Osakis senior Isaac Maddock is a throwback to the way high school tennis players were a half-century ago.
He doesn't have a tennis professional to help him in his spare hours. His coach is his father, Ryan, who is also the head coach for both the Osakis boys and girls teams.
He doesn't have regular access to indoor courts the way most top players do, forcing him to travel more than an hour from Osakis down I-94 to Sartell. Often, Maddock, his father and sister Leah, a sophomore who is also a successful player, will use the outdoor courts in town well into November.
Even with the difficulties of finding places to play and maintain his game, Maddock is undefeated this season (22-0) and earned the No. 1 seed in the singles bracket of the Class 1A tournament, which begins Tuesday and runs through Friday. The first two days are the team tournament. Individuals take center stage Thursday and Friday.
The Class 2A competition will be at Baseline Tennis Center at the University of Minnesota, Class 1A at Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis.
While other top players try to stay sharp through the winter months, Maddock takes that time away from tennis to play basketball. He still manages to wedge in tennis workouts during the winter, but he suspects taking most of three months off has actually benefited his tennis.
"I hit outside almost every day in the summer and fall and I'm having to deal with different conditions, which takes a mental focus," he said. "It can be pretty mentally exhausting at times. It's kind of nice to not have to keep up that focus for four, five months of the year."
But when the courts in Osakis are finally clear of snow, often helped along by Maddock family labor, Isaac starts hitting. It doesn't take long for the athletic, 5-9 righthander to find his game.
He finished as runner-up in the singles bracket last year, falling to Mounds Park Academy's Evan Fraser in the final. Fraser had been ranked No. 1 in Class 1A for most of the season.
"It was a perfect situation because most people didn't know who I was," Maddock said. "They hadn't seen me play, and I took advantage of that."
Maddock is not sneaking up on anyone this year, but he's confident that won't matter.
"I had a lot to celebrate last year," he said. "I achieved a lot. So I'm loose and I'm not feeling any pressure."
In the 1A team competition, expect No. 1-ranked St. Paul Academy, the defending champion, and No. 3 Rochester Lourdes to vie for the team title.
Class 2A
Wayzata is positioned to sweep the team and individual championships in the large class.
The No. 1-seeded Trojans are 20-1, their only loss coming to a team from Illinois in April. Their biggest challenges will come from No. 2 seed Rochester Mayo and No. 3 Blake.
Wayzata also features one of the top singles players in the state in senior Collin Beduhn. Beduhn, who stands 6-7 and wins with power, has been the top-ranked player in the state since defeating rival Matthew Fullerton of Edina in April.
Fullerton is his chief rival, having defeated Beduhn in an epic three-set state championship match last June.
Beduhn is seeded No. 1 in the bracket, Fullerton No. 2. Good friends, they will both play at Wisconsin next year.
