RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville’s Josh Myers and Jake Buck compete during last year's District 4 doubles tournament. The duo are back for the Spartans this year as Hughesville looks to have another successful season.

Williamsport will be under the direction of a new coach this year as Mike Lundy takes over for Hannah Summerson and Lundy is hopeful to build up the program.

Williamsport had a 2-11 year last season, but the Millionaires are looking to build off success and turn some of those losses into wins.

“We would like to build this program. With no seniors on the team, we are hoping to provide some leadership consistency and see the team improve this season and the season that follows,” Lundy said.

Williamsport has no seniors on the roster, but the team does have players back on its roster who had valuable experience last year. That includes Howard Chen, Joseph Hillman and Spencer Kaar who all played as freshmen last year.

“(They) gained valuable experience and are guys that we will count on to lead the less experienced players on the team,” Lundy said.

The Millionaires have nine players on their roster, meaning they can fill out a full roster and not have to take any forfeit points in matchups.

“We expect the league to be strong and we are excited to continue to work hard in practices and be competitive with each of our matches this season,” Lundy said.

Loyalsock has a good core back from last year’s team. That includes last year’s No. 2 singles player in senior Evan Anderson who reached the District 4 singles quarterfinals. The team also has senior Colby Peters returning, who played No. 3 singles. Those two will by vying for the Nos. 1 and 2 spots.

“Biding for the third singles position and starting doubles would be last year’s doubles players in Ian Bower/David Bjorkman, Marco Blas/Aadi Patel and Ben Cappel,” Loyalsock coach Kirk Bower said. “Plus, newcomers Nathaniel DePrenda, Brycen Savoy and Luke Edmonds, Marek Goyette rounds out the team.”

Bower noted that he believes the middle of the team’s lineup is solid and will help the Lancers compete within the Heartland.

“I’m looking forward to warmer weather and getting into our challenging matches,” Bower said. “The middle of our lineup is very competitive with one another, which will help the depth of the team.”

Hughesville saw success last year both individually and from a team perspective, but the Spartans do have talent to replace. Hughesville graduated roughly half its team, so coach Josh Fry noted this year “is certainly a rebuilding year.”

“This season, although we have many faces returning for their third or fourth year of playing tennis, a lot of them will be seeing varsity time for the first time,” Fry said. “Hoping their experience will continue to shine and have a successful season.”

Hughesville does bring back Jake Buck and Josh Myers who competed last year, meaning the Spartans have returning experience on the court.

“Kevin Bobak and Mikey Swales are some juniors we are going to count on this year,” Fry said. “Luke Regan and Carter Smith are both ninth graders brand new to the team and have already shown commitment and dedication, wanting to be good players for the team.”

As for competing in the Heartland, Fry knows it won’t be easy with tough teams.

“Hoping to make good strides this season,” Fry said. “If the team itself isn’t as successful as in year’s past, I know Jake and Josh have a good chance of being competitive in postseason play.”

Kent Young returns for his 39th year as a coach for South Williamsport this spring and the Mounties have six seniors to replace from last year.

“Our plays will have a lot of work ahead of them. How they handle match experience, build on it or lose their desire to compete, will be key this year,” Young noted. “Hopefully we will be able to qualify for team districts, which is always the first goal.”

South does return a handful of players who had experience last spring. That includes Wyatt Robbins, Lucas Bower, Sawyer Fry, Dylan Webb and Carson Harris.

Young noted a handful of first-year players who are stepping up early in the year as well.

“First-year players Levi Jackson, David Miller and Cael Hammond are showing improvement daily and will be vying for varsity spots as we continue to put our varsity ladder and starting lineup together,” Young said.

Muncy brings back Michael Howard, Clynt Oden and Aiden Murphy from last year who had experience, but the Indians did graduate nearly half their team from last year. In addition, two experienced players didn’t return to tennis this year.

