The Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media Boys Tennis Preview
After not having any individuals qualify for the PIAA 3A Singles Tournament a year ago, the local high school boys tennis season is about to see a resurgence.
Upper Dublin has the makeup of a team that can have a deep postseason run led by the singles play of senior Daniel Duan, junior Scott Schlackman and sophomore Chris Hong.
All are returning players from a team that went 14-3, won the SOL Liberty and advanced to the District 1-3A quarterfinals before losing to Conestoga.
“Our goal is to have a repeat of last season winning the conference title, finishing third at districts and advancing to the quarterfinals at states,” Upper Dublin head coach Lora Ball said.
With the doubles teams of Zachary Hunter/Tommaso Serafini and Timothy Sheaffer/Joshua Torban, there is no reason for the Cards to stop short of last year’s accomplishments.
Their biggest competition will continue to be Wissahickon, which is led by the top-heavy singles play of junior Andy Wang, who qualified for the District 1-3A Singles Tournament a year ago.
Over in the SOL Colonial, North Penn also seems primed for a breakout season behind singles players senior Jay Doscher, junior Hansana Perara and frosh Thenuk Perara. The Knights qualified for team districts last year, but may have more lofty goals this season.
The only thing standing in its way in the Colonial is CB West, led by senior Alexander Kouznetsov, who will not only contend for a Colonial singles title, but the District 1-3A championship will be in his grasp as well.
Over in the PAC, Methacton appears ready to make some noise this season as freshman Dylan Wen has burst onto the scene already.
The following is a capsule look at all the boys tennis teams in the The Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media.
Abington
Coach: Brian Wenders
Years coaching: 23
Last year’s record: 4-9
Returning starters: Simeon Paek, Sr.; Theo Orlett, Sr.; Jaeun Kim, Sr. and Joe Chacko, Jr.
Top newcomers: Will Goldstein, Sam Mahood, Max Farma, Johah Greeley, Cristian Hinkle, Max Hayes, Brendan Mo and Julio Martin-Navas
Outlook for season: With seven new starters to the lineup, optimism is high for the Ghosts this season. Mixing their inexperience in the always challenging SOL Liberty will be a question mark. Martin-Navas has already stepped up at the No.. 1 singles spot.
“I think we will improve on last year record with a chance of making the playoffs. It all depends on how quickly these new players adjust to high school tennis,” Wenders said.
Central Bucks West
Head coach: Trent Errett
Returning players: Alexander Kouznetsov, Sr.; Andrei Bogdan, Sr.; Kevin Su, Sophomore; Samai Kolandaivelu, Sophomore.
Top newcomers: Ruhaan Vaidya; Soumil Sharma.
Outlook: Already owning a 4-3 win over Upper Dublin, little should slow down this senior-laden lineup.
Christopher Dock
Coach: Cody Powis, 9th season
Players to watch: Josiah Davidar (Soph.); Ignacio Morera Barona (Jr.)
Outlook: “The boys tennis team is very excited to see what this season holds as Dock was unable to man a team in 2021. Our group is young and does not have any true match experience to rely on yet. In a small Bicentennial Athletic League, they are gearing up to turn some heads. The commitment to learning and being coached has shown promising results early on,” Powis said.”
Hatboro-Horsham
Head coach: Ken Trautwein
Years coaching: 10
Returning starters: Katon Wong, Ivan Kakiko, Charlie Batman, Chris D’Souza
Top newcomers: Caleb Karlson
Outlook for season: The Hatters return Wong at No. 1 singles and a solid group behind him. The Hatters will have a tough time contending with Upper Dublin and Wissahickon, but should compete after that.
“We want to be on the winning side of all of the 4-3 matches,” Trautwein said.
La Salle
Head coach: Gerard Brett
Years coaching: 10 years
Last year’s record: 6-6, 4-1
Returning starters/top players: Matt Porreca, Chris Del Plato, Matt Sasso, Joe Perry
Top newcomers: Drew Pensabene, Andrew Gaylord
Outlook: “We are looking to reclaim the PCL and Philadelphia District 12 title,” Brett said.
