Fox Valley Conference

Cary-Grove

Coach: Scott Duncan (first season)

Last year’s finish: Tied for second at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Chris Ptaszek, sr.; Finn Karlovsky, jr.; Halen Young, sr.; Joe Riedel, jr.; Mason Rebscher, sr.; Owen Lonergan, jr.; Zachary Nygren, sr.

Key newcomers: Brady Watkinson, so.; Colton Winkelmann, jr.; Curran Ostrowski, jr.; Ricky Anderson, sr.; Sahil Rao, sr.; William Hartmann, sr.

Worth noting: Duncan replaces Amanda Schuetzle, who stepped down after 15 seasons. The Trojans’ doubles lineup is packed with returning talent. Karlovsky and Young played second doubles last season and will move to No. 1 doubles this spring. The singles lineup includes top returner Riedel but will be tapping into what Duncan calls C-G’s “rising talent pool” with Watkinson and Ostrowski. “The boys have been working hard since last May,” Duncan said. “I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to work with them. We’re trying some fresh methods that should help on court and in their future lives off court. We fully expect to have a season that goes the distance with some state qualifiers. Amanda (Schuetzle) did a fantastic job leading these boys over the prior 15 seasons. I’m grateful for how supportive she’s been of me and the boys during the transition. It’s been an example of best practice and reflective of the process discipline of C-G Athletics.”

Crystal Lake Central

Coach: Cory Osterberg (11th season)

Last year’s finish: Fifth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Ryan Spencer, sr.; Jack Lisle, sr.; Prateek Ponnam, sr.; Nate Muszynski, jr.; Jackson Gerambia, jr.

Key newcomers: Michael Vo, sr.; Rylan McKnight, jr.; Matthew Grindstaff, jr.; Caden Smith, jr.; Geo DeSando, so.

Worth noting: The Tigers will have a new look this spring. “We will have an all-new singles as well as doubles lineup for this season,” Osterberg said. “While we return four starters, most of our team has no varsity tennis experience. They are a great group of guys with an excellent work ethic, and I know that we will get better throughout the season. I look forward to the challenge and to figuring out who is going to play where and with whom.”

Crystal Lake South

Coach: Mark Scheurich (third season)

Last year’s finish: Sixth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Zeke Boldman, sr.; Eryk Bucior, sr.; Bayel Muktar, sr.; Nazar Muktar, so.; Jake Pasek, jr.

Key newcomers: Tengis Khatanbaatar, sr.; Kevin Opiela, so.

Worth noting: The Gators boasted four Class 1A state qualifiers last spring, and all return this season. In his second appearance at state, Boldman advanced to the second day, winning three matches. Bucior competed in singles after qualifying for state in doubles his sophomore year. The Muktar brothers qualified for state as doubles partners. All four players are switching roles this season, Scheurich said. The Muktars are moving to singles, while Boldman and Bucior will be playing doubles together. “We are hoping these four can pick up where they left off in their new roles,” Scheurich said. “I am very excited about the number of boys players [in the program] increasing for the third consecutive year.” ... Scheurich adds that Khatanbaatar worked extremely hard during the offseason to prepare for a jump from varsity spot starter in 2025 to a top-level varsity starter in 2026. Pasek is playing his third year on varsity and will have a new doubles partner this year. ... “As a team, we are hoping to improve in the FVC standings from last year,” Scheurich said. “We have a deeper varsity squad than the last two years, so I look forward to seeing what the boys can do this spring.”

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Yuto Tsukida (seventh season)

Last year’s finish: Seventh at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Aarav Shah, jr.; Pranav Saravanan, sr.; Cavan Svec, sr.; Sebastian Llavona, jr.

Key newcomer: Nate Rekuc, fr.

Worth noting: Shah qualified for state as a freshman for the Chargers two years ago. He finished third at No. 1 singles in the FVC Tournament last spring. “With only 14 players coming out this year, we are competing without a JV squad,” Tsukida said. “This means that several beginner players will be stepping into varsity matches earlier than usual. While that may bring some early challenges, we hope to stay positive and focus on growth. The goal this season is to gain valuable experience, build confidence and continue improving while competing against strong opponents, while returning players continue to work hard to obtain good results in the FVC and become state qualifiers.”

