2026 Rochester high school boys tennis teams at a glance

Mar. 31—Head coach: Ben Maes. Assistant coach: Maurice Westerhouse.

Last season: Century finished 18-3 overall and lost to Mayo in the Section 1, Class 2A championship dual.

Top returners: Karthik Anand, Sr.; Rowan Johnson, Sr.; Tim Schroeder, Sr.; Thor Sviggum, eighth grade (all four will compete for singles spots).

Season outlook: Century is building into a powerhouse. It has very solid singles players and doubles players who are young but talented. The Panthers’ main early focus is on finding good doubles pairings. “The team is eager to learn, led by great seniors,” Century coach Ben Maes said. “This year I am going to give some new players the opportunity to experience varsity tennis. This will be a great way for them to see what they need to work on to be able to compete with the top players. My message to the team is to work hard every practice, compete tough every match and enjoy the season.”

Head coach: Josh Heiden. Assistant coach: John Scheuermann.

Last season: “Seeing all of our guys peak at the end of the season last year was a highlight,” Heiden said. “We had some great team wins and our guys were extremely supportive of each other and enjoyed their time together.”

Top returners: Arjun Khurana, Sr., No. 1 singles; Zach Moos, Sr., No. 2 singles; Braden Duchateau, Jr., No. 3 singles; Zach Brue, Sr., No. 1-2 doubles; Collin Daly, Fr., No. 4 singles.

Season outlook: JM has a nice mix of top returning players as well as some strong newcomers who can push the veterans. A good chunk of its players have been putting in time in the off-season, working on their games. “We have some good lineup options because of our depth this year,” Heiden said. “Getting all the guys on the same page for doubles will be key. Some new players will have to step into varsity doubles spots.”

Head coach: Jeff Demaray. Assistant coaches: Liam Selvido, David Ryder, Chris Priebe.

Last season: Mayo finished 21-3, fourth at state and won the section title for the fifth straight year.

Top returners: Noah Ryder, Jr., No. 1 singles; Caleb Kennel, Sr., No. 2 singles; Al Mckie, Jr., No. 3 or 4 singles or No. 1 or 2 doubles; Daniel Mckie, Fr., No. 3 or 4 singles; John Trygstad, Jr., No. 1 doubles; Noah Elder, eighth grade, No. 1 or 2 doubles; Michael Teng, So., No. 2 or 3 doubles.

Season outlook: The Spartans will be favored to win the section title for the sixth straight season. They are also likely a top-five team in the state. Mayo has two of the top 15 players in the state in Ryder and Kennel. “The team should be very deep again,” Mayo coach Jeff Demaray said. “Finding the new doubles combinations will be very challenging but there are several players contending for those spots.”

Head coach: Steve Tacl. Assistant coaches: Josh Christensen, Sydney Allison.

Last season: Lourdes finished fourth at state. Evan Ritter was a state runner-up in singles and Joe Palen and Andy Fink were third in doubles.

Top returners: Evan Ritter, Sr., No. 1 singles; Joe Palen, So., No. 2 singles; Andy Fink, Sr., doubles; Easton Ackley, So., doubles.

Season outlook: Lourdes has a load of talent back, as its top five players from last year all return. That should make the Eagles tough at the top of their lineup. “The key will be the younger guys stepping up,” Lourdes coach Steve Tacl said. “It’s solidifying our lower lineup and building chemistry together as doubles teams. The exciting part is there is some athleticism and enthusiasm with these players, so big improvement can be had!”

Head coach: Brett Pauley. Assistant coach: Jason Zimmerman.

Last season: Schaeffer finished 5-10 last year.

Top returners: Hudson Zimmerman, Sr., No. 1 singles; Braden Phetsarath, Sr., No. 2 singles.

Season outlook: The vast majority of last year’s team has returned this season. The Lions graduated no seniors from that group. Schaeffer has the largest number of players ever in its program. They are picking up where they left off in what was a productive last season.