“After losing a number of starting upperclassmen, the 2021 varsity team went 6-6 and 4-1 in the Philadelphia Catholic League. For the first time since 2006, La Salle did not win the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship, ending a remarkable run of 13 straight titles. Over this time, the team had appeared in 10 consecutive District 12 championships as well as making 10 appearances in the last 11 years in the PIAA State playoffs. On a brighter note, Matt Porreca made it to the championship in the D-12 singles tournament and Jordan and Julian Paris represented La Salle at the PIAA State Playoffs Doubles Tournament.”
Lower Moreland
Head Coach: Cliff Raben
Years coaching: First year at Lower Moreland
Returning players: Jacob Heller; Aidan Kasner; Philip Duarte; Vincent Zhang.
Newcomers: Logan Moore, Gabe Shapiro.
Outlook: Good once again. The Lions are the class of the SOL Freedom and Heller has all the looks of contending for a District 1-2A title.
Methacton
Coach: Jill Walker, 13th season.
Last year’s record: 10-2 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 13-3 overall.
Players to watch: Dylan Kuang, Sr., doubles; Drew Santmann, Sr., doubles; Dylan Wen, Fr., singles; Ethan O’Brien, Jr., singles; Akash Suresh, So., doubles; Karun Jayarum, Fr., doubles; Nolan N’Goran, singles.
Outlook: The Warriors will have a whole new crew in the singles bracket: Wen in the first slot, O’Brien at second and N’Goran — he comes to Fairview Village by way of France — at third. … The doubles bracket will have Jayarum partnered with Suresh at first doubles, with Kuang and Santmann at second doubles. The remaining doubles will be filled by Liam Evans, Arnav Tiwari, Avery Barber and Gavin Jacobs. …
“We have had one of the strongest crew of newcomers to come out for tennis this season that we have had for awhile,” Walker said, “and some of them will be finding themselves in the varsity line up this season.”
Norristown
Coach: Bill McKown, ninth season.
Last year’s record: 0-11 Pioneer Athletic Conference.
Players to watch: Nijel Parks, Jr., singles; Dane Crook, Jr., singles.
Outlook: Nijel Parks, who will play first singles, is developing a strong game behind a big serve, Dane Crook, another junior occupying the second singles position, possesses a slice backhand capable of giving opponents trouble. … “23 players on the team this year,” McKown said. “Most are beginners playing for the first time. Interest in tennis is high, and the team will get better as the season progresses.”
North Penn
Head coach: Toby Watton
Returnning starters/top players: Jay Doscher, Sr.; Hansana Perara, Jr.; Aditya Ingle, Sr.; Benjamin Kim, Sophomore; Vedantha Krishna; Shardul Garg, Sophomore.
Top newcomers; Thenuk Perara, Fr.; Seamus Williams, Fr.; Advaith Kollipara.
Outlook: The Knights are loaded and seemed prime to compete for a District 1 title this season behind returning singles players Doscher and Hansana Perara. With newcomer Thenuk Perara ready to compete at No. 3 singles, North Penn will be a tough out.
Pennridge
Head coach: Aaron Rapsinski
Years coaching: 5th Year
Last year’s record: 2-8
Key Returners: Tyler Parry (Sr.), Lance Parker (Sr.), Isaac Hartzell (Jr.), Josh Wurz (Jr.), Kyle Motts (Jr.), Carter Patterson (Jr.), Liam Rawling (Sr.), Bailey Bishop (Sr.), Brendan Shwak (Sr.), Jimmy Martin (Jr.)
Top newcomers: Jordan Ea (Fr.), Jonah Rabuck (Fr.), Gabe Kerzmann (Sr.), Teague Good (Sr.), Sullivan Heying (Jr.).
Outlook: “We want to get better each day,” Rapsinski said. “We have a handful of guys that are still somewhat new to tennis and don’t have a lot of true technical training. We are just out here to have fun and get better each day. Our goal is end the season with a few more wins than last year.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh
Head coach: Al Collins
Years coaching: 13 years
Last year’s record: 7-5
Returning starters/top players: Jack Lieberman singles; Alex Halbert doubles, Harrison Spector doubles; Jeremy Segal, doubles; Dan Small doubles, Zach Small, singles; Zach Barrie, Doubles
Top newcomers: James Fassbender, singles
Outlook: With Fassbender being added to the singles lineup and the improvement in Small, the Colonials could be a team that surprises in ‘22.
“The Colonials have added James Fassbender to the singles lineup and look to compete in the always tough Liberty Division,” Collins said.
Pope John Paul II
Coaches: Sue McDonough, third season.
