With the boys tennis season upon us, here is a look at the season ahead across the Herald-News area.

Coal City

Coach: Jeremy Unger

Top returners: Martin Ramirez, sr.; Devon McVey, sr.; Tanner Shain, jr.; Aidan Meister, jr.; Dom Chellino, jr.

Key newcomers: Troy Larson, fr.

Worth noting: Ramirez was a state qualifier last year and will continue to lead the team. Larson will be the No. 2 singles player, and Unger said he’s shown excellent technique and understanding for a freshman. Unger also said, “I am very excited about this year. We should have a pretty solid lineup. This team has high expectations for itself, not just me. They are excited to compete and are anxiously awaiting their first match.”

Joliet Catholic

Coach: Tyler Eakle

Top returners: Frank Schuler, jr.; Declan Wagner, jr.; Cormac Wagner, jr.

Worth noting: Schuler and Declan Wagner qualified for state as a doubles team last year. Cormac Wagner was the first-team singles player last year, and Eakle is hoping he makes state this year as well. This will be Eakle’s first year as head coach.

Lincoln-Way East

Coach: Christopher Olson

Top returners: TJ Stoiber, sr.; Nate Pangallo, sr.; Henry Phillips, jr.; Cole Philips, jr.

Key newcomers: Karson Kuzlik, so.; Gage Latham, fr.

Worth noting: Stoiber is a three-time state qualifier and two-time state singles champion who is looking to move into the top-five victory list for the Griffins. Pangallo and Henry Phillips are both state qualifiers, while Cole Philips was a Southwest Suburban Conference Champion. Henry Phillips led the state in singles victories most of the season. There will be eight underclassmen helping make up the team. Olsen expressed excitement over Kuzlik and Latham in particular. The Griffins have won five straight sectional championships and 41 consecutive dual meets dating back to 2021. They’ve won five straight SWSC Tournament titles.

Lincoln-Way West

Coach: John Kupp

Top returners: Gavin Atwood, sr.; Fin O’Neil, sr.; Donovan Rin, jr.; Jack Tisch, so.

Worth noting: This is Kupp’s first year at the helm, and he inherits an experienced group. Kupp says the squad is hardworking and committed. They’re working on the fundamentals and trying to gain more experience.

Minooka

Coach: Peter Klepec

Top returners: Eli Chavez, sr.; Dale Larson, jr.; George Grey, jr.; Keaton Kapellas, so.

Key newcomers: Ben Carli, fr.; Derek Przybyla, so.

Worth noting: Chavez was a state qualifier last year, while Larson went 18-15. Grey was the No. 1 singles player last season, and Kapellas was 2-3 in singles. Przybala has high expectations and athleticism. Carli is a hard-hitter who will start at third singles. Klepec said, “(The) program expectation is to compete for a conference championship and be in that top half of schools. We would love to continue to send players downstate. The goal is to take three or more players with us this year.”

Morris

Coach: Sara Davy

Top returners: Andrew Ochoa, jr.; Connor Barth, sr.; Hunter Lindenborn, sr.; Jax Wiers, sr.

Key newcomers: Chase McConnell, sr.; Connor Bogard, jr.; Cole Anderson, jr.; Grady Jensen, jr.; Jeremy Hansen, jr.; Zander Braun, jr.; August Valdivia, jr.

Worth noting: Morris is coming off its best season in decades, having won the I-8 Conference. Morris graduated a lot of key players, but returns experience in Ochoa and Barth. Ochoa was a No. 2 singles conference champion, while Barth had 37 wins. Barth has 79 career wins and will be looking to crack 100. McConnell took his junior season off to focus on track, but is back to help the team. Davy said, “We know we will have a target on our backs, but we are ready for it. Our guys have worked hard in the offseason, have played in huge USTA tournaments all summer, have drilled and worked on their fitness, and they know how great it feels to win. They are hungry for more of that success.”

Plainfield Central

Coach: John Bayer

Top returners: Milan Modhera, sr.; Linus Yuan, sr.; Andrew Imig, sr.; Brady Husak, jr.

Key newcomers: Logan Koeritz, sr.; Owen Frosch, sr.; Collin Reavis, sr.; Gavin Baikie, sr.; James Jung, so.; Christian Mikos, jr.; Sean Salkas, sr.; Matthew Chibe, sr.; Matthew Bolek, sr.

Worth noting: Modhera, Yuan and Imig all bring valuable experience to the group. Bayer has been doing this for 34 years and continues to get the best out of his players. There’s a large group of newcomers ready to do their part. Bayer said he expects the team to finish in the top three in the conference.

Plainfield East

Coach: Dominic Del Rosario

Top returners: Logan Hensley, jr.; Victor Pompa, jr.; Zach Beu, jr.; Brock VanderTuuk, sr., Tyler Dimailig, sr.

Worth noting: This is Del Rosario’s ninth year at the helm, and he brings back five experienced players. He said, “Our goal as always is to be vying for top spots in our conference.”

Plainfield North

Coach: James Walter

Top returners: Nikhil Ganesan, sr.; Reed Song, sr.; Nicky Calvert, jr.

Key newcomers: Gokul Ganesan, so.; Andrew Petrovic, so.

Worth noting: Nikhil Ganesan, Song and Calvert were all-conference performers last year. Walter said, ”We will have three freshmen in our lineup this season, which is the most in our school’s history. If our underclassmen continue to get better throughout the season, we could be competitive in the SPC."

Plainfield South

Coach: Tom Perrin

Top returners: Jonah Powell, sr.; Shivam Goswami, sr.; Troy Swank, jr.; Joey Stugis, jr.; Terrence Acasio, sr.

Worth noting: Powell and Goswami will pair to be the No. 1 doubles unit. Swank and Stugis move up to No. 2. Acasio moved between Nos. 1, 2 and 3 singles, and this year he’ll be at No. 1 throughout the season. Perrin said, ”I think we have a chance to be an improved team over last year if the players continue to work hard, improve and maintain a positive attitude. I expect Jonah and Shivam to be highly competitive at first doubles and potentially among the better doubles teams in the conference.”

Providence

Coach: Jaime Prado

Top returners: Jesse Tyler, jr.

Worth noting: Tyler has qualified for state the past two years and is looking to make it again. He was also a sectional runner-up.

Romeoville

Coach: George Joyce

Top returners: JR Vidad, sr.; Bodie Abrenilla, sr.

Key newcomers: Szymon Truty, jr.

Worth noting: 2025 was a difficult season for the Spartans, but they’re looking to bounce back. They finished last in the Southwest Prairie Conference, but return nine of their 11 starters from an extremely young squad. Joyce said the goal is to finish in the top eight of the conference, the best mark of the past five years. While many groups graduated their starting doubles players, Vidad and Abrenilla return. This is Joyce’s 24th year at the helm. He said, “We are really excited for this season. We have so many returning players that have put in more hours in the offseason than I’ve seen in a long time. I truly feel Spartan tennis is back.”