Greater Grand Forks prep tennis capsules
Aug. 23—GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks Red River boys, Grand Forks Central boys and East Grand Forks Senior High girls tennis teams will soon begin the 2022 season.
Here's a look at the three local teams.
Coach: Josh Lunak.
2021 record: 15-3, EDC runner-up, state runner-up.
Key returners: Jr. Espen Schneider (state doubles champion), sr. Saylor Kuenzel (state doubles champion), jr. Kellen Johnson (sixth place state singles), sr. Carson Skarperud, jr. Luc Bydal, soph. Asher Green.
Potential newcomers: Jr. Jadon Tang, jr. Rylan Brown, sr. Hudson Kilgore, soph. Rylan Bydal, fr. Julian Mallory.
Coach Lunak says: "We're returning six of our top seven, so we should be very solid from top to bottom. Espen is one of the best players in the state. Saylor and Kellen aren't too far behind. We have some good players up at the top."
* Also see:
After five seasons with no state titles, Red River regains familiar label — state favorite
Coach: Max Weisser.
2021 record: 18-0, EDC champions, state champions.
Key returners: Soph. Cole Wilber (third place state doubles), jr. Evan Panzer (third place state doubles), jr. A.J. Spicer, fr. Logan Nielsen.
Potential newcomers: Eighth-grader Rylan Spicer, fr. Jason Ling, soph. Mack Blue, soph. Gunner Spicer, jr. Hanson Du, fr. Westin Nielsen.
Coach Weisser says: "We're going to be very strong with those two top guys. Cole and Evan have really had a lot of success. They've put some time in and they've gotten better and bigger. After that, we're going to be very competitive. We definitely have a lot of hard-working guys who have improved their games from last year to this year."
Coach: Kyle Hanson.
2021 record: 10-7.
Key returners: Sr. Lila Rothenberger (17-11), jr. Emma Farder (18-6), jr. Erin Bowman (15-9), fr. Ruby Leach (17-2).
Potential newcomers: Sr. Bryn Hanson, sr. Izzy Kimball, sr. Gabbi Troemner, jr. Kate Cantera, jr. Maddie Petrovich, soph. Karlee Walsh, fr. Morgan McDonald.
Coach Hanson says: "Graduating six girls who consistently played. . . that's 60 percent of our lineup. We have a lot of spots to fill. I think we're situated nicely with our singles lineup. But it's going to be a big jump for them, moving up in the lineup. In doubles, we're going to have to gain some knowledge and experience. I think they're going to make huge leaps throughout the year. I think it's going to be a big difference from the beginning of the year to the end of the year with these girls getting experience."
