Warsaw Closes Gap On Goshen
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Could this be the year? Andy Lewis is asked.
Could it be? Could Warsaw's tennis team finally overtake Goshen?
Warsaw's head coach stayed low-key, didn't issue any verbal jabs. "I think," Lewis said, "we have a chance."
Goshen has knocked Warsaw out of the last three regionals. Warsaw placed second in the Northern Lakes Conference last season; that's because Goshen beat the Tigers out for first.
Now Warsaw is loaded. And the Tigers have the Redskins lined up in their sights.
Lewis is optimistic for three reasons: Craig Harman, Ryan Van Puffelen and Peter Anders.
They are three singles players he will match up with anyone.
Harman and Van Puffelen return to their first and second slots in Warsaw's singles lineup. Pete Hake and Dan Benyousky could vie for the third singles spot, but they will have competiton from Anders.
Anders was a bonus Lewis received this summer.
Anders, an exchange student from Germany, will play for Warsaw this year. Lewis expects Anders to end up in the third singles spot. Anders played on clay courts only in Germany, so he's still warming up to the hard courts here.
Still, Lewis is impressed.
"The first day of practice, Harman beat him in a tiebreaker," Lewis said.
Sophomores Eric Grossnickle and Matt Krizmanich are Warsaw's No. 2 doubles team. The No. 1 doubles team will be a combination of Owen Compton and either Benyousky or Hake.
Matt Kloser could find his way into Warsaw's lineup as well.
Lewis has everyone back from last year except for two players. He says Harman, Van Pufflen and Anders could be No. 1 singles players on nearly any other team.
And most of these players will return next year. Anders and Harman are the only seniors.
"This is the best team I've had since I've been coaching, and that includes girls and boys," said Lewis, who is in his fourth year at Warsaw. "This is a tough season because I have 10 players who can play varsity now, but I can use only seven of them. We're strong at singles and at No. 2 doubles. Number one doubles, I don't know yet. We're looking to Owen for leadership."
The Warsaw boys have won all four of their sectionals under Lewis. The Tigers went 10-4 overall and 4-2 in the NLC last year.
With the talent Lewis sees on the court, he hopes for more than a sectional championship.
"Our kids are talking about state," he said. "We should be able to do that. We have the depth to compete at the higher levels. But we know Goshen and Penn stand in our way."
Wawasee Warriors
Of the seven tennis players in Wawasee's lineup, six are returning lettermen.
Ryan Perzanowski, Andy Cole and Steve Ummel are Wawasee's one, two and three singles players respectively. Jared Mahnensmith and Quyen Tran comprise the No. 1 doubles team, and Farhan Haq and Shane Beer are the No. 2 doubles team.
Everyone except Beer is a returning letterman. All except Cole are seniors. Cole is a junior.
Wawasee went 7-10 overall and 0-6 in the Northern Lakes Conference last year. The Warriors advanced to the sectional finals, where they lost to Warsaw.
"We're looking forward to a good season," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said. "We're a senior-oriented team. They've worked hard for three years now. It's up to them to go out there and do the things they want to do. Hopefully we can win some ballgames."
Wawasee opens the season with a 4:30 p.m. Thursday match at West Noble.
Tippecanoe Valley Vikings
The Vikings return their No. 1 singles player and a No. 2 doubles team that lost only two matches last year.
Love will return to his No. 1 spot. Cousins Jay Dee Parker and Mike Parker went 16-2 as Valley's No. 2 doubles team last year. They will man the No. 1 doubles slot this year.
Rounding out Valley's lineup are Aaron Martin at No. 2 singles, Drew Shafer at No. 3 singles, and Jeremy Shambaugh and Brian Love at No. 2 doubles.
Aaron Hart and Luke Plank could also work their way into Valley's lineup.
Valley has alread played four matches and is 2-3. The Parkers are off to a 4-1 start, while Eric Love is 4-1.
