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Lani Ngonethong

EYE ON THE GREEN. Sophomore Jacob Colton releases the ball from his hand, setting himself up for a solid serve nearing the end of their final match.

In the too-early-for-spring 80-degree heat, the Spartan tennis team faced off in a friendly scrimmage against the Wayzata Trojans on Apr. 11. Passionate cheers followed by pumping fists from both sides of the court raised the heat.

The scrimmage was meant for having fun and learning. Captain Maik Nguyen’s cheers for his teammates and shouts of encouragement and frustration were commonly heard across the courts. Freshman Allan Wang and his doubles partner, eighth grader Isaak Senaratna, and spectating dads share a laugh over an accidental point earned through a trip up on the serve. But this lighthearted training is to prepare for something more serious: state championships.

After winning State in the Class A championships last season, expectations are naturally higher for the team compared to previous years. Captain Leo Benson feels the pressure. “Winning that state title, it kind of puts a target on your back,” Benson said.

But Captain Baasit Mahmood disagrees. “Last year […] we didn’t really have much […] opposition,” Mahmood said.

The team is taking on the challenge of state again this year. “We’re making our schedule pretty hard [to train for state]. We’re filling it with a bunch of AA teams,” Nguyen said.

Wayzata is one of their new challenges added this season.

Adding more AA teams like Wayzata to their schedule helps the team mentally and physically prepare for state. “Adding these AA schools can help us in moments where we’re under pressure,” Mahmood said.

Nguyen also thinks the new schedule with help the team. “It’s good for us to be playing these good teams because when we have to play […] MPA, we’ll be ready to be […] better than them,” He said.

Head Coach Luke Elifson was also part of the decision-making on tweaking the schedule, “It’ll keep us humble and hungry.”

Elifson added, “We are the best in class A but not the best in the state. Hopefully, we can rise to that challenge and say we are legitimately one of the best teams in the state regardless of class.”

This scrimmage marks the start of their season and their journey which they hope will end with another state championship.

Their next match is on May 2 at Providence Academy at 4:00.