“Due to so many new players, it may be more of a team growth year, but our main focus would be on our individual growth through the season,” Muncy coach Kristine Rosario said.

Rosario noted that she sees both sophomore Aiden Murphy and freshman Alec Noviello stepping up.

“(They) are underclassmen that will likely play a key role in our season in addition to our juniors and seniors,” Rosario noted.

Muncy is hoping to get to the postseason this year after just missing out last season.

“We finished last season just short of making team districts, so with additional new players, league competition will possibly be a challenge for us,” Rosario said. “However, we are confident that our players will rise to the occasion, work hard and support one another. We have already seen a great deal of growth during our first week of practice.”

Montoursville will look to build off last year’s successes. The Warriors were a District 4 Class AA team qualifier and had players compete in both singles and doubles competition.

One player that will need to be replaced, however, is that of Wyatt Fry who reached lats year’s singles semifinals, losing to eventual champ Eddie Monaco. District qualifier James Kehrer also graduated.

Those two Warriors also teamed up for the doubles tournament, reaching last year’s quarterfinals before falling to Galeton.

The cupboard isn’t bare for Montoursville, however. While those two standouts are gone, Montoursville does bring back Teli Bobotas who was a District 4 doubles qualifier last spring.

Montoursville has three seniors on the roster this year in Samuel Kutay, Mason Morrow and Owen Kleinman while players like Giovanni Catino and Mason Fry are back, who saw some time last year.

“This team is younger than most teams I’ve had in the past. At this point there is only one out of my three seniors that is a starter,” Montoursville coach Shawn Gardner said.

The Warriors are building off an 11-6 season from last year. Gardner mentioned Bobotas was his best returning player, although the junior didn’t get much spring practice due to competing in states in wrestling.

“Some other players who have moved up to singles in the lineup are Rain Snyder and Cullen Pauling after playing some at No. 2 doubles last year,” Gardner said.

As for the Heartland this year, Gardner knows the league will have tough teams yet again this spring.

“I believe that the Heartland Conference league is always the strongest in the district with good competition,” Gardner said. “At the beginning of the season, I don’t know the strength of all the teams, but I think we have a good chance of success this year.”

Central Mountain will have the toughest void to fill of any area school this year by having to replace defending two-time state champion David Lindsay, an unbelievably talented singles player who is at Penn State playing.

Lindsay was a four-time District 6 champion as well.

This is coach Jeff Brinker’s third year at the helm of the program after he took over in 2023.

While replacing Lindsay is next to impossible, the Wildcats do have back plenty. That includes players like Tim Brinker, Ben Brinker, Joey McCluskey and Brayden Spedding.

Jersey Shore is under the direction of coach Seth Hensler this year after Ann Marie Dincher stepped down from coaching the boys program. The Bulldogs are fairly young this year and feature just one senior (Derrick Grubb) and one junior (Ryder Fink). But that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs don’t have talent throughout the roster which will be competing for starting spots in both singles and doubles competition.

“We have many returning players that put in a lot of hard work over the winter,” Hensler said. “But we also lost a few important members last year. I’m expecting a solid winning record and a lot of growth from our younger players.”

Jersey Shore has ten sophomores and five freshmen on its roster this year, which is promising for the future and development.

Hensler noted that Fink, Saul Hensler and Abram Paulhamus are some key returning players that, in his words, “won’t go down without a fight.”

“Dillon Harsanyi is a returning JV player who clawed his way into the varsity lineup by doing extremely well in challenge matches,” Hensler said. “Ezra Paulhamus is a freshman who made a big splash in our challenge matches. I’m also expecting great things from Dillon Harsanyi, Camden Stellfox, Dekin McDermott and Dylan Hensler.”

Hensler noted that he believes the Bulldogs will be competitive in the league this year again.

“We have a good mix of experience and eager freshmen/sophomores,” Hensler noted.

