Boys tennis: 2022 season preview capsules

Aug. 17—Boulder Panthers

Coach: Nick Salazar

The Scoreboard: The Panthers have emerged as a tennis force to be reckoned with under Salazar in his three years with the program. Last season, his team sent players to state at every position and finished first among local programs at the Class 5A tournament, tying for sixth. From that group, No. 1 singles player Andre Parham returns for his sophomore season. He is joined by seniors Will Curl and Ezra Doherty (2021 No. 1 doubles), senior Danny Benjamin (No. 2 doubles), sophomore Blake Curl (3-doubles) and senior Chase Lewis (4-dubs). "At the start of every year our goal is to qualify every varsity line for state," Salazar said. "There is no question that our league is tough, but we are looking forward to the challenge."

Broomfield Eagles

Coach: Brad Thurman

The Scoreboard: The Eagles didn't qualify anyone for the 5A state tournament a season ago, but things could be different in Thurman's second season. Junior Kai Trujillo is a nice talent at No. 1 singles. As a sophomore, he went 7-7 on the matches listed on MaxPreps, but perhaps most impressive of all was his two wins over Monarch grad and 2021 5A state semifinalist Conner Smith. "We are young but emerging as a team," Thurman said. "I expect us to get stronger as the season progresses." Adding, the goal is to have at least three lines reach the state tournament. "Excited to see growth from last season."

Centaurus Warriors

Coach: Julie Daniel

The Scoreboard: The Warriors return nine players from a team that finished second to 4A power Niwot at last season's 4A Region 5. That includes 2-singles state qualifier Dexy Payne, the now-junior who leads a team making the jump to 5A for the 2022-24 cycle. Among others expected to make Daniel's varsity team competitive are seniors Braden Keller, Aidon Boll, juniors Joey Hultgren, Stephen Zakany, Ty Stroud, Jack Manning, Dylan Kalish, sophomore Julian Piccolini and freshman Zach Gablehouse. "We are prepared to compete and feel it is going to be an exciting season," the 11-year coach said.

Erie Tigers

Coach: Matthew Chavez

The Scoreboard: Looking to build off a strong 2021 that featured two state qualifiers and an 8-2 dual record, the Tigers have a new coach in Chavez. In his second season with the program, the promoted 23-year-old brings a wide-ranging knowledge of the game as an elite tennis player himself. He inherits a team led by returning state qualifier Ethan Graham, who was a freshman on the No. 2 doubles team from last fall that reached quarterfinals. Others to watch include potential singles players in juniors Cameron Pratt, Oliver Nguyen and freshman Matteo Bly. Chavez said all three are club tournament players.

Fairview Knights

Coach: Doug Kazarosian

The Scoreboard: The Knights are looking to improve upon last season with "better depth and experience at all positions", Kazarosian said. The coach added that 15 to 18 guys on the team committed to offseason training, which should go a long way this fall. At the top, returning is singles player Caden Bell, a now-junior who won a round inside the No. 2 singles bracket at last fall's 5A state tournament. He is joined by other state returnees in senior Rafa Volkamer-Pastor and junior Ben Mei Dan (2021 No. 1 doubles quarterfinalists), juniors Noah Bodner and Richie Boston (2-doubles state qualifiers), and junior Loic Masters (3-dubs qualifier). All five of them, Kazarosian said, will provide depth atop the varsity line after immense growth in their games over the past year.

Legacy Lightning

Coach: Sanh Nguyen

The Scoreboard: The Lightning bring back two singles players who qualified for the 5A state tournament last fall. Junior Noah Klein, who went 7-4 on the matches listed on MaxPreps, reached the 2-singles state bracket before falling to Boulder's Jackson Lewis in the opening round. Senior Alex Anthony bowed out to Valor Christian's Ryan Greenfield in Round 1 of 3-singles. The team also returns 2021 doubles players in sophomore Rufus Thompson and senior Samuel Law, who were 1-doubles last fall. Juniors David Johnson, a 3-doubles player last year, is also back. But his partner, Samuel Neuhalfen will miss the season with injury. Said Nguyen, we "expect to see the athletes focus on improving skills, strategies and tactics."

Monarch Coyotes

Coach: Billy Downs

The Scoreboard: The Coyotes believe they are stronger than last fall when they finished 10th in 5A. Despite losing ace Conner Smith, Downs' team returns four 2021 regional champs. What projects to be their top two singles players in Luke Jensen and Callum Conaghan, they are joined by the state qualifying 1-doubles pair of Clay Hafner and Garrett Winkelbauer. Others to watch include doubles players in sophomore Kevin Vorlage and freshman Troy Gomez. "Sending more to state this year is our No. 1 goal," Downs said.

Silver Creek Raptors

Coach: Sara Whiteley

The Scoreboard: The Raptors, like Centaurus, make the move to 5A for the new school cycle. Returning doubles players Nick Selleck and Nate Hansen, both seniors, as well as junior Jake Bator are moving to singles play. Other returners to watch for on the longtime coach's team are seniors Liam Paul, Caleb Shaw and sophomore David Ortiz. Newcomers and possible new-to-varsity players include sophomore Chaya Ngampatipatpong and freshman Brian Kim. "We are looking forward to playing some of the bigger schools in Denver," Whiteley said. "When you play better athletes it makes you a better athlete."

