AnnArbor.com's seventh of 10 fall sports previews takes a look at Washtenaw County's boys tennis teams.

John Adams (sr.), Greenhills: One half of Greenhills’ No. 1 doubles state championship team as a junior, Adams takes over the No. 1 singles flight this year. He has big shoes to fill, replacing two-time defending state champ Chris Song.

Kevin Chang (jr.), Huron: A state semifinalist at No. 2 singles last year. Huron coach Stefan Welch thinks he’s the best player on a stacked 2010 River Rats roster.

Garrett Halpert (jr.), Pioneer: A three-star college recruit, according to TennisRecruiting.com, Halpert will aim to improve on his run to the state quarterfinals at No. 1 singles last season.

CHELSEA BULLDOGS In a time when most teams are experiencing a decline in numbers, Chelsea has its deepest roster in years with 35 players competing for a lineup spot. The challenge now for coach Rahn Rosentreter is finding a lineup that can gel.

Coach: Rahn Rosentreter Last Season: Placed 19th at the Division 3 state finals. Key Returners: T.J. Derosia, (sr.), Henry Mountain (sr.), Jake Ripberger (sr.), Henry Rutherford (sr.), Zach Shepers (sr.), Dylan Shepers (sr.), Aaron Zynda, (sr.). Key Newcomers: Garrett Livernoys (so.). Strength: The Bulldogs have tons of veteran talent. Weakness: Singles play. Outlook: If Chelsea gets a favorable regional draw, like it did last year, it could make a bigger splash at the state tournament. Coach Rosenstreter Says: “With nine of the 12 back, they should only get stronger, but we’re a program that could be one injury away from starting all over. We’re not a tennis factory like some schools. “

DEXTER DREADNAUGHTS In many sports over the past couple of years, Dexter has had to move up from Division 2 to Division 1 (or Class B to Class A), but that is not the case in tennis. Dexter draws from one of the larger student bodies in Division 2 for tennis and is normally positioned apart from traditional powerhouses in its regional draw. Those factors could equate to a fifth straight trip to the Division 2 state finals for the Dreadnaughts.

Coach: Mike Dziama Last Season: Placed 15th at the Division 2 state finals. Key Returners: Jake Currie (sr.), Alex Hiner (sr.), Shane Torrey (sr.), Connor Ullmann (sr.). Key Newcomers: Aman Mandair (fr.), Graham Northrup (fr.), Chris Schwartzenberger (fr.), AJ Sterlitz (fr.), Kyle Worthy (fr.). Strength: Depth and experience at singles play. Weakness: Consistency at doubles. Outlook: A senior-laden Chelsea squad will make it tough for the Dreadnaughts to make a push for the SEC White crown, but making it back to states is very achievable. Coach Dziama Says: “I expect to have a solid team that will compete very well in the tournaments we are scheduled to play.”

FATHER GABRIEL RICHARD FIGHTING IRISH Last year, Gabriel Richard finished fourth in a tough Division 4 regional that included eventual state champion Greenhills and two more teams that finished in the top eight in the state. The bad news for the Irish is that they will be in that same region again. The good news is, if they can qualify out of that region, they could be competitive at the state tournament.

Coach: Jim Sayed Last Season: 8-3, Catholic League Division AA champions. Key Returners: Ben Covington, Pat McKeone (sr.), (sr.), Thomas Nolan (sr.). Key Newcomers: J.P. Kelly (sr.), Tommy Repove (sr.), Max Yaos (sr.). Strength: Solid core of experienced players. Weakness: Inexperience in some flights. Outlook: Adding seniors Tommy Repove and J.P. Kelly - athletic seniors out for the first time who bring championship experience from the baseball diamond - will help the Irish contend for another Catholic League title and make a push for state qualification. Coach Sayed says: “I expect us to be competitive in our league, and win it even. That’s our goal is to win it like we did last year.

GREENHILLS GRYPHONS It will be hard to live up to the standard set by Greenhills’ previous two teams, which won back-to-back Division 4 state championships, with last year’s team scoring a school record 35 points at the state finals. But Greenhills has won five of the past eight state titles and has quality players moving up from the junior varsity who have patiently waited for their turn. The team’s depth provides coach Eric Gajar the luxury of not having to rush young talent into upper flights and makes the Gryphons strong from top to bottom.

Coach: Eric Gajar Last Season: Repeated as Division 4 state champions. Key Returners: John Adams (sr.), Ben Froehlich (sr.), A.J. Gay (sr.), David Goldfarb (sr.), Mithun Saha (so.). Key Newcomers: Thane Feldeisen (jr.) Shamik Ganguly (sr.), Zach Tsai (fr.). Strength: Depth and strength of schedule. Weakness: Many players lack match experience at the varsity level. Outlook: By taking the old “anybody, anywhere” approach to scheduling, Greenhills will be prepared for any and everything come state tournament time and should contend for the Division 4 title, as usual. Coach Gajar says: “We don’t have any dominant flights like we have in years past, but we’ll be strong throughout. We could be (dominant) when it’s all said and done, but they’re not there yet.”

HURON RIVER RATS The River Rats, currently ranked No. 2 in the Division 1 coaches association state poll, lost a lot of good talent, but that shouldn’t slow them down. They have probably the best doubles lineup in the area and have enough talent to make another deep run this season

Coach: Stefan Welch Last Season: State runners up in Division 1. Key Returners: Kevin Chang (jr.). Key Newcomers: Kevin Mei (fr.), Jack Petersen (fr.). Strength: Depth. “We’re always very deep at Huron, and we’ll be very tough at the lower doubles this year,” Welch said. Weakness: Although they’re talented, the River Rats are a bit inexperienced, with several underclassmen vying for spots. Outlook: The River Rats have completely reloaded and are probably the best team in the area again. A state title is not out of the question. Coach Welch Says: “Our goal is trying to get better day-by-day. Anything can happen at the state tourney at the end of the year. We have enough talent to be one of the top teams in the state.”

