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Braden Olson keeps his focus on the ball as he prepares to return a shot during his No. 2 singles match. The Litchfield senior has won each of his first three matches this season.
Litchfield's Dawson Richardson rushes toward the net to make a return during his No. 2 doubles match Friday.
Three matches into a new season, Litchfield seems to have picked up where it left off last season, despite several lineup changes.
The Dragons boys tennis team won its third consecutive match Friday, thumping Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdoch-Sunburg 6-0 at LHS tennis courts. This followed a 5-2 win over Mora April 10 and a 7-0 win over Huchinson April 11.
The nonconference match was delayed by rain, and the third singles contest between Litchfield’s Lincoln Dille and Benson/KMS’s Max Young was suspended with Dille leading 7-5, 3-1 due to weather.
But Litchfield’s dominance was evident everywhere else, as the Dragons won all six of the completed matches in straight sets. Three seniors led the singles sweep, with Alex Draeger winning 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1, Braden Olson taking a 6-3, 6-0 win at No. 2, and Nathan Wuotila winning 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4.
Litchfield is coming off a season in which it claimed the State Class A consolation title. Three players graduated from that team — No. 2 singles player Mason Woelfel and No. 2 double tandem Brady Cannon and Elijah Schacherer.
In addition to those roster spots, coach John Carlson had to find a replacement for junior Garrison Jackman, who spent last season at No. 3 singles for the Dragons but switched to track and field this spring.
That spot has been filled in the first three matches of the season by Dille, a freshman, who won his first two matches over Mora and Hutchinson opponents before Friday’s suspended match.
Litchfield’s top doubles tandem is senior Tyler Pennertz and freshman Josh Blomberg, who have posted a 2-1 record so far. After a season-opening loss at Mora, the pair has rebounded for straight-sets wins over Hutchinson and Benson opponents.
Pennertz team with Olson at the top doubles spot last season, while Blomberg and senior Gray Nelson were paired at third doubles.
This season, Nelson has teamed with fellow senior Dawson Richardson at No. 2 doubles. The third doubles tandem features Alex Nelson and Mathias Bruning.
Litchfield was scheduled for a busy week this week, beginning with a match Tuesday at Holy Family, then a home match against St. Peter Friday, and an invitational meet Saturday at home.