Hampshire

Coach: Jonathan Okon (second season)

Last year’s finish: Eighth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Sawyer Davis, sr.; Andrew Kalinowski, sr.; Jacob Cho, jr.; Christian Perez, jr.; Carter Dustin, so.

Key newcomers: Nick King, sr.; Brandon Regalado, sr.; Matthew Herzing, jr.; Anthony Marino, jr.; Parth Patel, jr.; Rudra Patel, jr.; Rudraks Patel, jr.; Andre Suello, jr.

Worth noting: The Whip-Purs graduated nine seniors who accumulated 357 combined starts at the varsity level over the past four years. “Five returners look to mentor younger talent,” Okon said. “The returners worked extremely hard to improve throughout the offseason. The group is looking forward to a competitive Fox Valley [Conference] and quality nonconference schedule.”

Huntley

Coach: Kris Grabner (third season)

Last year’s finish: Third at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Will Geske, sr.; Tanush Gulati, jr.; Vivek Yandamuri, jr.; Eashan Cherukuri, sr.; Rithwik Depala, jr.; Adam Stec, so.; Ethan Cronin, so.

Worth noting: Geske has anchored first singles for the Red Raiders since his freshman year. He won the FVC Tournament in his first two years before finishing second last spring. Geske is a two-time Northwest Herald Boys Tennis Player of the Year and three-time state qualifier. As sophomore doubles partners last year, Gulati and Yandamuri qualified for state after placing third at No. 1 doubles at the FVC Tournament.

Jacobs

Coach: Jon Betts (21st season)

Last year’s finish: First at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Zach Hallenbeck, sr.; Dylan Heard, sr.; Soham Kalra, sr.; Kurtis Kornatoski, sr.; Ronnav Deshmukh, jr.; Jack Soto, jr.; Daryn Do, so.; Samuel Santa Ines, so.

Key newcomers: Eashan Immadi, sr.; JJ Jones, sr.; Brendan Mau, sr.; Gio Giacomino, jr.; Lukas Gober, jr.; Lyon Sapanhila, jr.; Connor Hoth, so.; Svilen Kolev, so.

Worth noting: The Golden Eagles dominated the FVC last season, winning both the regular-season and tournament championships, and they are loaded again. Reigning FVC champ Kalra (No. 2 doubles) is a two-time Class 2A state qualifier in doubles. Soto was an FVC champion at No. 1 doubles last year and earned all-state honors. He and his doubles partner, the since-graduated Augie Nelson, were the Northwest Herald Boys Tennis Players of the Year. Do won the FVC title at No. 2 singles. Santa Ines captured No. 1 singles at conference and went on to win all-state honors. "Though we graduated some tremendous long-time varsity contributors from last year’s lineup, including FVC champions and fantastic leaders like Augie Nelson, Ryan Fulton and Rudra Rathod, we return a strong group who will be joined by players hungry to earn a varsity spot and contribute,“ Betts said. ”We’ve been impressed with the great effort our boys have put in this offseason and, though Huntley looks to be the team to beat, we hope our talent at the top and our depth throughout the lineup will put us in a position to keep pace with the Red Raiders and challenge them for the FVC title."

McHenry

Coach: Kyle Funkhouser (21st season)

Last year’s finish: Ninth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Andrew Franklin, jr.; Brayden Gardon, sr., Atticus LaPorta, sr.; Nick Marchant, sr.; Owen Miller, sr.; Matt Zurawski, jr.

Key newcomers: Christine Bersie, sr.; Logan Lewakowski, sr.; Anthony Rehm, sr.

Worth noting: The Warriors are looking to rebound after finishing last at the FVC Tournament last spring. “The guys have been working hard the last couple of weeks getting ready for a busy April/May schedule,” Funkhouser said. “We have a good mix of new and returning players and are excited to see their progression throughout the season.”

