Bar set high for boys' tennis
After clinching divisional boys' tennis championships last year, the Flathead Braves and Whitefish Bulldogs have their goals set even higher this spring.
For Whitefish, which went undefeated in duals and took second at state last spring, improvement can mean only one thing: winning a Class A state championship.
All five of the Bulldogs' state participants return, including Matt Harris and Ryan Rottenbiller, who placed second and fourth, respectively. But Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Libby and Polson look to narrow the Western A gap with four total state participants and loads of veteran talent.
Flathead, which boasts four returning state participants, blanked Glacier last week in its Class AA debut. Glacier's depth and athleticism eventually should offset its youth, however, as the Wolfpack and Braves battle Great Falls High and Great Falls C.M. Russell for Northern AA supremacy.
Ronan placed fourth at Southern A divisionals last year, but the Chiefs have tripled their turnout this season, making them formidable contenders against Corvallis, Hamilton and Stevensville.
CLASS AA
Flathead
Head coach: Buck Measure, sixth year
Last year: First at Northern divisionals
State participants lost: Travis Cattron; Kevin Burfeind
State participants returning: Wes Mathison (Sr.); Josh Brann (Sr.)/Cody Harrison (Sr.); Erik Skybak (Sr.)
State placers returning: None
Projected top singles: Mathison; Brett Harrison (So.); Skybak; Ben Stone (So.); Jon Cattron (So.)
Projected top doubles: Brann/Cody Harrison
Coach's outlook: "The boys are definitely very strong. Our goal is to repeat at divisionals again and move up at the state level. Those boys that did go to state last year are playing at a much higher level than they were last year. Their work in the offseason is definitely showing."
Glacier
Head coach: Josh Munro, first year
Last year: NA
State participants lost: NA
State participants returning: NA
State placers returning: NA
Projected top singles: Patrick Phattharaampornchai (Fr.); John Patrick (So.); Tyson Howe (Fr.)
Projected top doubles: Jon Hammett (Jr.)/Kyle Schmauch (So.); Scott Marvin (So.); Brandon Simpson (Fr.)
Coach's outlook: "The boys' side as a whole is a very athletic, young group. They're all soccer players, baseball players, football players. They have a lot of athletic ability, so they're picking up the sport very quickly. It's just trying to fit them into the right spots."
CLASS A
Bigfork
Head coaches: Matt Porrovecchio, third year/Paul Wallin
Last year: Second at Western divisionals
State participants lost: Owen Roberts/Kainoa Lake
State participants returning: None
State placers returning: None
Projected top singles: Philipe Meyers (Sr.); Bridger Mahlum (So.)
Projected top doubles: Scott Taylor (Jr.)/Tyler Butts (Jr.)
Porrovecchio's outlook: "We have a real positive outlook. The boys, throughout the offseason, have been working really hard, putting in a lot of time, and I think it's showing this early in the season. The time in the offseason's really paying off and they're definitely starting off real strong for us."
Columbia Falls
Head coach: Gary Yee, second year
Last year: Fifth at Western divisionals
State participants lost: None
State participants returning: Grant Getts (Jr.)/Cody Maynard (Sr.)
State placers returning: None
Projected top singles: Jake Ronish (Jr.); Scott Hawkins (Jr.); Billy Garcia (Jr.); George Kimmerly (Jr.)
Projected top doubles: Getts; Maynard; Kimmerly; Ronish
Coach's outlook: "I'm hoping to send two doubles teams to state this year. The thing I'm short on is freshmen. They're a pretty solid group all the way through. We're looking at divisionals and state - that's kind of our main objective here. We would like to win at least as many duals as last year."
Libby
Head coach: Kyle Hannah, third year
Last year: Fourth at Western divisionals
State participants lost: None
State participants returning: Steven Hauck (Sr.)
State placers returning: None
Projected top singles: Hauck; Hunter Sheffield (Jr.); Chris Schnackenberg (Sr.)
Projected top doubles: Too early to tell
Coach's outlook: "Of course Whitefish is going to be harder than snot with their boys, but I hope they compete, and I think we'll go half and half with our duals, and placing third or fourth at divisionals is my goal with our boys."
Polson
Head coach: Bob Hislop, 17th year
Last year: Third at Western divisionals
State participants lost: Jake Grebetz
State participants returning: Karston Erickson (So.)
State placers returning: None
Projected top singles: Erickson; Tyler Engebretson (Jr.)
Projected top doubles: Stefan McCrumb (Jr.)/Matt Roberts (So.)
Coach's outlook: "Experience coupled with a lot of youth gives us a chance to be pretty solid the next two years after this year."
Ronan
Head coach: Gordon Cummings, sixth year
Last year: Fourth at Southern divisionals
State participants lost: Kyle Orr
State participants returning: Ryon Hesselgesser (Sr.)
State placers returning: None
Projected top singles: Angel Nikolov; Hesselgesser; Frederick Kocheise
Projected top doubles: Colten Cheff (So.)/Evan Waldren (Jr.)
Coach's outlook: "We had five last year, graduated one, and we have 15 out this year, which is nice numbers for us. We have a lot of kids, but they're a lot of young players. Hopefully they progress as the season goes on to help us at divisionals."
Whitefish
Head coach: Kathy Cummings, third year
Last year: First at Western divisionals, second at state
State participants lost: None
State participants returning: Matt Harris (Jr.); Ryan Rottenbiller (Sr.); Ian Hosek (Sr.); Kyle Jacobson (Sr.)/Brendan Viscomi (Jr.)
State placers returning: Harris (second); Rottenbiller (fourth)
Projected top singles: Harris; Renzo Caimi (Sr.)
Projected top doubles: Rottenbiller; Jacobson: Hosek; Viscomi
Coach's outlook: "We have our goals set pretty high. I have extremely talented boys and a lot of depth on the boys' varsity and a lot of experienced state players."