They had identical records coming into the match, 14-1, with each team’s loss coming against the same opponent. They played a thriller in last year’s semifinal and they are two of the state’s storied tennis programs. So it’s no surprise that No. 2 Concord and No. 3 Derryfield split the first four singles matches in Thursday’s Division I semifinal.
The last two singles contests were tight and could have been swayed with a different shot here or there. As it turned out, Derryfield found a way to claim those final singles points and give itself a comfortable lead that eventually turned into a comfortable 7-2 win and a spot in Tuesday’s D-I final against No. 1 Bedford (16-0), the three-time defending champs.
“I think it was more the way the singles ended than the number (a 4-2 lead for the Cougars), that’s what ultimately really hurt us,” Concord Coach Dave Page said. “I think so many times in the last few years we’ve had the late singles win that gave us momentum going into the doubles, and it went the other way today in two really hard-fought matches.”
The first of those two matches to end was at No. 3 where Derryfield’s Max Curtin fought off an inspired performance from Adam Bryant with a 9-7 win.
“Adam really played an exceptional match,” Page said. “He played a kid who has not been pushed at all this season and pushed him to the limit.”
Using a big serve and a heavy forehand, Curtin raced out to a 4-1 lead. That’s when Bryant made his move, winning two straight games to make it 4-3. The two traded games from there until Bryant won another pair to tie things at 7-7.
“I just fought for every ball,” Bryant said. “He hits it hard and with a lot of topspin, but I chased down every ball because you never know what happens if you get it back. So after it was 4-1, I just tried to get every ball back and it started working. I gave it my all.”
Bryant actually had a 15-40 lead with Curtin serving and the score tied at 7-7, but that’s when Curtin found a new gear. He bombed serves to escape that hole and then used that heavy topspin to break Bryant for the match.
“He stepped it up,” Bryant said.
When those two left the court the only match still in progress was No. 2 singles, where Concord’s Aidan Connor was battling with Gavin Schilling. Both players were impressive, hitting shots normally reserved for the No. 1 court. Connor had a chance to break when he had a 0-40 lead with Schilling leading 6-5, but, like Curtin, Schilling served his way out of trouble for the critical win and eventually claimed an 8-6 decision that gave the Cougars their 4-2 cushion heading into doubles.
“Aidan had his chances in a back-and-forth match. (Schilling) was maybe a little fresher at the end,” Page said. “But losing those two was tough because we knew it would be very difficult to sweep doubles against a team of Derryfield’s caliber. They’re so aggressive at the net.”
Page was right about Derryfield’s doubles play. The Cougars used smart and aggressive tactics, crisp volleys and no-prisoner overheads to take quick leads at second and third doubles. The early scores seemed to boost the Cougars and put a little extra weight on the Tide’s shoulders.
Concord rallied a bit on those latter two doubles courts, but it wasn’t enough. Derryfield’s Jeff Pratt and Ethan Chen grabbed the clinching point with an 8-3 win at third doubles. Curtin and Brock Higley won 8-3 at second doubles about 10 minutes later. And the Cougars completed their doubles sweep when Sam Grondin and Schilling beat Connor and Justin Toler, 8-6. It was just the second loss of the year for Concord’s top doubles team.
The Tide got its points from Toler at No. 1 (8-4 win over Grondin) and Matt Chorlian at No. 4 (8-3 win over Higley). Derryfield’s singles points came from Schilling, Curtin, Pratt (8-1 win at No. 5) and Chen (8-2 win at No. 6).
Toler trailed early against Grondin, who was nailing serve returns at an alarming rate. But Toler weathered the storm and raised his own game a notch to reel off four of the last five games. Don’t be surprised if these two meet somewhere deep in the singles tournament, which begins June 4.
Chorlian’s win was an upset, especially considering he is normally Concord’s No. 5 player who had to move up to No. 4 after Sebastian Hart-Meyer sprained his ankle during the warmups of the quarterfinal match against Pinkerton.
“(Higley) is obviously a better tennis payer than I am, and I thought they only way I could beat him was to mentally beat him,” Chorlian said. “So I just kind of had to get it back as much as I could to let him make the mistakes and get mad at himself, and it worked out.”
The tournament as a while may not have worked out quite so well for the Crimson Tide, but it was still another stellar season for Concord tennis.
“We pushed a really good team today and I think we brought some real good tennis out of Derryfield. We can definitely be proud of our year,” Page said. “I wish it would have ended differently, but I think it was a fair result given the quality of the teams. And our kids just need to know we’ve got five of the top six coming back (everyone but Toler) and if they all can improve there’s no reason we cant be back at this stage again.”