Do you recall The Little Engine That Could?
The Mt. Blue boys’ tennis team may see that train as a kindred spirit. The Cougars have already won the most meets in a single season in school history and could enter the Eastern Class A playoffs seeded as high as sixth.
“It’s a good story: The team in the sticks,” said Mt. Blue coach John Schoen. “We always start up a week or two late, and the players from Southern schools (often) play year-round. The only time my boys play tennis is in-season. It’s certainly not a veteran group (one senior), but we have a good mix.”
Schoen believes the team is comprised of good athletes who take the sport seriously. The results have been paying off for a team that has pulled off impressive wins over Cony and Mt. Ararat.
“A big difference this season has been our competitivess,” Schoen said. “We’ve had some close meets, but the win over Cony was big. That’s the first time we’d ever beaten them since joining the conference seven years ago. We hadn’t beaten Mt. Ararat in a few years, but we did let the Waterville meet slip away.”
Leading the way has been junior Pete Tinguely, who entered Monday’s meet against Brunswick 11-0 at No. 2 singles. Tim Roberts, the lone senior, is 8-3 at No. 3 singles. Sophomore Tyler Schoen, the coach’s son, has held his own against each opponent’s top player.
The Cougars have also relied on Joe Fowler and Wes Hinds, who are 6-2 at No. 1 doubles. Nate Underkuffler and Arnold Ross have teamed up several times at No. 2 doubles.
SAD 9 doesn’t provide funding for the coaching staff. Coach Schoen is assisted by community volunteers.
“It’s a fun group,” Schoen said. “I tend to get some of the brightest and talented athletes to come out for tennis. They always have some interesting stories to tell, especially on the bus rides.”
Saints marching on
The St. Dom’s boys’ program hasn’t achieved a tremendous number of victories this season, in part because several returning players needed to adjust to new positions on the ladder or new doubles partners.
“We’ve struggled this season,” St. Doms coach Jamie Boucher said. “Overall, the tennis year was good. OK, maybe not the record (3-6), but they were a good bunch of kids who had fun this year. We do have a young team with no seniors, and they have faced some tough players.”
The team played a rare doubleheader last week against Lake Region and won both meets. Because of the limited time, the matches were each reduced to pro sets with the first player to win eight games coming out on top. The double dip was necessary due to a rash of rainouts.
St. Dom’s finished up with a busy week that included meets against Scarborough, Waynflete and another doubleheader (boys and girls) with North Yarmouth Academy this afternoon in Lewiston.
The order of the players has changed through out the spring, but the singles contributors are juniors Chris Dubay and Mike Perreault and sophomore Josh Moreau. Each is a rookie at singles.
“In order for them to succeed in the future, they’ll need to put the time in,” Boucher said. “If they continue to play and improve their skills during the summer, then they may be more successful next year.”
Juniors Joseph Bissonnette and Nate Burns and brothers Chris and Tom Gosselin led the doubles rotation.
Still on top
It’s a mild surprise to see the Lewiston girls team unbeaten again this season, because several players had to adjust to new positions. But the two-time defending Class A champions met the challenge with consistent play.
Seniors Amy Sarrazin is playing better than before, and Katie A. Morin’s game has gone up several notches. Both players remain unbeaten in team play. The first doubles team of Roxanne Healey and Beth Melanson also have prevailed in every league match.
“I am really happy with the way my team has improved throughout this season,” coach Anita Murphy said. “There were some concerns early on. There’s Katie Morin, who has moved up from doubles. I’m not surprised that she is playing so well. She has all the mechanics, and she has put them to good use.”
The No. 2 doubles team of Amanda Bergeron and freshman Jessica Roy are playing well but still need to work on strategies. The young Royhas a great partner in Bergeron, who brings a positive attitude that has been reassuring to the rookie.
Alli Bleakney struggled out of the gate, but is playing great tennis at this point. She has stepped into the No. 3 singles position with confidence.
Lewiston will enter the playoffs ranked second behind unbeaten Brunswick, but teams from Cony, Mount Ararat and Edward Little are capable of pulling off early-round upsets. Lewiston beat Brunswick in the Eastern final last year.
Lewiston and EL played against Western teams from the Southern Maine Activities Association, but for the past two seasons they have been seeded for tournament play in the East. Both schools will switch over to the KVAC next year and compete against Eastern teams all season.
“It is kind of unusual,” Murphy said. “We play in the West, but when it comes to singles and playoffs, we move to the East. This will be the last year we do that. What makes it a little interesting for the playoffs is the fact that we haven’t played any of these teams in the regular season, so the unknown is there.”
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