Class 4A

Dawson Mustangs

Coach: Kathy Benninghoff

The Scoreboard: In her 15th season ahead of the program, Benninghoff said her team's "best and most experienced doubles players will embrace new roles in singles this season." Of that group are seniors Alfie Whitmore and Ryan Orris, who reached the quarterfinals in 1-doubles last fall, as well as senior Owen Leidich, who was a qualifier in 2-doubles. Others to watch, the coach said, are junior Sebastian Wehner and sophomores Adam Fitzgerald and Trey Larsen. "The senior leadership is excellent — focused, hardworking, and upbeat," the coach said. "Doubles rungs will be manned by young and athletic newcomers to the varsity ladder."

Frederick Golden Eagles

Coach: Albert Fauerbach

The Scoreboard: Frederick, sporting a new mascot, also has a new tennis coach. Fauerbach takes over a program with no returning state qualifiers from last year's 4-7 squad. Instead, it features a team of young players eager for experience, he said. Among players looking to grow in the program are freshman Josiah Brittenham and juniors Shawn Gippe and Bridger Burnham. All are projected to play on the singles line. Others to keep an eye on are sophomores Conor Rothe, Chris Bates and seniors Jay Ybanez and Aydan Thomas. The team's four dual wins last season were its most since 2017.

Longmont Trojans

Coach: Matthew Samson

The Scoreboard: First-year coach Samson, taking over for longtime coach Mike Merz, inherits three returning state qualifiers in seniors Henry Harshbarger, Andrew Kujawa and sophomore Owen Jones. All were doubles players who bowed out in the opening round of the 4A tournament last season. Others to watch include a projected singles player in sophomore Wyatt Saunders, a singles or top doubles player in junior Luke Riddle, and senior doubles player Andrew Brown. "Graduating four key seniors leaves a young team with a lot of potential," the former Frederick assistant coach said. "My goal for this season is to try and maintain the high caliber of tennis" at Longmont.

Niwot Cougars

Coach: Aimee Hites

The Scoreboard: The Cougars, coming off a third-place finish at the 4A state tournament last fall, welcome back their top two singles players. LiChen Liao, the BoCoPreps.com player of the year who won the 2-singles championship, never dropped a set in last year's state tournament. He'll look for a repeat title in 2022. Luke Weber, a senior, meanwhile, placed fourth in the No. 1 singles bracket. The team's other state returners are seniors Ryan Gray (2021 No. 1 doubles), sophomore Sebastian Moy and junior Kyle Davidson (No. 2 doubles), and sophomores Rex Wallington and Ollie Jones (4-doubles). Others to watch include freshmen Charlie Kirtland, Oskar Hansen and sophomore Tyler Chivukula.

Peak to Peak Pumas

Coach: Eric Carlson

The Scoreboard: "This seems to be the best boys team I've had in my five years as head coach," Carlson said. That's good news for the Pumas, who return state qualifiers in senior Caleb Harris, a 2021 1-doubles state qualifier, as well as junior Atticus Phillips, who fell in the playback 3-doubles semifinals. Their singles line, meanwhile, will be made up entirely of sophomores in No. 1 player Derek Toth, No. 2 Ben Swartz and No. 3 Dhruv Shajikumar. Said Carlson: "I am excited for our young singles players ... to see how they grow in the coming years. I am really excited to see our doubles teams play this year because I think we have a deep team and several of our doubles can make a run at state, hopefully."

Prospect Ridge Academy Miners

Coach: Ari Finkelstein

The Scoreboard: The Miners are expected to be led by six returning seniors, including No. 1 singles player Roee Sela who reached the quarterfinals last fall, followed by No. 2 player Jackson Billings. "With the shake-up in region (placements) this year, and the first-ever team state championship, the boys are eager to show that a smaller team like the Miners can still be a force to be reckoned with," the seventh-year coach said. "We also hope to qualify multiple individual state qualifiers for the first time."

Skyline Falcons

Coach: Tom Galey

The Scoreboard: The Falcons return their top singles player in senior Evan Elmandorf, who is expected to be the team's ace once again after he went 4-6 at No. 1 singles last year on the matches listed on MaxPreps. Expected to join him on the singles line are junior Reece Mintzer, who moved from 3-singles to 2, and Kaden Stewart, a doubles player last year who is now at 3 singles. Other returning players include expected top doubles players in junior Wyatt Witzak and sophomore Jonathan Sanchez. "Skyline is looking for a strong season at singles and should compete in doubles with new young talent," the third-year coach said.

Point me to the postseason

The original playoff format from years past, where how you did at regionals dictated whether a player moved into the state tournaments at City Park in Denver (Class 5A) or Pueblo City Park (4A), will only decide individual singles and doubles champions. A separate four-round team dual tournament (based on seeding criteria from regular-season duals) will now determine the 5A and 4A school champions. First round of the dual postseason is Sept. 28 with the higher seed hosting through the semifinals. The individual state tournaments are Oct. 13-15 at City Park and Pueblo City Park. The team dual finals are Oct. 18 back at City Park.