LINCOLN RAILSPLITTERS Though Lincoln’s lineup is littered with upperclassmen, many of the players are out for the team for the first time. Even the players with experience will be thrust into higher singles flights than their skill sets probably warrants, as all of them were doubles players last year and have to fill the void left by all four singles players from last year graduating.

Coach: Roger Reyes Last season: Second to last in the SEC White. Key Returners: Ian Bentrum (sr.), Zach Dunlop (jr.), Andrew Goska (sr.), Chad Opfermann (sr.), Key Newcomers: Joe Beltran (jr.), Zack Hunt (jr.), Joshua Keaton (jr.). Strength: Singles and a consistent ground game. Weakness: Serving. Outlook: Climbing out of the lower end of the SEC White standing will be a formidable task for the Railsplitters. Coach Reyes says: “I’ve got a lot of confidence in my singles players.”

MILAN BIG REDS Milan is still a young program relative to most of its competition, having been in existence for four years. Coach Nate Rodriguez has been with the team all four of those years and that continuity should help the program grow.

Coach: Nate Rodriguez Last Season: 0-6-1. Key Returners: Daniel Eliason (sr.), Jason Kuck (sr.), Garth Olson (sr.). Key Newcomers: Travis Matts (fr.), Garrett Olson (fr.), Jacob Simons (fr.). Strength: For the first time in the program's history, the seniors have four years of varsity experience. Weakness: Tough schedule. Outlook: Milan didn't get a win last year and with most of its matches against more established programs, it could be that way again. Coach Rodriguez says: "This group of seniors is the first to be with me all four years, so we should benefit from that experience."

PIONEER PIONEERS The Pioneers have eight returning seniors and 10 returning starters from last season. That’s a pretty good jumping-off point, eh? This team is stacked, and it knows it. Now, it’s whether Pioneer - currently ranked No. 1 in the state - can put it all together at the end, when it counts the most.

Coach: Tom Pullen Last Season: Finished third at the Division 1 state finals. Key Returners: Henry Beldin (sr.), Garrett Halpert (jr.), Matt Hing (sr.), Robert Kasemodel (sr.), Mac Moore (sr.), Will Russell (sr.), Hunter St. Pierre (sr.), Taylor Zdanowski (sr.). Key Newcomers: NA. Strength: Depth. “We’re going to get points from everybody,” Pullen said. Weakness: If Pullen had to pick one, he’d say overconfidence. This team knows it’s good, which could work in, or against, its favor. Weakness: Depleted resources at the lower grades due to the addition of Skyline High School. Because of the strength of this year’s senior class, the problem will take another year to be apparent. Outlook: The Pioneers’ lone goal is to win a state title and, with their senior-laden class, it’s a strong possibility. Coach Pullen Says: “We’re solid all the way down. I don’t think we’ll have eight state (flight) titles, but we’re solid all the way down in singles and doubles.”

SALINE HORNETS The Hornets are another team that’s not lacking in veteran experience. With tons of talent back, they’re looking to build on last year and qualify for the state tournament. Though still a step below Pioneer or Huron, Saline has emerged as the upper-middle class of the Southeastern Conference.

Coach: Andrew BeDell Last Season: Finished a few points shy of qualifying for the Division 1 state tournament. Key Returners: Will BeDell (sr.), Blake Ahadi (so.), Joon Shin (sr.), David Zick (jr.). Key Newcomers: Will Heider (so.), Shaym Shaah (fr.). Strength: Experience. Weakness: Winning the close matches. Outlook: The Hornets may be a top 10 team in the state, but they’re stuck in a league and region with Pioneer and Huron. If they can get out of their regional, they could do some damage at states. Coach BeDell says: “It’s the toughest regional in the state, but if we can get through it, we could make a run.”

SKYLINE EAGLES With coach Sean McBrady taking this season off because of a new baby at home, this will be an interesting year for Skyline. There’s a couple of solid returning players and some promising freshmen, but don’t expect the team to make too many waves in the postseason just yet.

Coach: Jim Deross Last Season: Fourth in the SEC Red. Key Returners: Ryan Jackson (jr.), Fajr Nijad (so.). Key Newcomers: Russell Chey (fr.), Kazuki Mutsuro (fr.). Strength: Doubles are pretty consistently matched from No. 1 to No. 4 and should be competitive with anyone. Weakness: Many players have no competitive experience. Outlook: Skyline hopes to achieve a winning record, but is still many steps from competing with Saline, Huron and Pioneer atop the SEC Red. Coach Deross says: “If I can achieve or improve upon what (McBrady) was able to do last year, then I’ll be happy.

YPSILANTI PHOENIX Ypsilanti is a young program with young players and a new coach. Brazilian exchange student Gabriel Araujo, whom the Phoenix relied on for most of their points at tournaments and who went undefeated during the regular season at No. 1 singles, is gone. That’s a big gap to fill at the top spot.

Coach: Jason Reed (1st year) Last Season: Last in the SEC White. Key Returners: Jack Davis (sr.), Erik Green (sr.), Tom Reynolds (jr.). Key Newcomers: Ben Darnell (fr,), Tyler Thompson (fr.). Strength: Raw talent. Weakness: Most of the players have little to no competitive experience. Outlook: “I’m not really concerned with wins and losses this season. I just want to see everybody as much as possible. And just have fun,” Reed said. Coach Reed Says: “I’m really excited for the future. I plan on coming back next year if the school will have me, and I’m excited to build on this, because we only have two seniors, so everybody is coming back.”