“This is a tight-knit group of kids — all 28 of them are very close and are focused on one common goal, which is to bring home a D10 team title,” said Warren coach Thomas Pellegrino. “Something that has only been accomplished twice and hasn’t been done in over 10 years. The boys tennis program has won 12 consecutive region titles, which is great, but this group wants something more. This group of seniors has held numerous region trophies, but this year, they have pushed one another to chase something bigger. With the move to (Class 3A from 2A), we know it will be challenging as we not only moved classifications but also into the highly competitive northern region; a region packed with AA state runner-up Cathedral Prep, four-year reigning AAA D10 champion McDowell, Fairview, Mercyhurst Prep, Erie High, Meadville, and HarborCreek. The classification change makes the regular season, region play, and district tournament far more challenging than it was in AA, but we feel it will only benefit our kids by playing the best in the district all season long leading up to the district events, improving their game, and making them more accomplished tennis players. AAA provides much more opportunity for our kids at the district events as we will now be able to enter a third doubles team as opposed to only two in AA.”

On a roster of 28, top returners include senior Adam Strandburg — a four-year starter stepping into the number-one singles slot this season.

“He has put in a hell of an off-season, playing countless tournaments and winning many singles and doubles events leading up to the season,” said Pellegrino. “We believe he is one of the top players in the district and think he can make some noise in the District 10 tournament this year.

“(Junior) Lucas Thrift was a lock for us at the first doubles position last year, but will be moving to second singles this season after a tremendous amount of time and effort he put in over the summer,” said Pellegrino. “Him and Adam push one another at practice and we expect him to be a challenge for anyone he’s matched up with. We also believe he can make a run in the district tournament and that the two could potentially even pair up to make a run at the doubles title in May.”

Photo by Mark Evans LUCAS THRIFT

Senior Jack Lynds is a three-year starter “who has been a rock for us over the years and has consistently won us big matches,” said Pellegrino. “He will be partnering up with fellow senior Ben Scott at the one-doubles slot again this season.”

Pellegrino added: “Ben is a hockey player turned tennis player that has a very aggressive style of play which, when paired with Jack’s game, compliments one another. This is a strong 1D team that we feel will consistently put us in a position to win.

“(Senior) Carson Moore played third singles for us last season and we were looking forward to him having another standout season this spring, but unfortunately he took a fall in week two and fractured his wrist,” said Pellegrino. “He has still been at every practice supporting his teammates and is doing everything he can to try and get back for his senior season.

“(Senior) Brody Alexander held down second doubles for us last year with a number of partners and, with Carson out, has stepped up for his team and embraced the singles role,” added the coach. “He had an impressive debut against ECC this week and we look forward to seeing what he can do this season.

“(Senior) Collin Ellis went 8-0 in varsity play last year and we see him making an impact in our doubles lineups again this season,” said Pellegrino. “Some other returning letter winners that will see some playing time include Finn Ordiway, Owen Baldensperger, Bill Bennett, Elliot Striker, Tobiah Reinard, Grady Corey, and Josh Westover.

“Jaxon Thrift is a freshman who we knew would make an impact for us this year,”said Pellegrino. “He’s played for a couple of years and attended our clinics and drill

sessions over the summer and winter. We expect him to play at the second doubles slot this season and maybe even break into some singles action in certain matchups. First-year players Gabe Dougherty and Karson McCollough have also made large strides over the last three weeks and could potentially see some varsity time this year. We have 14 new players this year with 11 of them being underclassmen. All of these

boys have been working since December during our clinics and drills, making the start of the season a bit different than usual. Since everyone has been working for months, we’ve been able to jump right into match play for the entire squad on day one.”

In addition to Brody Alexander, Corey, Ellis, Lynds, Moore, Ordiway, Scott, Strandburg, and Striker, Cameron Williams rounds out the senior class. Lucas Thrift, Westover, Baldensperger, Dominick Holmberg, and Luc Wilkins are the juniors. Sophomores are Bennett, McCollough, Lincoln Olsen, and Reinard. Freshmen include Dougherty, Jaxon Thrift, Trent Alexander, Liam Bailey, Yaman Kolasinli, Sebastian Lawson, Karson Werner, Kaden Werner, and Leo Westover.

“We have a tough schedule this season with most matches being against the Erie

schools due to the (Region 2) change,” said Pellegrino. “We know each one will be challenging, but some to highlight include our key AAA matchups against Erie High and McDowell. We have had many 3-2 battles with these teams over the years and expect to see that same high level of competition this season. The Cathedral Prep match is another we look forward to as it’s not often you get to take on one of the best, if not the best, tennis team in the state. That’s a match up I believe will showcase our best tennis as the boys will be forced to play up a level. One thing to note is that since the creation of the team tournament in 2000, only schools from this region have won the D10 tournament (Fairview, Cathedral Prep, Warren, Mercyhurst Prep, and McDowell).

Outside of region play, we have matches with the top teams in D9 and have elected to take on Southwestern, a talented program out of New York. We also have a scrimmage lined up with Olean, who finished top four in the state of New York last year. We have left one match open and plan on using that to find a strong WPIAL team to take on to get us ready for districts. We look forward to the challenges ahead of us this season and the boys are pushing one another each day to get one step closer to making it back into that D10 final.”