Boys tennis team posts 3-1 record on the week

Rangers secure wins over Centennial, White Bear Lake, IrondaleSports Editor

The Forest Lake boys tennis team put together a successful outing this past week, as the Rangers ultimately orchestrated a 3-1 record through four matches over a span of four consecutive days.

The squad hosted a Section 7AA opponent in Centennial on Monday, April 22, before hosting another matchup the very next day against Suburban East Conference foe White Bear Lake, wrapping up its week of game action on the road at Mounds View on Wednesday, April 24, and at Irondale on Thursday, April 25.

In the battle with the Cougars, the singles lineup of seniors Frank Kerkow and Braden Anderson and sophomore Owen Dzurik took care of business by sweeping the singles format with a clean 3-0 rake.

The doubles lineup claimed the win in two of the three facets, as the duo partners of sophomore Declan Johnson and senior Liam Georges defeated their opponents in three sets (4-6, 6-2, 10-8). Johnson evidently returned to the lineup versus Centennial after missing the first opening stint of the season.

“He came in and we were trying out a couple of different player assignments,” first-year head coach Mark Daniels said. “That’s where we put [Declan] in with Liam Georges for our No. 1 doubles – and that seemed to be an outstanding fit. Those two really played well together in the Centennial match.”

Senior Brendan Marsh and a young but talented seventh grader in Maverick McKinnon won their match in two sets by scores of 6-0 and 7-5 to cement the convincing 6-1 Ranger victory. Daniels detailed some of the takeaways he had after the win.

“From my understanding, [Centennial] had reached their sectional finals last year, so those two guys played great overall and helped win us that match. It’s a good thing to see and build upon,” Daniels said.

The boys then transitioned their focus toward the Bears of White Bear Lake on Tuesday, April 23, in search of their second two-game winning streak of the season. Forest Lake came away with a strong 5-2 win despite winning only one match on the singles side, as the trusty singles player Kerkow did his job in a two-set victory (6-3, 6-1). The Rangers doubles lineup – headlined by Johnson, Georges, Marsh, junior Drew Manning, sophomore Tucker Pederson and senior Avery Rautio – was able to record the doubles’ second sweep of the year.

Daniels talked about what he’s seen that he values the most from the doubles lineup this season, as well as who has impressed him the most in that aspect.

“Maverick McKinnon and Jonah Kauls – they’ve done well and so have our other doubles guys. They’ve done what they needed to do to get the job done,” Daniels said.

Mounds View, Irondale

Forest Lake went on the road for a contest against the Mustangs and fell short of winning its third straight match by losing to Mounds View 6-1. The singles lineup struggled to gain any momentum, as the doubles lineup put up a good fight by winning one of three facets, courtesy of Kauls and McKinnon. Despite the loss, Daniels is satisfied with being able to hang around one of the top teams in the state of Minnesota.

“We were going through the match afterwards, and they are a very highly ranked team in the state – I believe they’re ranked sixth. They just have a very strong lineup. Our top two singles played really well against their opponents, but those guys are just super tough,” Daniels said. “We had an addition to our lineup in Malachi McKinnon – he joined us on Wednesday – he was a little rusty. It’s just a matter of him finding his groove and getting back into the game of tennis.”

Malachi, a senior who just finished his tenure with the Long Island Gulls as a part of the Amateur Hockey Association and is currently committed to Division I University of Maine, is one that Daniels hopes will be available for the Rangers on a permanent basis.

“Over the last several years, we haven’t been able to win a match versus Mounds View. So that was a good sign that we could at the very least compete with those talented guys,” Daniels said. “It’s nice to see that our players can keep up with a great team such as them.”

The next day, on April 25, the Rangers regained their momentum with a 5-2 win over the Irondale Knights, as the doubles lineup added its third 3-0 sweep on the year, with each duo winning in two sets. Per a “request,” Daniels put together a doubles group consisting of the pair of brothers in Maverick and Malachi McKinnon, and they got the job done by defeating their opponents by scores of 6-1 and 6-2 respectively. Kerkow and Anderson dropped their matches in the singles category, but Dzurik helped keep the Rangers alive on the doubles end by tabbing a tight win by set scores of 6-4 and 6-3.

The Rangers finished the week on a bright note by racking up a solid 3-1 record through the week – which was something Daniels had expected from his boys.

“I expected us to put up a tough fight with Mounds View, and in terms of the rest of the week, to take care of business. I’m happy with how everybody played. I would’ve liked to have seen some more success on the singles side of things versus Irondale. I think the wind that day was sort of the equalizer in that match,” Daniels said.

In regards to the lineup moving forward, Daniels hopes to solidify a few things going into the next couple of weeks to help his team keep up its winning ways and add to its 3-1 hot streak.

The boys are 5-3 overall on the 2024 campaign.