Prairie Ridge

Coach: Willy Stastny (eighth season)

Last year’s finish: Tied for second at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Tim Jones, sr.; Evan Seegert, sr.; Eli Loeding, sr.; Rory Senese, jr.; Odin Bailey, so.

Key newcomer: Matt Jones, fr.

Worth noting: The Wolves’ runner-up finish at state last season was their best in program history, bettering the third-place effort they had in 2024. Tim Jones and the since-graduated Cole Palese finished sixth as doubles partners at state. Jacob Kim, who lost in the consolation semifinals at state, also graduated. Tim Jones, Seegert and Senese return after qualifying for state. Tim Jones, Seegert and Loeding have been on varsity since their freshman year. “Losing half of our sectional lineup from last year [Kim, Palese, Jack Widger] will be tough to overcome, but we have some players with state experience coming back to provide some stability,” Stastny said. “We have a senior-heavy lineup this year, so it will be fun to watch them compete in their final high school season and maintain a good culture for the underclassmen.”

Kishwaukee River Conference

Johnsburg

Coach: Rachel Rung (second season)

Last year’s finish: Third at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Tyler Batt, sr.; Ryan Odell, sr.; Jack Rung, jr.; Miles Davis, jr.; Charlie Ten Bruin, jr.; Carson Teschner, sr.; Josue Ortega, so.

Top newcomers: Drew Jesuit, jr.; Dax Martinek, jr.; Beck Shedbalker, so.

Worth noting: No. 1 singles player Batt is a three-time KRC champ for the Skyhawks and two-time state qualifier. He was All-Area second team last year. “Numbers remain a challenge for us,” Rung said. “This year we have 10 players. We should be improved with three players entering their fourth year on the team and three entering their third. We play a challenging schedule, but we look forward to competing.”

Marengo

Coach: Rafael Martinez (second season)

Last year’s finish: Fourth at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Tannin Peck, so.; Julio Ruiz, jr.; Derek Guidana, so.; Connor Salazar, so.

Top newcomer: Nathan Scholfield, jr.

Worth noting: The Indians return Peck and Ruiz at singles and sophomores Guidana and Salazar at doubles. Program numbers are good. “Largest group so far with a full varsity team and some JV players,” Martinez said. “Expectations are high to compete with a full squad against the KRC schools. Our (No.) 2 doubles are very competitive, and our singles could upset any player.”

Woodstock

Coach: John Oliveira (second season)

Last year’s finish: Second at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Ben Vanderville, sr.; Ayden Zim, sr.; Brody Flynn, sr.; Cristian Tapia, jr.

Key newcomers: Lucas Balgeman, jr.; Simeon Oberhuber, jr.; Luis Fuentes, so.; Vic Perez, so.; Alex Rodriguez, so.; Andrew Mroczenski, fr.; Ben Webb, fr.

Worth noting: The Blue Streaks had a strong KRC Tournament last spring in Oliveira’s first season, but graduated several top players. “We are young and largely untested, but that brings a lot of excitement to Jim Mitchell courts,” Oliveira said. “Our goal is simple: Get better every single day. I can’t wait to see how these players rise to the challenge and they compete.”

Woodstock North

Coach: Bart Zadlo (ninth season)

Last year’s finish: First at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Parker Mauck, sr.; Jude Suay, sr.; Logan Barnes, sr.; Braden Olson, jr.; Charlie Martin, so.

Worth noting: The Thunder boasted five champions in winning the KRC Tournament last season. Suay was the runner-up at No. 1 singles. Mauck and the since-graduated Alex Flores finished second at No. 1 doubles. Olson won third singles.

Chicagoland Christian Conference

Marian Central

Coach: Gina Jasovic (third season)

Top returner: Alek Jasovic, so.

Key newcomer: Marc Cheng, sr.

Worth noting: Jasovic went 14-5 as a freshman for the Hurricanes last year and earned All-CCC honors at No. 2 singles. Cheng is a transfer from Woodstock. “We are entering this season with clear goals and hopes to improve our overall performance as a team,” Jasovic said. “If we stay focused on growth, teamwork and effort, we believe the results will take care of themselves.”