Athlete of the Week: Boese reaches 100 wins with Elks in his sophomore year

Elks sophomore Henry Boese can sometimes be shy off the court, but on it, he has become one of the best players on Elk River’s boys tennis team.

Boese reached a milestone on Saturday, May 4, when he won his 100th match in the Elks’ win over Forest Lake. According to Elks head coach Randy Ronning, he is one of less than 10 players out of the thousands of players in the more than 60-year history of the Elk River boys tennis program to win at least 100 matches.

“To achieve it at any point would be an awesome accomplishment, but to make it in your sophomore year? That’s special,” Ronning said. “We haven’t had one for the last five or six years. He started so early on varsity in seventh grade. You could be an All-State player, but unless you start early, you’re not going to get 100 wins.”

Boese is a three-time All-NWSC player and a two-time All-State player in doubles.

“He’s not done by any means,” Ronning said. “If he stopped right here, he has already accomplished more than most top players do even after their senior seasons. It’ll encourage him to keep working hard on his game.”

Boese is a student of the game and puts in the effort to improve his tennis skills. He takes weekly lessons, participates in drills and plays in both in-season and offseason tournaments.

Since he was last featured as an Elk River Star News Athlete of the Week in 2022, Boese recently turned 16. He is now a licensed driver, and his accomplishments in the classroom are impressive.

He is a sophomore at Spectrum High School and is in the top 5 percent of his sophomore class. Boese is maintaining a GPA of over 4.0 while taking the toughest classes, including college-level classes like calculus. He is member of the Spectrum chapter of the National Honor Society and is a member of the Student Council. He also did the Polar Plunge this year with NHS to raise money for Special Olympics Minnesota as he dove into frezzing cold water that is perfect for polar bears, but not humans. He has been involved in music for a long time and sings on two Spectrum choirs that require auditions: Chamber Choir, made up of eight boys and eight girls, and a 10-member, all-boys a capella choir. During the summer, Boese somehow has the time to work 300 hours at a summer job.

Boese is not the only member of his family who is athletic. His twin sister Hannah Boese is a sophomore at Spectrum and runs track and field in the spring, cross country in the fall and skis for the Elk River-Zimmerman nordic skiing team in the winter.

Ronning said Henry Boese is a genuine person that he has known since Henry was in the fourth grade.

“You won’t find any better person,” he said. “I’ve never heard him say one swear word. He’s a role model as well as a great tennis player.”