The Howard County boys tennis scene looks strong again.
Last year, Western, Kokomo and Eastern all won conference titles, those three teams plus Northwestern all had winning records, and Western broke through to win the Kokomo Sectional for the first time since 2017.
“Winning the sectional with our guys was a very special moment for everybody in the program,” Western coach Judson Quinn said. “We would love nothing more than to be celebrating together as a team again. We’ll have to beat some good teams. Kokomo was really strong last year and they return a lot of their talent. Eastern will be dangerous as well and Northwestern still has strong players.
“Anybody can be beaten on any day. There’s nothing given for free in our sectional, you have to show up and outplay the other teams with how many talented players are in the tournament.”
In the sectional last year, Western beat two-time defending champion Northwestern 4-1 in the semifinal round and beat Kokomo 3-2 in the final.
Northwestern co-coach Matt Woods sees Western and Kokomo as the top sectional contenders heading into the season.
“They are both really solid,” he said. “I think Western is incredibly deep top to bottom, which we understand is a recipe to win a lot of matches and sectional. Kokomo is very talented at the top of their lineup with both Taflinger [brothers]. If they can find another strong point it will be a dogfight between those two. Eastern will be young but they will be talented as well.
“There will be some good tennis being played in Howard County this year.”
The following are looks at the five county teams in advance of the new season.
WESTERN
The 2023 season was one to remember for the Panthers, who won their first Hoosier Conference title and their fourth sectional title all-time. They finished with a 17-6 record, which marked a six-win improvement from 2022.
In addition, Quinn was named the Howard County boys coach of the year at the Tribune’s sports awards program.
“There’s a ton of excitement in the program from the seniors to the incoming sixth graders,” Quinn said. “What was accomplished last year was really exciting, but we have a lot of players who are passionate about tennis, love being on a tennis court, and love competing. It’s a true joy to be around people who love the sport as much as our coaching staff.”
The Panthers graduated three seniors, but return a strong nucleus of of players.
Junior Evan Trauring posted an 18-5 record at No. 2 singles last season, junior Charlie Gilbert was 14-6 at No. 3 singles and juniors Aidan Mawbey and Kaleb York teamed for a 13-11 record at No. 1 doubles. All four of those players made the all-conference team and Trauring and the Mawbey-York team also made all-district.
Junior Brady Thompson also returns with some experience. He had a 6-0 record in matches across No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles.
The Panthers are boosted by the addition of freshman Eli Mast. Quinn called him a “decorated tournament player who adds a lot of talent to our team.”
Also in the mix for time are senior Ashton Tso, sophomore Alex Aaron and freshman Justin Cothern.
“We have so many guys who are deserving of varsity matches, I’m excited to rotate them in during the long stretches of the season to get them experience,” Quinn said.
Quinn likes his team’s potential.
“So many of our guys have worked so entirely hard. They’ve been impressive in practice with their high energy and high effort. I can’t really pin-point one strength we have as a team because if we play to the level we’re capable of, we should be strong from 1 singles to the doubles to our junior varsity guys,” he said.
The Hoosier Conference has a slightly different look this year with Logansport replacing Northwestern.
KOKOMO
The Kats enjoyed a resurgent year in 2023 as they posted an 18-6 record (a seven-win improvement from 2022) and won the North Central Conference title for the first time since 2016.
“Kokomo boys tennis has built a great foundation over the past three years and we are looking to continue that into this year,” coach Travis Taflinger said, noting he returns a solid young nucleus of players. “This is my fourth year as coach and our team plays hard, plays smart and plays together.”
The Kats’ singles lineup returns intact. Junior Caleb Taflinger played No. 1 last year and was named to the all-district team and was named the county boys tennis player of the year at the Tribune’s awards program. Sophomores Mitch McClelland and Micah Taflinger also are back.
“They are competitors who work extremely hard. All three were successful last year and desire to keep getting stronger and better each season,” Travis Taflinger said.
Juniors Harry Blake and Easton Douglas return with experience to doubles positions. Sophomore Josiyah Mayfield and freshman Austin Moos are leading candidates for the other spots.
“We have a few different combinations we can try, but those four are going to be a big part of our growth this year,” Travis Taflinger said.
The Kats’ roster also includes seniors Dylan Snodgrass and Kelton Serra, junior Vinrai Boparai, sophomores Grayson Pollard and Oliver Taskey and freshmen Carter McClain, Hutch Munsey and Judah Kincaid.
“Coach Brett Heflin is a huge blessing to the program and does a great job with our varsity and JV team. He has been a big part of our program’s growth,” Travis Taflinger said.
NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern reloaded last year after winning sectional titles in 2021 and ‘22. The Tigers put together a solid 12-5 campaign with a younger squad.
The Tigers are hoping that provided a good foundation for this year, which is a transition year as Northwestern has moved to the Three Rivers Conference.
“The good news is we have six guys with varsity experience,” Matt Woods said. “Our numbers are down due to kids deciding to play football or soccer. So the freshmen we thought were coming in decided to go play other sports. With our new conference we are hoping to compete for a title in our first year.”
The smaller roster does allow for more reps in practice.
“A lot of our guys don’t play in the offseason so we are trying to get to midseason form or better quickly,” Matt Woods said.
The Tigers’ lineup looks solid with senior Blake Wise and juniors Ian Woods and Landen Begley all returning to singles positions and senior Eythen Fogg and sophomores Conner Gaier and Adam Lesko returning to doubles spots. All of those players had winning records last year.
“We think we have our singles lineup figured out but doubles we are still tinkering with combinations and will probably be doing that for the first part of the season,” Matt Woods said.
EASTERN
Eastern had a nice 2023 season, which saw the return of Shawn Flanary as the Comets’ coach.
“Last year, we finished 10-8 and won our conference [Hoosier Heartland], which it had been 20 years since we had won a conference title so that was a nice accomplishment,” he said.
The 10 wins marked a six-win improvement from 2022.
“This year, we’re going to be pretty young,” Shawn Flanary added. “We’re actually only returning two [varsity players]. We have nine incoming freshmen and we don’t have any seniors. But the group we have is doing a good job.
“I’d say we’re comparable to last year’s team, but a different makeup.”
The youth shows at the top of the singles lineup where freshmen Silas Flanary and Tristan Armogum are the Nos. 1 and 2 players.
Sophomore Max Atherton, junior Grant Farkas and freshman Ethan Heck are candidates for No. 3 singles.
Juniors J.T. Atherton and Blake Farkas are the likely No. 1 doubles team. They are the two returning players from last season. Atherton played No. 2 doubles and Blake Farkas played No. 3 singles.
The No. 2 doubles team will come from same combination of Grant Farkas, juniors Ethan Budde, Jansen Richmond and Evan Lapp and freshman Blake Day.
“We’re just looking for progress,” Shawn Flanary said. “In the area, I look for Western and Kokomo to be strong again and I think Northwestern is going to be solid. I think we’re maybe above the Eastern teams we’ve had in the past, but we’re probably still going to be fighting to compete with those teams.”
TAYLOR
The Titans are hoping to make strides with a new mix of players.
“Practice has been very positive,” coach Conner Leicht said. “The guys I have out are working hard and want to get better. We are looking for more players and trying to get our numbers up. We are young and inexperienced, so every practice is important.”
Junior Zayden Lorenz is the Titans’ lone returning player. He played No. 2 singles last year.
Freshmen Zach Beining and Gabe Swaller and sophomore Jacob Lee are new to the team.
“With mostly newcomers to the program, we have been working on fundamentals and haven’t put a lineup together as of yet,” Leicht said.
“Team goals for the year include getting better every day and getting more guys interested in playing on the team.”
