The Oak Park and River Forest High School varsity boys tennis squad is off to an impressive start this spring, sweeping East Avenue neighbor Fenwick 8-0 and Evanston Township 6-2 at the OPRF Triangular, March 21.
Sophomore Alek Rekucki won both of his #1 singles matches, defeating junior Ryan Hiller of Fenwick 6-2, 6-1 and Owen Keyser of Evanston 4-6, 6-0, 10-3. Freshman Sam Hronek spilt his #2 matches, defeating David Sawicki of Fenwick 6-0, 6-0, but losing to Evanston’s Noah Polansky 2-6, 0-6.
The wins over Evanston and Fenwick give veteran head coach John Morlidge reason for optimism about the Huskies, who finished second behind longtime powerhouse Hinsdale Central in the West Suburban Silver last season.
“We have a very deep team and high, high aspirations for the season,” he said.
Morlidge calls Rekucki, sophomore Naveen Rajagopal, and junior Nicky Vizzone his top returnees. All were part of last year’s sectional lineup, and Rekucki and Vizzone won two doubles’ matches at the state finals.
OPRF’s other returnees are seniors Jackson Baker, Nick Balestri, George Barkidijija, and Baz Hilton, along with sophomores Charlie Bruce and Zach Glennie. Newcomers include Hronek, juniors Matias Carlstrom-Arteaga, Harry Pearson, and Nate Wellner, and seniors Tyler Crabb, Sam Folz, and Matthew Ladesich.
Notable invitationals this year are at Prospect, April 18, the Jay Kramer at Hinsdale Central, April 25, and at Hersey, May 2. With most of the state’s top programs participating, the tournaments should serve as good preparation for the sectional and state tournament.
According to Morlidge, figuring out the most efficient pairings in doubles is the key to success this season.
“My biggest challenge will be pairing doubles teams to get the most out of them,” he said. “We have many strong players who are not tournament (experienced), so to get them to compete at the state level is challenging.”
Following a week off for spring break, OPRF returns to action at Glenbrook South, April 6.
Fenwick
The Friars, who lost to both OPRF and Evanston (7-1) at the OPRF Triangular, got their first win of the season, March 24, defeating Brother Rice 6-1 at Moraine Valley.
Sophomore Michael Doherty, a state qualifier in singles last spring, won his season debut 6-1, 6-0 over Brother Rice’s Nathan Miller.
“Michael finished in the top eight in singles at state,” said Fenwick coach Ron Rogala. “He’s put in a lot of work and been working on his conditioning. He’s doing very well, as is Ryan, who finished third in the (Chicago Catholic League) last year. I have two solid singles players who have a chance to compete with anyone in the state.”
Like OPRF, trying to piece together effective doubles’ teams will be important for Fenwick this season. Rogala has plenty of options, including seniors Ryan Brennan, Mack Hamilton, Scott Holliday, Kevin Johnson, Cooper Jones, Bonaparte Mendoza, Alex Vanaria, and Marshall Waysok, along with juniors Frank Lynch and Ronan Morrissey.
“The question is finding a combination of kids who mesh and will develop into a team and be successful,” Rogala said. “My goal is to help the boys develop their skill and teamwork so they can use their strengths in developing their doubles skills. If we can improve on our teamwork and understanding tactics and strategies, we’ll have good doubles teams and that will translate into wins for the kids and the team.”
Once again, the Catholic League title race should be a fierce battle, with Fenwick, DePaul Prep, Loyola Academy, St. Ignatius, and Wheaton St. Francis as the top contenders. The Friars finished fifth at last year’s conference tournament.
“It will be a challenge,” Rogala said. “The boys can compete with most squads. We’ll see how it goes.”
Fenwick competes at the Ottawa Invitational, April 4.