Last year’s record: 4-7 Pioneer Athletic Conference.
Players to watch: Aidan McCarel, So., singles; Andres Lugo, Fr., doubles.
Outlook: McCarel is slated to play at second singles, and Lugo at fourth doubles. … Chris Cossa and Michael Fiore were at first and third singles, respectively, when the Golden Panthers opened their season against Holy Ghost Prep and Upper Merion. … “PJP boys are a very young team this year, with very little experience on the court overall.” McDonough said. “These guys play with a lot of heart and have great work ethics, so we hope to be more and more competitive as the season goes on.”
Souderton Area
Head coach: Jim O’Neill
Years coaching: 2nd
2021 Record: 3-6
Returning players: Devesh Bungatavala Sr; Bada Ekecs Sr; Nick Talarico Sr; Jack Grabowski Sr; Jared Archer Jr; Landon Catto Jr.; Clark Vandemater Jr; Josh Antill Jr; Will Weiss So; Brian Wu So.
Top newcomers: Ethan Archer Fr, Rishi Dhanasekaran,
Outlook for season: Numbers are up and so is optimism for the Indians. Souderton Area is strong at the top of the lineup with the improvement of Weiss and it should benefit them in the always difficult Colonial.
“We have a competitive schedule this year which we be a nice challenge,” O’Neill said. “The competitiveness and attitude have been great so far .Looking forward to watching the team grow throughout the season”
Springfield-Montco
Head coaches: Aidan Brett with Pat Heaney
Years coaching: 3
Returning starters/top players: Top player, returning starter, and team captain Justin Cioschi playing at first singles; returning doubles team Quinn Dougherty and Joshua Thorpe
Top newcomers: Luke Biancaniello (Soph.) and Tristen Cuellar (Soph.) – both new to tennis and both showcasing a lot of potential
Outlook for season: “I’m looking forward to developing the team’s skills and their understanding of the game,” Brett said. “We are excited to take on Ridley and Upper Darby. It’s also the first time we will be hosting matches at Springfield’s new tennis courts.”
Upper Dublin
Head coach: Lora Ball
Years coaching: 11th season
Last year’s record: 14-3
Returning starters: Daniel Duan, Scott Schlackman, Chris Hong, Tommaso Serafini, Zachary Hunter, Tim Sheaffer, Josh Torban, Tripp Mangifesta, Matt Ebarvia
Top newcomers: Evan Zislis, Hugh Devine
Outlook for season: Can you say high? The Cards have established themselves as the team to beat in the Liberty and nothing should stop them from contending for a District 1 title.
“The team has worked hard in the offseason,” Ball said. “Our goal is to have a repeat of last season winning the conference title, finishing third at Districts and advancing to the quarterfinals at states.”
Upper Merion
Coach: Eric Bowe, 13th season.
Last year’s record: 2-9 Pioneer Athletic Conference.
Players to watch: Dominick Doan, So., doubles; Gabe Giammarco, So., doubles; Josiah Kotwright, So., singles.
Outlook: “We have a young but talented bunch this year,” Bowe said. “Josiah Kotwright (first singles) just moved to the area from New York and is looking to get his footing in the Pioneer Athletic Conference. His campaign is already off to a great start as he won his first league match already. We also have a good pairing at first doubles this year with Gabe Giammarco and Dominick Doan. They are both sophomores and have also started off their season with a win. Our goal this season is to improve upon our 2-9 record last year. We have a team goal of winning four matches and double our win production from last year. With a 1-0 start, we are already well on our way.”
Upper Moreland
Head coach: Justin Allegra
Years coaching: 2nd
Last year’s record: 1-9-1
Returning starters: Jake Tiernan, Brandan Moran, and Jacob Nyholm
Top newcomers: Aaron Synder and Dan Stewart
Outlook for season: “We are looking to develop some players and have the returning players make big strides from last year to this year,” Allegra said.
Wissahickon
Head coach: Chris Sannie
Years coaching: First year
Returning players: Andy Wang, Noah Cyclich, Danny Zappin, Richard Wang, Daniel Yun, Josh Yulsman.
Top newcomers: Jack Frutkin, Shaurya Sinha.
Outlook: The Trojans are very talented at the top of the lineup where Wang should qualify for the District 1 Tournament and have a real shot at states. Other than that it may be a question mark who fills the void for five seniors that left for graduation.