"Eric is mentally tougher," Valley coach Rod Hamman said. "He has a good groundstroke, a real good overhand and is much better with his volleys.
"(Jay Dee and Mike) have played together for three years now. They know where each other should be. They have that court awareness."
Valley was 6-4 overall and 2-1 in the Three Rivers Conference last year. The Vikings lost to Wawasee in the first round of the sectional.
Triton Trojans
Greg Fawley is in his first year as head coach at Triton, replacing Hugh Rettinger, who stepped down after last season.
Sophomore Art Blackmer, who played varsity doubles last season, steps into the No. 1 singles spot. Josh Heck is the No. 2 singles player, and Schuyler Stutzman is the No. 3 singles player.
Like Valley, cousins will play in the No. 1 doubles slot. Adam Heckaman and Nick Heckaman comprise Triton's No. 1 doubles team. Justin Staublin and Kent Adams will take care of the No. 2 doubles.
"I think we're a little weak in numbers, but we have a lot of grit," Fawley said. "We will win quite a few, I believe. I think our No. 1 doubles team will go pretty far. Since they're related, they practice a lot together."
Triton opens the season with a 4:30 match this afternoon at Mishawaka.
NorthWood Panthers
All of NorthWood's singles players played doubles last year, and all the doubles players played junior varsity.
Eric Bowers, Peter Metz and Blaine Beeler are the Nos. 1-3 singles players. James Allen and Chet Walters are the No. 1 doubles team, and Shawn Hoover and Bobby Brown are the No. 2 doubles team.
"We have a lot of good players and lot of good potential," NorthWood coach Angie Swain said. "We have the potential to win at all of the spots, but it may not happen at the same time. Eric may be our most consistent player. He's basically an all-court player. He has good groundstrokes, he moves the ball well, and his volleys have improved because he played doubles."
NorthWood went 13-2 overall and 5-1 in the NLC last year. The Panthers settled for second in the conference, and they were beaten by Goshen in the sectional.
Swain predicts Warsaw, Goshen and Plymouth will be the teams to beat in the NLC.
Manchester Squires
The Squires saw the past when they looked into the future. They named Eric Christiansen as their head coach.
Christiansen played singles for the Squires in the late 1980s, and he was an assistant coach in 1990 and 1993.
He steps into a nice situation. Six of his seven varsity players were in the varsity lineup last season.
Nate Little, Chris Hemmig and Matt Purdy are the Nos. 1-3 singles players respectively. Derek Ring and Mark Gathany comprise the No. 1 doubles team, and Mitch Eads and Michael Good are the No. 2 doubles team.
Everyone except Purdy was in the varsity lineup last year.
"We have great attitudes and experience," Christiansen said. "I don't have to say much. The players know what they need to do.
"Our doubles teams can be particularly strong, I hope. Our No. 1 doubles team is the same as last year, and our No. 2 doubles team played together half of the year."
Manchester was 6-8 overall last year. The Squires won the TRC with a 3-0 record. They lost their first match of the sectional to Peru.
"We want to win conference, improve on last year's record and advance further in the tourney," Christiansen said. "Most of all, and this is mine, we want to better ourselves as individuals."
Manchester is 0-1.
Whitko Wildcats
Fred Lucas has given tennis lessons on a private basis in Columbia City, Manchester and Ft. Wayne.
Now he has the challenge of putting a program together at Whitko. The Wildcats are coming off a losing season, and none of the returners are seniors.
Asked about this upcoming season, Lucas said: "I wanted another year before this season started. Honestly. Most of them are juniors who lack experience."
Nate Allen, Justin Roman and Nathan Haywood take care of the Nos. 1-3 singles. Nick Hamill and Eric Lee are the No. 1 doubles team, and James Hoffman and Greg Nehr are the No. 2 doubles team.
"If we can just make progress, just pick up individual wins along the way, I'll be happy," Lucas said.