Lewisburg is coming off an incredibly successful season. Well, last two seasons. The Green Dragons are 38-1 over the past two springs and saw tons of success.

Last year, Lewisburg’s doubles team of Will Cecchini and Sarthak Vishwakarma took bronze in the PIAA Class AA doubles tournament while Eddie Monaco took fourth in singles competition at states. The Green Dragons also went undefeated last year and won the team title at districts.

The bad news for teams in the Heartland is that the Green Dragons bring back standout Cecchini, who enters his senior year this spring. He’s the only returner however between the trio of him, Vishwakarma and Monaco.

But the Green Dragons have a lot of players from last year’s team who are back with experience, including players such as Alexey Rosenberg.

Expect Lewisburg to be a team to beat yet again this year and be title contenders in District 4 in team, singles and doubles competition.

Milton didn’t have the most successful of seasons last spring. The Black Panthers went just 3-15, but Andrew McNeal, now in his fourth year coaching with Milton, sees a determined and hungry team to build off last years successes and improve.

“The guys are motivated to start this year. They’ve been intentional about practicing and improving from last year,” McNeal said. “It’s been great to see high motivation from them.”

The Black Panthers have a lot back this year with Hagen Hanselman, Chris Hernandez, Luke Mowery, Preston Reedy and Talen Strous back who had experience last spring.

“There’s always work to be done and these guys agree that each day is an opportunity to improve,” McNeal said. “We’re looking at gaining a few more wins this year and hope to stay competitive with some of the tougher teams in the league.”

McNeal noted that Adam Kerstetter, Owen Rager and Cory Williams are newcomers who can step up this year. All combined, Milton’s players have been dedicated, and it’s something that McNeal has taken notice of.

“The amount of time that guys spend after practice is great to see as well. It’s not uncommon for them to stick around for another hour to keep hitting and drilling with each other,” McNeal said.

McNeal mentioned as well that he’s looking for continued leadership from Hanselman.

“Not a day went by that he didn’t discuss something related to practices or the team in the offseason,” McNeal said. “He’s been working on ways to engage his peers more and it seems to be paying off. We’ve got a good group of guys who are willing to support each other and work together.”

Galeton is coming off an outstanding 16-3 season in which the Tigers only lost to talented programs Lewisburg, Central Mountain and Altoona. Galeton fell to the Green Dragons in the District 4 Class AA team semifinals and will look to get back once again.

“This will be a rebuilding year for sure with the loss of our top 4 players,” Galeton coach Tony Cimino noted. “I do believe our expectations are still high and we can compete with all of our scheduled opponents.”

Galeton returns Corbin Basile, Isaac Miller, Gavin Shutt, David Martin and Luke Knisely, five players who have varsity experience from last year’s 16-win team. The team also has four freshmen that Cimino notes will get playing time this year as well.

Wellsboro has some returners back who had experience last spring including Luke Rothermel and Lucas Cuneo.

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN

Coach: Jeff Brinker

Assistants: (not available)

Last year: (not available)

Roster: Seniors: Mitchell Borges, Wesley Cowart. Juniors: Owen Stringfellow, Liam McLaughlin, Joey McCluskey, Tim Brinker. Sophomores: Ben Brinker, Bryaden Spedding. Freshmen: Jeremiah Plummer.

GALETON

Coach: Tony Cimino

Assistants: Ben Heyler

Last year: 16-3

Roster: Corbin Basile, Gavin Shutt, Isaac Miller, David Martin, Luke KNisley, Max Schloegel, Wyatt Rachiele, Trey Sykora, Ethan Wittekind.

HUGHESVILLE

Coach: Josh Fry

Assistants: April Brown Beth Myers

Last year: (not available)

Roster: Seniors: Joshua Myers, Brett Whitmoyer, Jake Buck. Juniors: Kevin Bobak, Luke Vermeire, Matthew Palmeter, Mikey Swales. Sophomores: Alex Smulek. Freshmen: Bailey Spring, Luke Ragan, Carter Smith.

