2025 Rochester boys tennis teams at a glance
Apr. 1—Head coach: Ben Maes. Assistant: Maurice Westerhouse.
Last season: Century finished 9-9 and lost in the section semifinals to Lakeville North.
Top returners: Karthik Anand, Jr. (No. 1 singles); Rowan Johnson, Jr. (No. 2 singles); Owen McMaster, Sr. (No. 3 singles); Tim Schroeder, Jr. (No. 1 doubles).
Outlook: After a one year reprieve, Ben Maes is back as the Century boys tennis coach. The Panthers look strong in singles. With the addition of talented seventh-grader Thor Sviggum, Century has six players competing for singles spots. Junior Karthik Anand, a junior, is the team's No. 1 player. Anand is an aggressive baseline hitter and has an ability to make difficult shots. Rowen Johnson is penciled in at No. 2 singles and Owen McMaster at No. 3. Maes really likes this team. "You will find a team that wants to work hard, has great team chemistry and has a lot of potential," Maes said. "We can surprise a lot of teams this year. Last year was definitely a transition year but they worked really hard in the off-season."
Head coach: Josh Heiden. Assistants: John Scheuermann, Nathan Moos.
Last season: JM beat Owatonna for the first time in 20-plus years and advanced to the Section 1, Class 2A semifinals for the first time in that span.
Top returners: Arjun Kuharana, Jr.; Zach Moos, Jr.; Braden Duchateau, So.; Nate Nigbur, Sr.; Ben Hull, Sr.; Collin Daly, 8th grade; Zach Brue, Jr.; Brandon Tasson, So.
Season outlook: The Rockets are looking to land in the top four in the Big Nine Conference. They figure to have a shot at that with the versatility they have in sliding players between singles and doubles. Much will be needed at the top two doubles spots. "We always strive to be in the top four of the conference and this year is no different," JM coach Josh Heiden said. "We will look for leadership and stability from our top two singles players and depth from our returning varsity players. All of our guys are capable of playing singles or doubles and most will get the opportunity. We will need guys to step up at No. 1 and 2 doubles. Most importantly, this group of guys will have fun and get better throughout the season."
Head coach: Jeff Demaray. Assistants: Nick Uphoff, David Rider.
Last season: Mayo lost just twice all season, both times to Wayzata, including 5-2 in the state championship dual.
Top returners: Caleb Kennel, Jr. (singles); Noah Wisniewski, Sr. (singles); Max Rivera, Sr. (singles); David Teng, Sr. (No. 1 doubles); John Trygstad, So. (No. 1 doubles).
Season outlook: Things have taken on a very different shape with state-defending singles champion Tej Bhagra electing not to play high school tennis this season, but instead focus on higher level national tournaments. Bhagra is a junior and finished unbeaten last season for Mayo. Still, the Spartans have excellent depth and a couple of stong players at the top of their lineup in junior Caleb Kennel and senior Noah Wisniewski. Also, David Teng and John Trygstad give Mayo a couple of excellent No. 1 doubles players. "The team is still deep with many outstanding younger players coming up," Mayo coach Jeff Demaray said. "The team should still be top-five in the state and the favorite in Section One. Wayzata is the overwhelming favorite to repeat (as state champion)."
Head coach: Steve Tacl. Assistant coaches: Sydney Allison, Ben Kopecky.
Last season: Lourdes finished as the Section 1A runner-up to Winona Cotter, falling 4-3 in the title dual. Evan Ritter advanced to state in singles and finished third.
Top returners: Evan Ritter, Jr. (No. 1 singles); Andy Fink, Jr. (No. 3, No. 4 singles and No. 1 doubles); Joe Palen, Fr. (No. 2 singles, No. 1 doubles); Easton Ackley, Fr. (No. 3, No. 4 singles, No. 1 doubles); Max Orth, Sr. (No. 2 doubles); Noah Doherty, Sr. (No. 2 doubles).
Season outlook: The Eagles enter with more experience than a year ago and will be looking to get back to the state tournament. Before losing 4-3 to Cotter last season in the Section 1, Class 1A championship, Lourdes had reached the state tournament 17 straight years. Lourdes has one of the top Class 1A players in the state in junior Evan Ritter. He finished third at state last year. Joe Palen (freshman), Andy Fink (junior) and Easton Ackley (freshman) will also be key contributors this season. "All are geared to take jumps as they will assume similar positions from a year ago," Lourdes coach Steve Tacl said of Palen, Fink and Ackley. "The strength of the team compared to the rest of the section will likely be depth. In 2024, our team was very rarely at full strength, so many players stepped into No. 2 and No. 3 doubles for the first time and they'll be asked to assume those spots with more consistency in 2025."
Head coach: Brett Pauley. Assistant: Jason Zimmerman.
Last season: Schaeffer sent a doubles team to state for the first time in school history. The combination of Hudson Zimmerman and Noah Ryder finished fourth overall. Schaeffer lost 5-2 in the Section 1, Class 1A team semifinals to Lourdes.
Top returners: Hudson Zimmerman, Jr. (No. 1 singles); Braden Phetsarath, Jr. (singles); Jack Phillips, Jr. (doubles); Calvin Phillips, So. (doubles); Daniel Nord, Jr. (doubles); Andrew Homme, Jr. (singles, doubles).
Season outlook: Schaeffer is a young team, with no seniors on its roster. The Lions have a strong player at the top of their lineup in Hudson Zimmerman, who teamed with Noah Ryder last season in finishing fourth in state doubles. Ryder is no longer with the team, having transferred to Mayo. "We are a young team without any seniors, so we're looking forward to working with a more stable lineup for the next couple of seasons," Schaeffer coach Brett Pauley said. "An area of focus this season will be to continue to develop our doubles strategies and partnerships. As the smallest school in Minnesota to have a tennis team, we are excited that our overall number of players continues to be strong with around 20 players in the program. Our season goal will be to match, or improve, on our finishing position of the section tournament from last year."
