Ottawa

Coach: Matt Gross (20th year)

Last season: 13-3 in duals

Top returnees: Logan Goetsch, sr.; Will Goetz, sr.; Ethan Krafft, sr.; Adam Gross, jr.; Daniel Reinhardt, jr.

Key newcomers: Duncan Perry, sr.; Nolan Swartzmiller, sr.; Sebastian Cabrera, jr.; Ethan Cela, jr.; Karcin Hagi, jr.; Landen Thorsen, jr.

Worth noting: Graduated are the only advancers out of the Pirates’ own Class 1A sectional, the doubles team of Regan Linde and Sam Walker, plus another doubles player, Tanner Ditchfield. However, when Ottawa opens at the Metamora Invite on Saturday, the Pirates return the rest of the team that finished second to Metamora in the sectional’s team standings. ... Krafft, last year’s starter at No. 1 singles, likely will move to doubles and pair with Goetz, formerly Ditchfield’s doubles partner, at one of the doubles positions. Last year’s No. 3 doubles team of Goetch and Reinhardt – a tandem that’s played together since junior high – placed first at the Interstate 8 Conference Meet and will be trying to find similar success at one of the doubles slots. ... That leaves last year’s No. 2 singles player/coach’s son, junior Adam Gross, and varsity newcomer Sebastian Cabrera, a junior dubbed by his coach “a backboard” for the consistency of his returns, battling for No. 1 singles. Perry returns after a couple of seasons off. ... “This group has always done the right things on the court and knows what to do,” coach Gross said, “so now at the varsity level, it’s fun to tweak and manage their games with tidbits in practice, then all of the sudden the light bulb turns on. … And there are a handful of kids on the frosh-soph level that could do pretty well. The best eight guys will play up top, but if a younger guy pushes an upperclassman, I don’t think that’s ever a bad thing, so we’ll see how things go. We’ll be playing some tough schools, like Deerfield is coming down for a tournament, Elmhurst York, we’ll see Metamora three times at tournaments, and of course the local schools are no slouches, either. We’ll have to play well to do well, for sure. … We have decent numbers this year, and we’re really excited about that.”

– Charlie Ellerbrock

Streator

Coach: John Sandoval (7th year)

Last season: 3-13 in duals

Top returnees: Davey Rashid, sr.; Cooper Wahl, sr.; Brenden Christensen, so.; Jack Sorensen, so.; Quinn Baker, so.

Key newcomers: Andrew Vogel, fr.; Ryan Beck, fr.

Worth noting: The Bulldogs welcome back the reigning Times Boys Tennis Player of the Year, Rashid, who in 2021 posted an undefeated regular season, a runner-up sectional finish and an appearance at the Class 1A IHSA State Meet. “Davey is just a true athlete,” Sandoval said. “He plays golf, soccer, basketball and tennis. He even tried some football last year. He excels in all these sports. I think that’s what makes him such a great tennis player is the yearlong competition. He strives for perfection and wants to be the best at everything he does. His goal this year is to qualify again for the state tournament and to win more matches this year [he won once last spring] at the state tournament. Davey has put a lot of time in the weight room and has doubled his strength since his freshman year. This strength and athleticism will definitely help him this year to accomplish his goals.” ... Wahl should be a strong secondary leader, another four-year player who anchored the No. 1 doubles spot a year ago. He could remain there or slide to the No. 2 singles spot. ... Beck and Vogel are promising newcomers, as both had older siblings in the program. ... Beck, Vogel and Christensen also are potential singles players in the team’s top eight, which Sandoval projects will include Rashid, Wahl, Beck, Christensen, Vogel, Baker and Sorensen. The last varsity lineup spot is being contested for by Izak Galik, Murphy Wilkinson and Damarious Porter, with Lucas Fraga and Christian Gill also in the conversation. ... “As for the team, we are very young, [with] only two seniors and two juniors out of our 19 tennis players. So we will definitely need some freshmen and sophomores to step up and help out the varsity team. ... “One thing I know for sure is we will compete. All of these guys play with effort and are doing their best to improve each and every day. As a coach in his last boys tennis season, this is all I can ask from them, and they have responded by working hard every day.”

– J.T. Pedelty