2023 BOYS TENNIS PREVIEW
 

 
 
CLASS 6A
 
2022 State Champion: Shawnee Mission East
 
2022 State Runner-up: Blue Valley North & Blue Valley Northwest
 
2022 Singles Champion: Gregor Wiedeman, Shawnee Mission East
 
2022 Doubles Champions: Zach Amsterdam/Matt Crossland, Blue Valley North
 
2022 Review: Getting top-10 finishes from all four of its state qualifiers, Shawnee Mission East scored 41 points and easily pulled away from a tight pack that saw just two points separate the battle for second through fifth. East produced the state singles champion, though which Lancer claimed the title may have come as a bit of a surprise. Graham Faris entered the state meet with an undefeated 24-0 record, but was upset in the semifinals by Blue Valley West freshman Francisco Landeras 7-6, 7-5. East’s Gregor Wiedeman got revenge for Faris in the finals, however, rolling to a 6-4, 6-1 win to finish the season with a 27-3. Faris bounced back to take third and finish the season 27-1. Blue Valley North’s Matt Crossland and Zach Amsterdam completed a 22-5 season with the doubles title, beating rivals Luke Pennington and Alyan Sanjanwala 6-4, 6-1 in the championship match after also beating the Huskies duo in the regional finals as well. The victory proved crucial in the team race as North and Northwest each finished with 34 points to tie for second. Blue Valley was one point behind in fourth and Blue Valley West was two points back in fifth.
 
2023 Contenders: With both state singles champion Gregor Wiedeman and third-place finisher Graham Faris returning this season, Shawnee Mission East would seem to be a heavy favorite to repeat as 6A state champions this spring. The Lancers also return the doubles team of Jake Hanson and George Kahl that finished 10^th, and only lost the seventh-place doubles team of Henry Bair and Jordan Jenkins to graduation off last year’s state roster. With depth to fill that doubles hole, the Lancers have more than enough firepower to remain on top. Blue Valley North and Blue Valley Northwest each have some big holes to fill off their teams that tied for second a year ago. Zach Amsterdam teamed with Matt Crossland to capture the state doubles title last spring, but will have to break in a new partner this season. His new partner could come from the returning doubles team of Asher Kort and Aneesh Vasamreddy, who finished eighth at state last year unless that duo stays together this spring. Senior Christopher Smith placed fourth in the singles draw at state last year and racked up the most wins of any 6A singles player a year ago with 32. The singles field will be loaded this season with the top six finishers at state a year ago all back – East’s Wiedeman (1^st) and Faris (3^rd), Blue Valley West’s Francisco Landeras (2^nd) and Akshath Poojari (5^th), BV North’s Smith (4^th) and Blue Valley’s Evan Myers (6^th). Blue Valley Northwest tied rival North for the runner-up team spot last year but will have to replace all but one of its state contingent from a year ago with only doubles player Luke Pennington back after taking second with now-departed partner Aiyan Sanjanwala. Blue Valley West has a strong 1-2 punch in singles with the return of Landeras and Poojari and returns two of its four doubles players from state a year ago in David Han, who took ninth with Delvin Ko, and Mark Kessens, who didn’t place. Free State’s doubles team of Jake Hedges and George Thornton return after taking fourth last year. Blue Valley, fourth as a team last year, returns Evan Myers as a singles state placer and Caden Myers, who took fifth in doubles but lost partner George Perkins.
 
 

 
CLASS 5A
 
2022 State Champion: Maize South
 
2022 State Runner-up: Topeka West
 
2022 Singles Champion: Russell Lokko, St. Thomas Aquinas
 
2022 Doubles Champions: Ian Cusick/Miles Cusick, Topeka West
 
2022 Review: After finishing runner-up to Salina Central for the 2021 5A state title by a mere three points, Maize South completed its climb to a championship last year. Getting top-nine finishes from three of its four state entries, the Mavericks finished with 33 points to claim the program's first state title. Maize South’s title run was led by the doubles team of Mitch Krumm and Grayson Wright, who finished runner-up to the Topeka West brother duo of Ian and Miles Cusick. The Mavericks also got a third in singles from Harris Kossover and a ninth from the doubles team of Hudson Grizzell and Noah Rodriguez with both entries posting big tourney wins over Blue Valley Southwest, which took third in the team standings. Krumm and Wright had beaten the Cusick twins twice earlier in the season, but the Charger duo erased the memories of a disappointing 2021 state showing with their run to the state title. The Cusicks avenged a regular-season loss to Salina Central’s Connor and Colin Phelps with a 6-1, 7-5 win in the semifinals and then completed the revenge tour with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Krumm and Wright in the finals. With teammates Carter Cool and Gavin Chavez finishing sixth in doubles, West edged Blue Valley Southwest for second with the Timberwolves getting 5^th and 6^th-place singles finishes from Sanjay and Vishal Rajkumar, respectively and a 10^th from the doubles team of Bentley Pearson and Nick Hohman. In singles play, St. Thomas Aquinas’ Russell Lokko captured his second straight state championship, beating Mill Valley’s Gage Foltz 6-1, 7-5 in the championship match to complete an undefeated 23-0 season.
 
