The Oak Park and River Forest High School varsity boys tennis team is off to a sunny start this spring, having won its first two dual matches and defeating Benet Academy, Evanston Township, and Fenwick in the OPRF Quad, March 29. Veteran coach John Morlidge likes how things are going.
“This is the best team I’ve had in years,” he said.
The Huskies have six returnees from last year’s team. Seniors Alex Dolipschi, Manu Rajagopal, and Eli Stein are returning state qualifiers; Dolipschi and Stein finished ninth in the state doubles competition, while Rajagopal won his opening match in state singles before losing the next two matches.
OPRF’s other returnees are sophomore Nick Vizzone, junior George Barkidijia, and senior Henry Kurtz. Newcomers include what Morlidge calls “an amazing freshman class”: Charlie Bruce, Zachary Glennie, Naveen Rajagopal, and Alek Rekucki.
Sophomores Matias Carlstrom-Arteaga and Nate Wellner, juniors Jackson Baker, Nicholas Balesteri, and Sebastian Hilton, and senior Lev Khoubaeva-Hummel round out the Huskies’ varsity.
Among the highlights of OPRF’s schedule are the Prospect Invitational, April 19, the Jay Kramer Invitational at Hinsdale Central, April 26, the Hersey Invitational, May 2-3, and the Naper Valley Invitational, May 9-10.
“All of our invitationals are tough,” Morlidge said.
Regarding the West Suburban Silver, longtime state power Hinsdale Central is the prohibitive favorite, with Morlidge hoping for a second-place finish. The Huskies host an IHSA Class 2A sectional this year, but Morlidge describes it as “brutal.”
“It will be very difficult to qualify any singles players,” he said. “My challenge will be to put the best players in the right spots in order to qualify. We’re hoping for a top-10 finish at state.”
Fenwick
Under first-year head coach Ron Rogala, the Friars have a 3-1 dual-meet record, which is impressive considering there are just three returning varsity players from the previous season.
“Early-season successes have come in our singles’ play with [freshman Michael] Doherty at first singles and [sophomore] JP Bordeaux-Walsh at second singles,” said Rogala, who replaced longtime coach Gerard Sullivan upon Sullivan’s retirement. “We’re still working on our doubles pairings.”
Fenwick’s returnees are juniors Scott Holliday and Cooper Jones and senior Brian Bardsley. Besides Doherty, the Friars’ newcomers include several players who’ve had success on the frosh-soph level.
“[Sophomore] Ryan Hiller was a [Chicago Catholic League] finalist at first singles,” Rogala said. “We also had conference champions at second and third doubles [juniors Mack Hamilton and Ryan Brennan, Marshall Waysok and Bonaparte Mendoza respectively]. We’re hopeful they’ll do well at the higher level.”
Juniors Kevin Johnson and Alexander Vanaria complete Fenwick’s varsity roster.
Among schedule highlights are a nonconference match at Chicago University High, April 24, and the Crystal Lake Invitational, May 10. The Catholic League meet is May 16, and Rogala sees defending champion Loyola Academy, Marmion Academy, and St. Ignatius as the top contenders.
“The key to success this season is to improve our doubles play,” Rogala said. “We are working hard in practice on skills and strategy. We’re hoping to play well at [Class 1A] sectionals and advance as many players as possible.”