Whitko opened the season Monday at Columbia City. [[In-content Ad]]
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Could this be the year? Andy Lewis is asked.
Could it be? Could Warsaw's tennis team finally overtake Goshen?
Warsaw's head coach stayed low-key, didn't issue any verbal jabs. "I think," Lewis said, "we have a chance."
Goshen has knocked Warsaw out of the last three regionals. Warsaw placed second in the Northern Lakes Conference last season; that's because Goshen beat the Tigers out for first.
Now Warsaw is loaded. And the Tigers have the Redskins lined up in their sights.
Lewis is optimistic for three reasons: Craig Harman, Ryan Van Puffelen and Peter Anders.
They are three singles players he will match up with anyone.
Harman and Van Puffelen return to their first and second slots in Warsaw's singles lineup. Pete Hake and Dan Benyousky could vie for the third singles spot, but they will have competiton from Anders.
Anders was a bonus Lewis received this summer.
Anders, an exchange student from Germany, will play for Warsaw this year. Lewis expects Anders to end up in the third singles spot. Anders played on clay courts only in Germany, so he's still warming up to the hard courts here.
Still, Lewis is impressed.
"The first day of practice, Harman beat him in a tiebreaker," Lewis said.
Sophomores Eric Grossnickle and Matt Krizmanich are Warsaw's No. 2 doubles team. The No. 1 doubles team will be a combination of Owen Compton and either Benyousky or Hake.
Matt Kloser could find his way into Warsaw's lineup as well.
Lewis has everyone back from last year except for two players. He says Harman, Van Pufflen and Anders could be No. 1 singles players on nearly any other team.
And most of these players will return next year. Anders and Harman are the only seniors.
"This is the best team I've had since I've been coaching, and that includes girls and boys," said Lewis, who is in his fourth year at Warsaw. "This is a tough season because I have 10 players who can play varsity now, but I can use only seven of them. We're strong at singles and at No. 2 doubles. Number one doubles, I don't know yet. We're looking to Owen for leadership."
The Warsaw boys have won all four of their sectionals under Lewis. The Tigers went 10-4 overall and 4-2 in the NLC last year.
With the talent Lewis sees on the court, he hopes for more than a sectional championship.
"Our kids are talking about state," he said. "We should be able to do that. We have the depth to compete at the higher levels. But we know Goshen and Penn stand in our way."
Wawasee Warriors
Of the seven tennis players in Wawasee's lineup, six are returning lettermen.
Ryan Perzanowski, Andy Cole and Steve Ummel are Wawasee's one, two and three singles players respectively. Jared Mahnensmith and Quyen Tran comprise the No. 1 doubles team, and Farhan Haq and Shane Beer are the No. 2 doubles team.
Everyone except Beer is a returning letterman. All except Cole are seniors. Cole is a junior.
Wawasee went 7-10 overall and 0-6 in the Northern Lakes Conference last year. The Warriors advanced to the sectional finals, where they lost to Warsaw.
"We're looking forward to a good season," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said. "We're a senior-oriented team. They've worked hard for three years now. It's up to them to go out there and do the things they want to do. Hopefully we can win some ballgames."
Wawasee opens the season with a 4:30 p.m. Thursday match at West Noble.
Tippecanoe Valley Vikings
The Vikings return their No. 1 singles player and a No. 2 doubles team that lost only two matches last year.
Love will return to his No. 1 spot. Cousins Jay Dee Parker and Mike Parker went 16-2 as Valley's No. 2 doubles team last year. They will man the No. 1 doubles slot this year.
Rounding out Valley's lineup are Aaron Martin at No. 2 singles, Drew Shafer at No. 3 singles, and Jeremy Shambaugh and Brian Love at No. 2 doubles.
Aaron Hart and Luke Plank could also work their way into Valley's lineup.
Valley has alread played four matches and is 2-3. The Parkers are off to a 4-1 start, while Eric Love is 4-1.
