CONCORD, NH – Competing in the postseason for the first time in more than a decade, the Manchester Memorial High School boys tennis team made the most of the experience.
The Crusaders opened the Division-I tournament at home on Tuesday, shutting out Merrimack, 9-0. Then, Thursday, they made the short trek up I-93 to Concord High School where they went into doubles tied at 3 matches apiece before falling, 6-3, to the higher-seeded Crimson Tide
“It’s probably one of the best seasons we’ve had in a few years. Scores don’t necessarily reflect it, but we finished with three wins, including a playoff, which I believe makes us the winningest team at Memorial this spring,” said third-year Memorial head coach Shannon Moloney. “The kids played great.”
Against Concord, Memorial No. 1 Todd Tran and No. 2 Tiago Mendes each won their respective singles matches, 8-5 and 8-3, and No. 5 Cam Brown earned an 8-4 triumph. Sean Mcaffery fell, 8-3, and No. 4 Ryan Deary lost, 8-4, and No. 6 Hunter Chambers was shutout, 8-0, as the dueling squads tied through six singles matches.
Then, in doubles, Tran and Mendes were defeated, 8-6; Mcaffery and Deary lost, 8-2; and Brown and George Delmar lost a 9-7 tiebreaker.
The experience, said Moloney, was valuable this season, but also as a building block for the program and its future.
“Unfortunately, we lose a couple top seniors, but we have a lot of younger kids that should make the program successful in the years forward,” she said. “(The playoff experience) is definitely a motivator for them to come back next year and continue to do well.”
Tran, who has been Memorial’s top player since his freshman season, graduates this spring, as does his co-captain, Deary, and Chambers and Delmar as well.
“It’s just disappointing that they’re seniors and we have to lose them now,” said Moloney.
Alvirne 5, Derryfield 4
The Cougars traveled to Hudson Thursday and may have engaged in the competition of the day against Alvirne, battling the Broncos on every court before ultimately falling, 5-4.
“We knew we would have to fight hard on all courts, and we did,” said Leary.
Derryfield No. 1 Jack Schroeder and Alvirne junior Peyton Meuse put on a show on the first court, with Schroeder falling two-points short of the victory.
“Jack played his own game, read his opponent well, crashing the net and forcing the Alvirne player out of his comfort zone,” said Leary. “He led for a large portion of the match, but ultimately succumbed to the barrage of returns and heavy forehands from the Alvirne No. 1, losing 6-8.”
On the second court, Christopher Lynch played Meuse’s twin brother, Ashton, and battled to a closer-than-the-score-indicated 8-0 shutout, and No. 3 Chris Van Natta was defeated, 8-3, by Alvirne’s Tom Bondaruk. “(Van Natta) faced a great player who was having an unbelievable day,” said Leary. “After Chris came out with an early lead at 2-1, the Alvirne player ceased making unforced errors and began a period of flawless play that never ended.”
The Cougars showed their strength is in their depth, winning all three matches at the bottom of the ladder. including tight triumphs by Max Smith and Jack Krasnof on the fourth and fifth courts, respectively.
“Although (Smith) was feeling the pressure, he led for the entire match, playing his hallmark hard-hitting baseline shots. After two loose games at 7-4, Max put his opponent away with ease, 8-6,” said Leary. “In much the same way, Jack Krasnof was in control of his match. Jack was faced with a very consistent opponent who did not make a mistake. Jack found his stride and through well-timed net crashing, took the match, 8-6.”
Logan Goldberg left little doubt on the sixth court, convincingly defeating Broady Burlee, 8-1.
“From the first game, Logan had control of the match,” said Leary. “He showed his improvement from practice and moved his opponent in all directions, forcing errors.”
The split in singles meant the match would be decided in doubles action, beginning with an 8-0 setback by Schroeder and Lynch.
“The Meuse brothers from Alvirne showed their grit, jumping out to a quick lead on court one,” said Leary. “They played great doubles, picking our guys apart and finding holes through which to hit their hard forehands. Jack Schroeder and Christopher Lynch went through all the plays in their book, but could not find one that worked.”
Krasnof and Ben Brar jumped to a 4-1 lead on the third court before letting their opponents back into the match and eventually hanging on with constant movement at the net to pull out the 8-6 victory and even the teams back up at four matches apiece.
With the duel coming down to a deciding match on the second court, Smith and Van Natta, said Leary, overcame some nerves to remain close.
“At 4-5, Max and Chris had some narrow misses, dropping two games,” said Leary. “They knew they had to cut out the unforced errors, so they renewed their focus and pulled out the next two games making the score 6-7. In the final game the Alvirne players played big at the net, closing the middle and shutting down Max and Chris, 6-8.”
Bedford 9, Manchester Central 0
While Memorial earned a favorable first matchup against Merrimack, Central definitely drew the short straw when it came to the Division I tournament, becoming undefeated Bedford’s first playoff victim in its quest for a 11th-straight state championship. Competing Thursday afternoon at Bedford, the Little Green were bested, 9-0.