2023 Contenders: In order to stay atop Class 5A, Maize South will have some big holes to fill with half of its state championship team having graduated. After teaming with Grayson Wright for a runner-up finish in doubles, Mitch Krumm will be looking for a new partner this season and very well could find it in sophomore Hudson Grizzell, who placed ninth at state with departed partner Noah Rodriguez. One or both could move to singles where third-place finisher Harrison Kossover has graduated. Qualifer Logan Garrison does return and could either stay at singles or join Krumm or Grizzell in doubles. Topeka West was runner-up last season and returns state doubles champions Ian and Miles Cusick, who went 37-4 last season. The duo have swept city, league and regional titles the past two seasons and finished last season on a 33-match winning streak after a 4-4 start. The Chargers also return Carter Cool, who placed fifth in doubles with Gavin Chavez and was a singles state qualifier in 2021. West returns both state singles qualifiers from last year in James Maag and Caden McGee and one could team with Cool to give West a powerful doulbes combo. As much as West returns to go after the title, the preseason 5A favorite likely is Blue Valley Southwest, which took third last year. The Timberwolves have arguably the top 1-2 singles tandem in 5A in Sanjay and Vishal Rajkumar, who took fifth and sixth at state last year, respectively. What’s more, Southwest returns both of its state-qualifying doubles teams in tact. Emmett Wirth and Jedrick Wilson were regional champions that didn’t place at state, while the regional runner-up duo of Bentley Pearson and Nick Hohman finished 10^th at state. With its whole team back, Southwest will be tough to beat. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Russell Lokko has history on his mind as he seeks his third straight 5A singles state championship. The Saint senior went undefeated as a junior last year and is 50-1 in his high school career. In addition to the Rajkumars, Lokko’s top challengers will be Maize’s Sam Ritchie, who took fourth last year, Bishop Carroll’s Barrett Steven (7^th), Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Jack Judkins (8^th) and Andover’s Paul Jittawait (9^th). Arkansas City’s brother combo of Oakley and Dawson O’Donnell will challenge in doubles after taking fourth last year. Tied for fourth as a team a year ago, Andover Central returns three-fourths of its state-placing doubles teams with the return of Blake Wilson, Isaac Huber and Cameron Strickland. Huber and Strickland finished 7^th and Wilson took eighth with Seth Newton, who has graduated.
 
 

 
CLASS 4A
 
2022 State Champion: Independence
 
2022 State Runner-up: McPherson
 
2022 Singles Champion: Davian Spies, Buhler
 
2022 Doubles Champions: Brecken Bertie/Camdon Julian, Independence
 
2022 Review: Independence came up just short of making it a clean sweep of the championships in 4A last season. The Bulldogs claimed the doubles title when Brecken Bertie and Camdon Julian topped Hayden’s Michael Sandstrom and Gus Glotzbach 6-1, 6-3 in the championship match to complete a 30-7 season. When 2021 state singles champion Kale Groff won the first set of his title match with Buhler freshman Davian Spies in their title-match showdown, a sweep seemed in order. But Spies rallied to take a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory to deny Groff the repeat championship. But the showings, plus a ninth-place finish from the doubles team of Easton Morris and Aiden Denney, were more than enough for Independence to capture the 4A team title by six points over McPherson, the program’s second straight team crown. McPherson got thirds in both draws -- Jaden Fox in singles and Wesley Wurm and Tyler Bontrager in doubles. The runner-up doubles finish from Sandstrom and Glotzbach and a seventh-place finish by Patrick Gorman and Joseph Luke helped Hayden to a third-place team finish, while Wellington took fourth and Buhler fifth. Spies’ comeback in the title match to beat Groff capped a remarkable freshman season that saw him finish 35-3.
 
