SACO — As the spring season approaches, the Thornton Academy boys tennis team is preparing to defend its 2016 state championship, as well as develop new players after some notable roster turnover.

With the graduation of Jared Waterhouse, Dylan Gooch, and Viktor Schwarz, the Trojans will turn to their younger players to fill the void. TA coach Andrew Carlson has liked what he has seen in the early going.

“We graduated three of our top seven, and I think the guys that came back are in good shape. Some of those guys that have come back have worked on their game and have taken some pride in seeing if we can again be successful and put the pieces together,” said Carlson.

Some notable returners are Asher Thompson and Adam Lovejoy for doubles, as well as Jack Xiao and Dariy Vykhodtsev for singles.

Vykhodtsev, a sophomore, was last season’s runner up in the Maine state singles tournament, and has liked what he has seen so far.

“So far it’s been looking pretty strong. I’m liking everyone so far, we are cooperating well, it’s been good,” said Vykhodtsev.

Carlson also has faith in his younger players, and sees potential in the newcomers.

“Dariy has grown about six inches and put on 25 pounds of muscle, Jack Xiao has come back strong … then Asher and Adam have come back and are capable of moving up to first doubles,” said Carlson. “We’ve got some new guys and we’ll see how they develop … great attitude, some good work so far this week.”

Not only is TA hoping to see progress on the court, but it is also looking forward to seeing its new leaders take on greater responsibility off the court and in the locker room.

“The guys coming back really have got a great leadership attitude — they saw the model from last year of what it takes,” said Carlson. “They know that we have to be strong 1-7, and a lot of these guys that played JV for us last year have really improved. I think that gives us great depth.”

Vykhodtsev is looking forward to the challenge, and plans to take what he learned during last season’s title run along with him in 2017.

“My freshman year I practiced a lot, I also practiced my communication skills and learned how to talk to people. It was amazing, I learned that we need to keep the team together, and to make sure that no one falls apart when they have an off day,” said Vykhodtsev. “The key will to be to play the best we can and to have our best mindset.”

Carlson saw advancement from 2015 to 2016 as the Trojans completed back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, and believes that the 2017 Trojans can take another step forward in establishing TA as a powerhouse in the sport.

“It’s a continuation, we had a good year the year before, last year we had a lot of success … I would think that we could build off that this year,” said Carlson. “A lot of things have to go right for us to have another successful season — we have some good pieces, we’re going to have to have some good luck, guys are going to have to continue to develop and be hungry every time they step on the court.”

NOTE: Preseason action for the Trojans begins on Monday, April 3 when they head to Exeter, New Hampshire for a scrimmage against the Blue Hawks.

— Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter.