Although the East Lansing High School boys tennis team will graduate in 2023, they are looking forward to 2024 with great anticipation.

Cody Cross begins his fourth season as head coach and is optimistic when talking about the upcoming season.

“The team chemistry will be as good as it’s ever been because it’s just a great group of friends and they know each other very well,” Cross said.

In 2023, the team led by Iskandarkhuja Ismoil (#1 singles), Bryce Aho (#1 doubles), Grant Pennock (#2 doubles) and Mason Briere (#3 doubles) made it to the state tournament. Cross noted that this talent will be missed.

“You don’t replace those guys,” Cross said. “You find the next four guys.”

He found her.

The 2024 team will be dominated by seniors who have played for Cross since he arrived in East Lansing. While the roster won’t be set for another week, all 12 spots on the varsity team will be strong and experienced.

When pressed to name the player or players he was most looking forward to seeing on the pitch, he thought for a full 30 seconds before answering.

“I have a lot of guys who have worked really hard all summer,” he said. “So, everyone.”

While that may sound like coach-speak, for Cross it was an honest assessment of the team’s strength.

In assessing the upcoming season, Cross noted that Okemos will likely be the most competition in the conference due to the large number of regular tournament players they field. He also noted that Grand Ledge and Dewitt appear to have improved significantly.

For Cross, the tougher the competition, the better the Trojans are leading up to the state tournament. He’s still trying to arrange a non-conference game against one of Oakland County’s perennial powerhouses.

“It’s good for our guys to see this level, even if we don’t beat them,” he said.

Cross was quick to point out that the strength of the team comes from the families that make up the program. He said the families are the best thing about coaching in East Lansing, noting that they are welcoming and supportive.

“There don’t seem to be as many political games here as at other schools,” says Cross, grateful that parents trust him to do the right thing for their sons.

One of the players Cross hopes to follow in the graduates’ footsteps is junior Bodhi Alwin. Alwin broke his back before the season last year and sees 2024 as his year of redemption.

Two other players who moved into the starting lineup this year received high praise for their hard work from their coach and several of their teammates. Gerritt Garcia and Will Taylor have only been playing tennis for a few years, but have spent countless hours in camps, lessons and extra training after regular practice to earn their place on the team.

They will join returning starters Miles Johnson (Jr.), Sasha Karp (Sr.), Kailen Foster (Jr.) and Nat Hicknor (Sr.). Geoffrey Deng (Sr.), who played on both the junior and varsity teams in 2023, completes the starting lineup.

Every good program needs a junior varsity team that can fight for playing time in the varsity. Injuries happen, and without freshman and sophomore talent to fill the void, the entire season can be in jeopardy.

Sophomores Donald Harley and Teddy Greenwalt are part of a talented group of students who hope to contribute at some point this year. Harley has a goal of playing at least one game at the varsity level this year.

To date, the school is still looking for a junior coach. Cross currently handles both roles, but stressed the importance of finding support.

“Anyone who is interested in coaching, whether they have a lot of tennis experience or not, but would like to work with hard-working, well-behaved children, should apply,” he said. Candidates should contact athletic director Nikki Norris.

The varsity team is led this year by senior captains Charlie Conlin, JD Hawthorne, Johnny Kalt and Henry Mahler. Like his coach, Conlin acknowledged the close relationship the teammates have with each other.

“Winning is fun, but it’s not everything,” Conlin said. “It’s my senior year. The most important thing is to have fun with my teammates.”

Conlin had just completed a very competitive seeding match against Hawthorne. The two are battling for the team’s top singles spot. When asked how their friendship holds up under the immense pressure of such competition, both were quick to note that they don’t see a friend on the other side of the net during these matches.

“For the next hour they are my enemies, and then they are my friends again,” said Hawthorne.

Captains Kalt and Mahler stressed the importance of maintaining team chemistry and pushing each other to perform at their best. Mahler noted that he tries to lead by example by giving his best in every practice and every game.

“At the end of every game and every training session, I want to feel like I have given my all,” he said.

Mahler referred to the “obnoxious energy” he brings to the team and said he is not afraid to call out teammates who are not trying as hard as he thinks they can.

This is the kind of leadership Cross is counting on to lead the team back to the state tournament in 2024.