2023 Contenders: Even with the loss of state doubles champion Brecken Bertie and singles qualifier Ian O’Rourke, Independence is well positioned to go after a three-peat. Kale Groff will be hungry to get his state singles title back after taking second last year following a 2021 title season. Groff will have to contend with Buhler’s Davian Spies, who rallied from a set down to knock him off in last year’s championship match. While Bertie’s graduation leaves a hole alongside Camdon Julian, it’s highly likely Easton Morris will fill it. They were partners in 2021 and finished third at state before Julian teamed with Bertie last year. A reunion would make them title favorites this season, particularly with Hayden having to replace Michael Sandstrom after he and Gus Glotzbach posted back-to-back runner-up finishes. McPherson was Independence’s closest challenger last season, but returns only one of last year’s six state qualifiers – doubles player Kayden McVicker. The Bullpups lost all three state placers and will have to reload in a big way to threaten Independence again this season. In addition to losing Sandstrom, Hayden must replace doubles placer Patrick Gorman, who took seventh with Joseph Luke. Luke and Glotzbach could team to give the Wildcats a potent doubles team, or they could fill singles spots after the Wildcats graduated both state qualifiers in that draw. Wellington might be in store to make a big move, returning four of its six state qualifiers from last season. Jax Cornejo finished fourth in singles, losing 6-1, 7-5 to Spies in the semifinals. The Crusaders don’t return another state placer with sixth-place team Justin Norris and Carson Rademacher graduating. But Banks Hinshaw and Jack Wright do return as state doubles qualifiers and Hunter Worley is back after making it in singles. Spies gives Buhler a heavy hitter atop its line-up after taking fifth last year. The Crusaders also return both state-qualifying doubles teams with Brock Hilger and Amos Harder taking 10^th.
 
 

 
 
CLASS 3-2-1A
 
2022 State Champion: Wichita Collegiate
 
2022 State Runner-up: Wichita Trinity Academy
 
2022 Singles Champion: Nick Grabon, Wichita Collegiate
 
2022 Doubles Champions: Caleb Bartels/James Vander Ark, Kansas City Christian
 
2022 Review: For a third straight year, the Class 3-2-1A state tournament was Wichita Collegiate in a runaway. The Spartans scored a whopping 52 points to beat runner-up Wichita Trinity Academy by 32 points. Collegiate senior Nick Grabon completed an undefeated season in singles play, going 26-0. After losing a grueling three-set championship match to Rossville’s Alex Sherer in 2021, Grabon left no doubt in 2022, dropping just five games in his four matches. That came in the finals as Grabon fought off Central Plains’ Peyton Ryan 7-5 in the first set before cruising 6-0 in the second set for the title. The Spartans couldn’t quite come away with a sweep of all the titles as Charlie Dunne and Charlie Nolan fell in the doubles championship match to Kansas City Christian’s Caleb Bartels and James Vander Ark 6-4, 6-3. Collegiate also got a third in singles from freshman Carter Drumwright and a fifth in doubles from Mark Feng and Sky Fujinuma. Bartels and Vander Ark weren’t paired until late in the season, but it was a match made in heaven as they finished their brief stint with a state title and 12-0 record. Trinity’s runner-up team finish was highlighted by top-10 finishes from singles players JJ Henderson (6^th) and Cole Matthews (10^th) and a ninth from the doubles team of Drew Bryant and Matt Draper. Hesston and Smoky Valley tied for third and Wichita Classical finished fifth.
 
2023 Contenders: With five state titles in the last six years, Wichita Collegiate begins each season with expectations of winning a state championship and this year will be no different, particularly after legendary coach David Hawley announced this will be his final season. The Spartans will have some big-time holes to fill to make it a fourth straight crown, losing state singles champion Nick Grabon and the runner-up doubles team of Charlie Dunne and Charlie Nolan. State doubles placer Mark Feng has also graduated, leaving sophomore Carter Drumright and junior Sky Fujinuma the lone returnees from last year’s title team. Drumwright took third in singles last year, falling 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals to Central Plains standout Peyton Ryan, who also returns and has gone undefeated in regular-season action the past two seasons. Outstanding depth has long been a strength for Collegiate, however, so it won’t be a shock if the Spartans’ many holes get capably plugged. Incoming freshman Charlie Gentile could be part of the reload. Kansas City Christian’s Caleb Bartels and James Vander Ark are back to defend their state doubles title and if they stay together all season will be a dominant duo. Bartels was a third-place finisher in singles as a freshman in 2021 and could return to that spot if the Panthers find a strong partner to go with Vander Ark, who was runner-up at state with his brother, Owen, in 2021. Wichita Trinity Academy looks capable of closing the gap on Collegiate or even challenging for the title returning three of its four state plcers from last year in singles player JJ Henderson (6^th) and doubles players Drew Bryant and Matt Draper (9^th). Smoky Valley has its entire state team from last year back as Max Bieker took fifth in singles and Keaton Leiker took seventh. Twins Gabe and Zeke Baker were doubles qualifiers as freshmen for the Vikings. Hesston returns the doubles team of Micah Dahlsten and Asher Deutchendorf, who placed third, but must replace the state-placing doubles team of Trevor Gamble and Josh Shirley. Hutchinson Trinity’s Anthony Clennan and Garrett Hageman took fourth in doubles and returns.