Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Minot High junior Zach Renaud hits a ball at a practice at Hammond Park. The Minot High School boys tennis team will participate in the state tournament in Grand Forks.

When Scott DeLorme observes the Minot High Schools boys tennis team, he notices a scrappy bunch.

The Magicians’ head coach will work with a lineup of seventh-graders, several underclassmen and juniors, and just one senior at this week’s state tournament in Grand Forks.

“They’re talented,” DeLorme said. “It’s going to be a great experience for them. I think we’re going to go there and compete at a pretty high level. They want to compete. It took us a little while to get to that point, and we had some growing pains early.”

Last week, the Magi (10-8, 5-1 WDA) earned a second-place finish at the WDA Team Dual Tournament in Bismarck. Although the Magi are young, five of the seven players played in last year’s state tournament.

“They have a great idea of what to expect,” DeLorme said. “Oftentimes, it’s the team who can balance that time. When your name is called and it’s time to go on the court, you’re ready to play. I think we have a crew that knows how to handle that.”

Because of the impending weather, the Magi will likely play indoors at Grand Forks’ Choice Health and Fitness throughout the three-day tournament. The elements create a unique set of challenges for participants.

“A weekend like this, it’s a grind,” DeLorme said. “With the weather that’s forecast, we’re going to be inside for three days. It’s a lot of sitting around and it’s a lot of waiting. Players getting anxious and players trying to find a way to get loose.”

Sophomore Zach Diehl will hold down the Magi’s No. 1 singles spot in Grand Forks.

“Diehl is starting to turn a corner,” DeLorme said. “He’s kind of been thrown to the wolves, playing the top players in the state all season long. He’s adjusting, and he’s talented enough to compete with those guys.”

Upperclassmen Ridge Jaeger and Jack Wolsky will serve as a doubles team, and seventh-grader Aiden Diehl and junior Zach Renaud comprise the other.

“We’re one of the younger teams in the state,” Wolsky said. “But we’ve got a lot of guys who step up and play some big matches. We always grind out matches and work hard for every ball.”

Wolsky and Jaeger have learned each others’ games through playing doubles. Both players enjoy hitting groundstrokes, but understand the importance of approaching the net.

Jaeger professed his belief in his teammates’ abilities.

“We have had a lot of kids on our team play players who are ranked higher than them,” he said. “They still come out on top. That’s pretty impressive. We’ve all been playing better, so I think it’s going to be a good tournament.”

The Magi will square off against defending state champion Grand Forks Central at 10 a.m. this morning. Back on Sept. 6, the Knights defeated the Magi 7-0.

“Even though the score was 7-0, we were competitive in many, many areas,” DeLorme said. “When we change to that 3-2 format, our goal is that we can throw a lineup out there that can cause them some trouble and give them some fits. They’re the defending state champs for a reason. They’ve definitely been in this situation, but we are excited for the matchup.”

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.