Iowa high school boys’ tennis 2023: Gazette area players and teams to watch

Here are some Gazette area players and teams to watch during the 2023 Iowa high school boys’ tennis season.

Boys’ tennis teams to watch

Cedar Rapids Xavier — Coach Jim Potts' Saints will begin the season ranked No. 4 in the Iowa High School Tennis rankings.

Xavier lost 1A state singles champion Brady Horstmann and 1A doubles champs Declan Coe and Hugh Courter to graduation so there are some gaps to be filled. Junior Quincey Johnson was a state singles qualifier while senior Ryan Schmit was a regular in the lineup. Juniors Hudson Courter and Garrett Nurre will have a chance to break into the regular lineup as will freshmen Charlie Legrand and Jacob Schmit.

“While we are returning four out of our top eight from last year's state championship team, we will have some work to do filling two spots and figuring out where our strengths are,” Potts said. “I look forward to competing every year in (the MVC) and trying to improve every day.”

Decorah — This could end up being a special season for the Vikings. Second-year coach Matt Anderson's team is ranked second in Class 1A behind Pella. Junior Caden Branum is the top-ranked singles player after finishing second in last year's state tournament.

“He's a leader on the court and team, always willing to help his teammates out,” Anderson said.

Branum is joined by another state qualifier in senior Daniel Skrade. Seniors Landon Baker, Michael Njus and juniors Liam Chamberlain and Aidan Nalean-Carlson give Anderson a veteran crew capable of making a run at the state title. Another possible contributor will be senior foreign exchange student Leander Buettner.

“The atmosphere of Decorah is great, I feel that we have built a great team while I’ve been here,” Branum said.

Iowa City West — The Trojans captured the Class 2A state team title last year, the 10th in school history. To defend their title in Coach Marshall Moellers' second year, the Trojans will have to overcome some losses. Luca Chacklackal has graduated while sophomore Seth Smigel, who finished sixth at state singles last year, has elected not to play for West this year. Samir Singh, who teamed with Jayden Shin to win the 2A doubles title, has moved out of state and Ryan Kirkpatrick has moved to Muscatine. That leaves Shin and Jonathan Fan as the most experienced returners on the team.

Shivy Mannengi and Patrick Selby saw some varsity action last year. West is ranked second in 2A behind a veteran Waukee Northwest team.

“The vibe on the team has been great this year,” Moellers said. “The team is even more fired up than we were last year. The seniors have done a phenomenal job leading our team and ensuring everyone is doing their part. Everyone knows how hard postseason tennis is, so we are all putting in the work for another chance at that championship title.”

Boys’ tennis players to watch

Landon Augustine, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, sr. — Class 2A state doubles qualifier with teammate Logan Miller in 2022.

Caden Branum, Decorah, jr. — Class 1A state singles runner-up in 2022.

Quincey Johnson, Cedar Rapids Xavier, jr. — Class 1A state singles qualifier in 2022.

Zach Mersch, Linn-Mar, sr. — Finished seventh in Class 2A with teammate Jake Wallrichs in 2022.

Logan Miller, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, sr. — Class 2A state doubles qualifier with teammate Landon Augustine.

Malcolm Rice, Linn-Mar, jr. — Finished fourth in Class 2A state doubles with 2022 graduate Brock Hanna.

Anthony Schulte, Cedar Rapids Prairie, soph. — Class 2A state doubles qualifier with 2022 graduate JT McCrea.

Jayden Shin, Iowa City West, sr. — Won 2022 Class 2A state doubles championship with Samir Singh, who moved out of the state after last year.

Daniel Skrade, Decorah, sr. — Class 1A state singles qualifier in 2022

Jacob Strain, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, sr. — Class 2A state doubles qualifier with 2022 graduate Caleb Suiter.

Jake Wallrichs, Linn-Mar, jr. — Finished seventh in Class 2A state doubles with teammate Zach Mersch.