Boys tennis: Young Willmar Cardinals look to lay groundwork
· Yahoo Sports
Apr. 7---- Brandt Lager came into practice Monday ready to hand out this week's championship belt to a lucky member of his tennis team.
The second-year Willmar boys tennis head coach got the belt late last season as the team's extra effort award.
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"At the end of the week, we all vote to see who gets the extra effort (award)," said senior Carter Newberg. "They get to wear the belt for the week and then they get a little goodie bag of stuff."
That hard-work culture is what the Cardinals hope to build in Lager's second season in hopes of climbing up the
and Section 8AA standings.
Willmar finished seventh out of eight teams in the CLC in 2025 with a 1-6 record. The Cardinals open the 2026 season at 3 p.m. Wednesday with a CLC dual against Sauk Rapids at Willmar High School.
"Last year we had three wins, I believe, and this year we'll have almost double the matches," Lager said. "We'll get more matches, get them more experience. Just getting out there, having fun and playing tennis is kind of my goal this year."
Willmar lost three players due to graduation. Gone are Ryan Newberg, Carter's older brother and an All-CLC pick from '25. Also graduated are Miguel Garcia and Jared Barrera.
Now, it's Carter's turn to take the captaincy from his brother. An All-CLC selection last season, Carter is one of two seniors for the Cardinals alongside Nehemiah Van Horne. Van Horne is a captain for the second straight season.
"It is more responsibility since last year I was just a player," Carter said. "I can kind of just take what (Ryan) did and hopefully expand upon it."
Willmar has three juniors on the roster with Sam Loerzel, Preston Kath and Lucas Riemersma. There are four sophomores in Ethan Eckhoff, Mason Munkholm, Anis Daud and Judah Van Horne. The freshman class is the biggest with five members: Deven Hegreberg, Camden Lager, JD Swenson, Santiago Maciel and Nick Runke.
"We've been working off a little rust but it's coming along pretty good," Carter said of the early-season practices. "I have pretty high hopes for the team. We're a pretty young team."
Carter added it's helpful having Brandt back as head coach to bring the young squad up to speed.
"It's going to be easier to practice because we've already gone through the drills and we should be able to help the newer players," Carter said. "We should be able to pick up more momentum this year."
The lineup is very open at this point, according to Brandt. Carter is slotted in at the No. 1 singles spot. Loerzel and Hegreberg should fall into either the No. 2 and 3 singles slots.
"Carter will be a solid one singles this year," Brandt said,. "After that, it's really open."
For doubles, Camden is in the mix alongside Nehemiah and Swenson. The rest has to play out when the weather cooperates and the Cardinals can get more time on the court.
"They're building a lot of skill," Brandt said. "Last year was eye-opening. Last year, they didn't know continental grip and they were doing a lot of what I'd call granny-shot serving. They now know what I'm expecting and I'm seeing it more on a day-to-day basis which is good to see."
Whether it's helped by improved results or something as flashy as an extra effort championship belt, Carter is hoping this season lays groundwork for success on a young Cardinals team.
"I just hope that our players can not think about just winning but playing their best so they can improve," Carter said. "Our team is very young. ... We have a great program but we can bring it to a better place and kind of build it up."