The high school boys tennis season is a wrap, which gives us a chance to select our All Area Team and MVP for 2026.
And while it was another strong season for Rockford-area players, there was one who stood out among the rest.
“It was another good finish for me, I’d say,” Hononegah senior Braden Monson said of his postseason run to one of the top 16 players in the state. “I could have had more, but I’ll take top 16.”
And although he fell just short of becoming Rockford’s first top-six state medalist in Class 2A in 29 years, Monson is the Rockford Register Star’s clear choice for its boys tennis MVP.
Braden Monson, Hononegah (MVP)
Monson came close to his goal, placing in the top 16 at the IHSA boys state tennis tournament. The four-time NIC-10 singles champ, who was top-24 last year, ran into Hersey’s Matthew Sikorski, last year’s 2A singles champion, in the third round. That was his undoing.
He earned three victories in the state tourney and another Rockford Register Star MVP nod. Monson was also our boys tennis player of the year last year.
He will play for NCAA Division III Berry College, a school that is one of the hosts for the D-III national championships next season.
Austin Altangerel, Auburn
Altangerel won 6-3, 6-2 in Round 1 at state, and then followed that up with a 6-1, 6-4 win in the second round. He bowed out after that, but his exceptional start showed what he’s made of.
Landon Horn/Kevin Aulner, Lutheran
Horn and Aulner were the only other Rockford-area qualifiers to win a match in the championship bracket of the state tourney, starting things off with a 6-3, 6-3 straight-set victory.
Carter Plesic/Evan Wanless, Hononegah
This tandem had a strong regular season and a good showing at sectionals as well. But they bowed out of state without a win.
Jonathan Escamilla, Cristian Ruiz-Paliero, Freeport
This pair earned the NIC-10 doubles MVP as voted on by the coaches, and they were strong throughout the regular season this year. Ruiz-Paliero is a junior and Escamilla is a sophomore.
Yashwin Padmanabhan/Jay Patel, Auburn
Two freshmen, this tandem is sure to be a couple of names to watch coming up. They got off to a solid start, too, eventually falling in the sectional semis to end their season.
Cade Parrovechio and Jared Delgado, Belvidere North
This duo was undefeated through conference play through the first half of the season, and they finished up the regular season with a 12-4 record.
Mark Green/Connor Hunley, Rochelle
This tandem earned a consolation bracket victory and went 1-2 at state, and that came after a strong regular season that saw them earn a conference title. Green, Monson and Freeport’s No. 2 doubles team were the only ones to win matches at state last year.
Diego Robles-Sanchez, Freeport
After winning the singles title at the Rochelle Sectional to qualify for state for the second year in a row, Robles-Sanchez was rushed into emergency surgery on his appendix and had to miss the tournament. His surgery was successful and he expects to recovery fully, but he missed his senior year at state.
Philip Winters, Rochelle
Winters placed second behind Robles-Sanchez in the Rochelle Sectional, and it was a battle. Winters was unable to gather any wins at state, but that doesn’t take away his strong regular season.
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Check out Rockford area’s 2026 Boys Tennis All Area Team and MVP
Reporting by Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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By Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star | USA TODAY Network