JERSEY SHORE

Coach: Seth Hensler

Assistants: Jan Wasson

Last year: (not available)

Roster: Seniors: Derrick Grubb. Juniors: Ryder Fink. Sophomores: Benjamin Burkhart, Dillon Harsanyi, Dylan Hensler, Saul Hensler, Ryan Koch, Dekin McDermott, Abram Paulhamus, Luke Sarge, Hunter Staron, Camdyn Stellfox. Freshmen: Carson Wensel, Devon Wells, Ethan Sampsell, Ezra Paulhamus, Nathan Klugh.

LEWISBURG

Coach: Evan Leopovetsky

Assistants: (not available)

Last year: (not available)

Roster: Seniors: Will Cecchini, Sean Daly, Alexey Rosenberg. Juniors: James Conner, Carter Featherstone, Tyson Nicholls, Ethan Pilling, Mark Snyder, Canyon Swartzentruber. Sophomores: Luke Azeredo, Garran Evans, Henry Heintzelman, Quentin Hoffman-Aho, Colby Jacob, Eli Kalberer, Justin Marchiori, Olin McIlwaine, Anson Shi, Gabriel Whelan. Freshmen: Ben Bradfield, Nolan Jusko, Clark NIcholls, Mark Smith,

LOYALSOCK

Coach: Kirk Bower

Assistants: (not available)

Last year: (not available)

Roster: Seniors: Colby Peters, Evan Anderson, Aadi Patel, Ben Cappel, Brycen Savoy, Marek Goyette. Juniors: Ian Bower, Marco Blas. Sophomores: Luke Edmonds. Freshmen: Nathaniel DePrenda.

MILTON

Coach: Andrew McNeal

Assistants: Gaven Russell, Bridgette Coup

Last year: 3-15

Roster: Hagen Hanselman, Chris Hernandez, Luke Mowery, Preston Reedy, Talen Strous, Adam Kerstetter, Owen Rager, Cory Williams.

MONTOURSVILLE

Coach: Shawn Gardner

Assistants: (not available)

Last year: 11-6

Roster: Seniors: Mason Morrow, Sam Kutay, Owen Kleinman. Juniors: Giovanni Catino, Teli Bobotas, Cullen Pauling, Rain Snyder. Sophomores: Cole Snyder, Cole Keyte, Mason Fry, Colby Ulmer, Conner George, Alex Martyniuk. Freshmen: Sawyer Vogel, Reid Miller, Kaden Kleinman, Cooper Jarrett, Ben Heitsenrether, Zane Butler.

MUNCY

Coach: Kristine Rosario

Assistants: Jim Nuss

Last year: (not available)

Roster: Seniors: Chase Stabler. Juniors: Yandel Alvarez, Bryce Eckard, Stephen Fox, Michael Howard, Alex Puzio, Clynt Oden. Sophomores: Aiden Murphy. Freshmen: Alec Noviello.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT

Coach: Kent Young

Assistants: Theresa Summerson

Last year: (not available)

Roster: Seniors: Wyatt Robbins, Lucas Bower. Juniors: Sawyer Fry, Dylan Webb, David Miller. Sophomores: Carson Harris, Cael Hammon. Freshmen: Levi Jackson.

WELLSBORO

Coach: Andy Borzok

Assistants: (not available)

Last year: (not available)

Roster: Luke Rothermel, Lucas Cuneo, Mason Brill, Braeden Abernathy, RJ Doughtie, Tavi Wyman, Stephen Poirier.

WILLIAMSPORT

Coach: Mike Lundy

Assistants: None.

Last year: 2-11

Roster: Seniors: Trevor Estes, Guilhem Colin, Owen Trump. Juniors: Wyatt Judge. Sophomores: Howard Chen, Joseph Hillman, Spencer Kaar, Charles Plummer. Freshmen: David Castro.