The Minnewaska Area boys tennis team was set to open up the season at the Fargo triangular, Friday, but that meet was canceled due to weather.

The new opener for the Lakers is set for Tuesday, April 11 at Yellow Medicine East followed by the home opener Thursday, April 13 against Benson-KMS.

The Lakers are coming off a 21-7 season from a year ago in which the team qualified to the state tourney and also sent Tate Reichmann to the state individual tourney.

The Lakers also have home matches set for April 20 (vs. MACCRAY), May 2 (home triangular) and May 4 (home triangular).

Minnewaska Area is scheduled to close out the regular-season schedule with three-straight triangulars at Alexandria, Sartell and Fergus Falls before opening up the Section 8A Tourney, May 23 at Perham.

A little about last year

Minnewaska Area upset top-seeded Thief River Falls in last year’s Section 8A finals, 4-3.  The Prowlers had just defeated the Lakers by a 5-2 score only five days earlier.

Picking up the deciding fourth point for the Lakers during the section final were Connor Quelle and Tenzin Dahl, who won a three-set thriller at second doubles, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2.

At state, the Lakers fell to Rock Ridge in their first match, 4-3, but came back to beat Luverne in the consolation semifinals, 6-1, before losing to Litchfield in the consolation championship, 4-3.  During the match against Litchfield, the Lakers lost one of their matches in a 10-8 tiebreaker. 

The Lakers went 21-7 overall last year while also winning the WCC title with a 5-0 record.

In addition, graduated senior Tate Reichmann placed fourth at the State Boys Tennis Tournament last spring for the Lakers’ highest finish in boys tennis history.

He placed second during the Section 8A Tourney to earn a berth at state and then he won his first two matches at state before losing in three sets to the second and first seeds in his final two high school matches to place fourth.

Coaching the Lakers again this season are head coach Tara Reichmann and assistant coach Chad Quelle.