Boys’ tennis substate preview of strong Mississippi Valley Conference

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Mississippi Valley Conference has always had a strong presence at the boys’ state team tennis tournament with five schools qualifying in each of the last two years.

If things break right on Wednesday during substate final play, a record seven MVC teams could end up playing when the state tournament is held June 3-4.

"It's sort of impossible to overstate the gauntlet that our league represents year after year," said Cedar Rapids Jefferson Coach Tim Preston. "This season is no outlier. Your team can be one of the top 10-15 programs in the state and still barely have a winning record in the conference."

Eric Modracek's Prairie team has been one of those teams in the past, but not this year. The Hawks are ranked No. 2 in Class 2A.

"The MVC has always been strong for as long as I can remember," he said. "Consistently the top 1A teams mixed with 4 or 5 ranked 2A teams. Even the teams toward the bottom of the standings are solid.

“The round-robin format the MVC continues to use is really a tough 14 meet stretch year after year."

At minimum, two MVC teams will be in the Class 2A field. No. 4 Iowa City West (13-2) hosts Preston's J-Hawks (8-7) while Prairie will host Iowa City Liberty (8-7).

Preston and players know all about West's tradition and talent.

"It'll be a huge task, but playing in matches like this one is why we put in the work we do all year long," Preston said. "What we want is to execute our game plan and play with confidence and intelligence. As long as we do that, we'll live with the results, whatever they may be."

Modracek knows Liberty is a solid team.

"We just played them a couple of weeks ago (winning 7-2) and we look forward to the challenge of playing them again and seeing if we've improved up and down the lineup," he said.

Liberty Coach Randy Dolson said his team is ready for the challenge.

"Prairie is No. 2 in the state and one of the tougher opponents," he said. "I expect the Liberty boys to play well, leaving it all on the court."

Two other MVC teams also will host substate finals. No. 7 Linn-Mar (11-6) is seeking an eighth straight state trip. The Lions host No. 10 Marshalltown (14-1) while No. 6 Cedar Rapids Washington (12-4) will host No. 9 Ames. Both matches appear to be close on paper and could go either way.

"Ames is a very deep team this year," said Warriors Coach Tom Neff. "(Ames Coach) Tim Ellis knows tennis and will have his team ready to compete."

A fifth MVC school, Iowa City High (8-1) will be on the road to meet No. 5 Johnston (12-1).

"This will be another challenge for us," said City High Coach Jeff Hightshoe. "They are a quality team, with a strong lineup. They qualified two singles players and a doubles team last week. We are hoping to play to our strengths and to play well."

And in Class 1A, top-ranked Xavier will be a heavy favorite to win. The Saints host Camanche (16-3). No. 3 Dubuque Wahlert (12-3) also is a heavy favorite to win its substate final over Central DeWitt (11-1).

Playing the tough MVC schedule always leaves the Saints well-prepared for the postseason, according to veteran coach Jim Potts.

“I think the MVC is as strong as ever this year," he said. "Every match we've played this year has been very competitive. Day in and day out, coaches are doing a great job preparing their respective teams to compete at the highest levels.

"Camanche has a great record, and quite frankly, I don't know too much about them. Our guys will be ready to play and am hoping for a good result. "

Another area school, No. 4 Decorah (15-0), will host Waterloo Columbus (13-6) at Luther College.

All Wednesday substate final matches are scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start. There is a strong chance of rain on Wednesday and if any matches are postponed, they will be played on Thursday. Neff said the Washington/Ames match would move indoors to the Clark Racquet Center at Coe if necessary.