"Eric is mentally tougher," Valley coach Rod Hamman said. "He has a good groundstroke, a real good overhand and is much better with his volleys.
"(Jay Dee and Mike) have played together for three years now. They know where each other should be. They have that court awareness."
Valley was 6-4 overall and 2-1 in the Three Rivers Conference last year. The Vikings lost to Wawasee in the first round of the sectional.
Triton Trojans
Greg Fawley is in his first year as head coach at Triton, replacing Hugh Rettinger, who stepped down after last season.
Sophomore Art Blackmer, who played varsity doubles last season, steps into the No. 1 singles spot. Josh Heck is the No. 2 singles player, and Schuyler Stutzman is the No. 3 singles player.
Like Valley, cousins will play in the No. 1 doubles slot. Adam Heckaman and Nick Heckaman comprise Triton's No. 1 doubles team. Justin Staublin and Kent Adams will take care of the No. 2 doubles.
"I think we're a little weak in numbers, but we have a lot of grit," Fawley said. "We will win quite a few, I believe. I think our No. 1 doubles team will go pretty far. Since they're related, they practice a lot together."
Triton opens the season with a 4:30 match this afternoon at Mishawaka.
NorthWood Panthers
All of NorthWood's singles players played doubles last year, and all the doubles players played junior varsity.
Eric Bowers, Peter Metz and Blaine Beeler are the Nos. 1-3 singles players. James Allen and Chet Walters are the No. 1 doubles team, and Shawn Hoover and Bobby Brown are the No. 2 doubles team.
"We have a lot of good players and lot of good potential," NorthWood coach Angie Swain said. "We have the potential to win at all of the spots, but it may not happen at the same time. Eric may be our most consistent player. He's basically an all-court player. He has good groundstrokes, he moves the ball well, and his volleys have improved because he played doubles."
NorthWood went 13-2 overall and 5-1 in the NLC last year. The Panthers settled for second in the conference, and they were beaten by Goshen in the sectional.
Swain predicts Warsaw, Goshen and Plymouth will be the teams to beat in the NLC.
Manchester Squires
The Squires saw the past when they looked into the future. They named Eric Christiansen as their head coach.
Christiansen played singles for the Squires in the late 1980s, and he was an assistant coach in 1990 and 1993.
He steps into a nice situation. Six of his seven varsity players were in the varsity lineup last season.
Nate Little, Chris Hemmig and Matt Purdy are the Nos. 1-3 singles players respectively. Derek Ring and Mark Gathany comprise the No. 1 doubles team, and Mitch Eads and Michael Good are the No. 2 doubles team.
Everyone except Purdy was in the varsity lineup last year.
"We have great attitudes and experience," Christiansen said. "I don't have to say much. The players know what they need to do.
"Our doubles teams can be particularly strong, I hope. Our No. 1 doubles team is the same as last year, and our No. 2 doubles team played together half of the year."
Manchester was 6-8 overall last year. The Squires won the TRC with a 3-0 record. They lost their first match of the sectional to Peru.
"We want to win conference, improve on last year's record and advance further in the tourney," Christiansen said. "Most of all, and this is mine, we want to better ourselves as individuals."
Manchester is 0-1.
Whitko Wildcats
Fred Lucas has given tennis lessons on a private basis in Columbia City, Manchester and Ft. Wayne.
Now he has the challenge of putting a program together at Whitko. The Wildcats are coming off a losing season, and none of the returners are seniors.
Asked about this upcoming season, Lucas said: "I wanted another year before this season started. Honestly. Most of them are juniors who lack experience."
Nate Allen, Justin Roman and Nathan Haywood take care of the Nos. 1-3 singles. Nick Hamill and Eric Lee are the No. 1 doubles team, and James Hoffman and Greg Nehr are the No. 2 doubles team.
"If we can just make progress, just pick up individual wins along the way, I'll be happy," Lucas said.
Whitko opened the season Monday at Columbia City. [[In-content Ad]]