RAPID CITY - Could the numbers add up for a third consecutive state high school boys tennis title for the Rapid City Stevens Raiders?

Or is Sioux Falls O'Gorman poised to retake the top of the podium after being the bridesmaid to the Raiders during the past two years?

Answers to those questions will begin falling into place when the South Dakota State High School Tennis Tournament starts a three-day run today in Rapid City.

The single-class tournament is headquartered at Sioux Park, with matches also played at the Memorial Park and North Middle School courts.

First-round singles play starts at 9 a.m., with the first round of doubles action getting started at 1 p.m. at all three sites.

Because of byes, many of the top-seeded singles and doubles players won't see their first action until the second round, starting later today.

Play continues Friday with semifinal and championship matches set for Saturday.

The Raiders and Knights have battled for the state trophy the past three seasons. O'Gorman held off Stevens for the title in 2005, but the Raiders have won the last two - with O'Gorman finishing second both years.

The Raiders boast four returning state champions in the top four singles flights and also return two of their three state champion doubles teams.

The Raiders are led by returning Flight 1 singles state champion Billy Paluch (19-0), Flight 2 champion Jack Hamburg (17-0), Flight 3 titlist Gib Moyle (18-1), and Flight 5 state champion J.J. Shultz in Flight 4.

Paluch and Hamburg ruled Flight 1 doubles, with Moyle and Shultz winning Flight 2. Lost to graduation were Flight 3 state champions Cody Malik and Phil Henzlik.

The Raiders have less state tournament experience in the lower third of the lineup.

Freshman Stephen Tibbles is 16-4 in Flight 5 and junior Cody Eslinger is 13-6 at Flight 6. Tibbles and Eslinger are 11-5 at Flight 3 doubles, records which could pose some seeding problems for the Raiders.

"It's going to be really difficult for us at the lower flights," Raider coach Jason Olson said. "O'Gorman is so strong from the top down that every point is going to matter."

Stevens scored a record 765 points in winning its second consecutive title last year, but most watchers are expecting a much closer tournament between the Raiders and Knights this year.

The Knights, whose last state titles came in 2005 and 2003, are indeed stout from top to bottom.

Stevens downed O'Gorman 7-2 in a dual last weekend in Sioux Falls, but the Knights edged Stevens for the team title in the Rapid City Invitational earlier in the season, in a format similar to that of the state tournament.

O'Gorman is led by freshman Brad Entwistle and junior Jameson Goetz, both 17-3, Elliott Czarnecki (18-3), last year's sixth-flight state champion Kevin Rance (19-1), Paul Fahrendorf (15-2), and eighth-grader Anthony Rauschenback (18-0).

"We like our team, there's no doubt about that, and we like our chances," O'Gorman coach Don Barnes said. "We're here to play hard and give it our best and we are also here to win."

Both coaches said the first two days of the tournament are all about not worrying about the third day.

"We just need to pay attention to O'Gorman, and take it one match at a time. You don't have to beat the whole state. You don't want to get caught up in worrying about down the road too far or your last point," Barnes said. "It takes the kids with the courage and the determination to focus on their next game."

"Our goal is one day, and one match at a time and get everybody through, get as many as we can into the semis," Olson concurred. "If we look ahead, that's dangerous because there are some kids out there that can beat us."

Other top-flight players to watch for include Aberdeen Central's Dane Rasmussen, a junior, at 11-6, and Huron senior Tanner McCaskell, 16-9.

Sioux Falls Roosevelt is led by junior Kyle Lambertz, 7-5. Senior Jared Drenkow (11-5) leads Sioux Falls Washington. Pierre's Alex Lauseng, a senior, is 12-9. Sioux Falls Lincoln junior Evan Gardner is 12-6, as is Rapid City Central senior Cale Barber.

The Cobblers are hoping to improve on their ninth-place finish last year.

"Our goal every year is top five," Central coach Scott Sturlaugson said. "That's not just a coach's goal, that's a team goal."

Joining Barber is senior Evan Sims (13-6), junior Dan Tully (15-4), junior Tom Tolman (13-6), eighth-grader Jonathan Reis (14-5) and freshman Karsten Jordan (14-5).

Shamus O'Daniel partners with Reis in No. 3 doubles for the Cobblers.

"Talent is wonderful to have, but with state tournaments, it's controlling your emotions and playing up to your capabilities," said Sturlaugson. "In order to do their best, our kids not only have to put their talent forward, but have this competitive attitude that refuses to lose. I think with the year we've had, a top-five finish is very realistic."