champion, Andrew Spurck (brother of Palatine standout Jackson Spurck), returning for Fremd, who hoisted the 3rd place trophy last year. Hersey is returning nearly everyone from their top ten finish including MSU recruit Mitch Sheldon and Brent Chen, who skipped his junior year to play USTA, and the addition of a four-star freshman, they are the favorites to win the entire tournament. Barrington has huge shoes to fill, but the Broncos don’t rebuild, they reload. Finally, Conant sees not one, not two, not three, but four outstanding freshmen join an already accomplished squad. Led by a five-star freshman, Conant catapults into a top ten in the state mix as well. Sectional assignments will be instrumental in seeing all the talent make its way to the tournament.”
Prospect Knights:
Head Coach: Patrick Weber (1st year)
Assistant Coaches: Hannah Skelton (Junior Varsity)
Last season’s record: 12-2
Key returnees: David Motorga, Andrew Grave, Allen Paul, Dimitri Hutnyk, Ondrej Subr
Key newcomers: “All are returning players from the program last year.”
Rest of varsity roster: Eli Merz, Olivier Witek, Michael Kuzcun, Ben Mitchell, Danyil Smerek, David Neiconi, Daniel Zhang, Wynn Yanagihara
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “This season we will try to compete in a conference full of competitors. We will use the successes and lessons from every match we play to improve day after day.”
Key games/invites: “Knights Invite (April 13), Hersey dual (April 20), MSL conference tournament (May 9-11) and sectionals tournament (May 17-18).”
Coach’s thoughts: “We have a highly talented team this year that is motivated to compete in every match and tournament we enter. I am excited to kick off my head coaching career with a roster of players with drive, skill and integrity. We are ready to embrace the challenge our conference presents and play our best tennis.”
Rolling Meadows Mustangs:
Head Coach: Bruce Wedell (5th year)
Assistant Coach: Jesse Burleson (JV coach)
Last season’s record: 3-9
Key returnees: “Petar Popovic (Sr.) and Peter Karlos (Sr.) are seniors with lots of experience who are expected to do well. Marcel Stankiewicz (So.) is new to the team this year. At 6-6 he has a huge serve and lots of promise.”
Rest of roster: “Our doubles teams will be anchored by Michael Dobrianski (Jr.), Peter Coon (So.), Konrad Miedzialowski (Sr.) and Peter Osterlund (Jr.).”
Coach’s thoughts: “With three walk-on seniors, this team is looking to surprise some teams this year. We are working hard this spring and this is a special group of young men.”
Stevenson Patriots:
Head Coach: Isriz Balase (3rd year, 30-2 overall record)
Assistant Coaches: Justin Sponholz, Gerald Franklin, Denzel Mitchem, Michael Tseitlin
Last season’s record: 15-1, 5th place at state
Key returnees: Dustin Zhao, Alex Jang, Richard Xu, Tejas Sheth, Akshay Maram, Ian Williams
Key newcomers: Nikhil Vijaykumar, Chatti Annapragada, Adam Visotsky
Rest of varsity roster: Tanveer Sayyad, Sai, Kudomuri, Vrishan Kanuri, Andrew Ryan, Aaron Chen
Coach’s keys to success/Goals this season: “Iron sharpens iron.”
Key games/invites: “Pitchford Invite, Hinsdale Central, New Trier, Barrington, Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South.”
Coach’s thoughts: “We are a young team that has a solid group of returning players. Each player can beat one another on any given day and everyone is hungry to prove themselves. The coaches and I are eager to see who will emerge from our 14 players come conference, sectionals and state.”
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