Jason Stadler only expected to be the Kearsarge girls’ tennis coach for one season. The school needed a coach, and his daughter Addy was a senior, so he stepped up. The team finished 16-0 en route to a D-III championship.
But the school still couldn’t find anyone else to lead the team for this season, so Stadler’s back again for year two.
All five of his top players from last season graduated, so it’s a new group that he’ll rely on in 2023.
The team now has eight seniors, but five are first-time players, so Stadler will have to take on more than just an administrative and advisory role.
“I’ve gotta get down to the basics like, ‘Here’s how you hold a racket, here’s how you swing the racket, here’s how you score the game,’” he said.
Junior Tori Montagna – Stadler’s sixth-best player from last year – will co-captain the team with senior Kelsey Kane. He hopes their leadership can help guide the more inexperienced players as well.
Senior Meg Lizotte and sophomore Anela Branco will also fill larger roles this season.
“Last year, I was managing and had a great team that could kind of coach themselves,” he said. “This year, I’m going to have to see how my coaching skills are.”
On the Kearsarge boys’ side, head coach Lynn Miller will also have some younger talent she needs to break in this season.
The team finished 15-2 last year as the D-III runners-up, losing to Plymouth in the championship.
A big focus for Miller so far this season is on teaching her players strong technique.
“It’s challenging for the first-year kids, kids that have never played before,” she said. “But I also know that those are the kids that are going to be in the starting lineup in a year or two.”
Among the returners, Miller’s relying on senior captain Davis West to help lead the way.
“He’s conscientious and lots of times the success of your team has a lot to do with leadership on the team,” she said. “If they’re all doing the right things and trying to follow instructions, they benefit from that.”
Junior Thomas Shepherd, and sophomores Liam Miller, Graham West, Camden Blasingame and Robert Seney all return some playing experience as well, while freshmen Eli Whipple and William Reid join the Cougars’ ranks.
CONCORD
Coach: Kevin Parsons (2nd year)
Last year: 6-9, reached D-I prelims
Returning starters: Finn Brown, sr.; Carter Pratt jr.
Top newcomers: Martin Pennington, fr.; Carl Sirrianna, so.; Oliver Quinn, so.
Outlook: “We have a solid team this year,” second-year coach Parsons said. “All of the guys are committed and work well together. We have lots of room for improvement having two freshmen in our lineup. Our captains Brown and Pratt are helping their new teammates adjust to this level.”
Teams to beat: Bedford, Derryfield, Dover
Coach: Jay Yvars (2nd year)
Last year: 12-3, reached D-II semifinals
Returning starters: Dominik Jurcins, sr.; Cy Yvars, sr.; Patrik Jurcins, so.; Aaron Barrieau, jr.
Top newcomers: Brenton Abdulah, fr.
Outlook: With the return of Bow’s top two players from last year – Dominik Jurcins and Cy Yvars – coach Yvars expects, “We will have a competitive year. It is a little early to determine how our season will go, but I am confident we will be competitive with our returning players. Our strengths will be with our two returning seniors. Our weaknesses will be the inexperience of some of our younger players.”
Teams to beat: Lebanon, Coe-Brown, Bow, Portsmouth, Windham
Coach: Sam Struthers (1st year)
Last year: 9-6, reached D-II quarterfinals
Returning starters: James Larson-Clarke, jr.; Owen Perra, jr.
Top newcomers: Max Heigis, jr.; Ciaron Kenyon, so.; Graison Odom, so.; Luke Melanson, so.; Jack Broadstone, so.; Landon Beattie, so.
Outlook: Struthers, who is also Coe-Brown’s athletic director, is taking the reins from his older brother Mark, who filled in temporarily last season.
“We graduated a lot of strong players, but this group has the opportunity to do very well and surprise some teams,” coach Struthers said.
Teams to beat: Portsmouth, Winnacunnet, Oyster River
Coach: Greg Malette (2nd year)
Last year: 3-11, did not make D-I tournament
Returning starters: Grace Ferguson, sr.; Alex Grappone, sr.
Top newcomers: Sarah Malette, so.; Clover Doperalski, fr.; Caledonia Mahon, fr.; Jaelyn Higgins, fr.
Outlook: The Tide’s roster had a lot of turnover in the offseason. “Our new starters need to focus on their mental game (court awareness, ball trajectory, etc.) while they handle the emotions of match play,” coach Malette said.
Teams to beat: Bedford, Manchester Central, Dover, Derryfield, Hanover
Coach: Steve Langevin (2nd year)
Last year: 10-5, reached D-II prelims
Returning starters: Sudy Chakraborty, sr.; Jaden Glace, so.; Grace Modzeleski, so.
Outlook: The Falcons graduated last year’s Nos. 1, 2 and 4, but return three solid players in Chakraborty, Glace and Modzeleski. Seniors Rachel Pelletier and Maddie Kiniry, and sophomore Katie McCabe were outside the top six last year, but have climbed the ladder to the varsity ranks this season.
“They have all made nice strides since last season,” Langevin said. “I am encouraged by what I have seen from them so far. Sophomores Maddy Desrosiers and Makaylie Laws have also shown lots of improvement and give us some depth outside our top six.
Teams to beat: Portsmouth, Winnacunnet, Alvirne, Souhegan, Oyster River
Coach: Chris Burns (3rd year)
Last year: 8-7, reached D-II prelims
Returning starters: Abby Coleman, jr.; Anna Reiff, jr.; Susie Lavoie, jr.
Top newcomers: Lily Silvester, sr.; Josephine Antosiewicz, sr.; Lauren Gibson, sr.; Becca Scruton, sr.
Outlook: The Bears have a large roster with varying levels of experience, including four seniors who are trying tennis for the first time.
“The girls’ tennis team here seems very devoted to getting better,” Burns said. “We have a wide range of experience and not getting outside on the courts (due to the snow) for the first week was a little tough. We have many new faces, but we have a lot of athletic ability.”
Coach: David Goulet (8th year)
Last year: 1-13, did not make D-II tournament
Returning starters: Emma Parsons, sr.; Hailey Ranfos, sr.; Abby Collins, sr.; Autumn LaGrenade, jr.
Top newcomers: Emma Settles, fr.; Leila Thomas-Guerzon, sr.
Outlook: With 13 players on the roster and six returning players, the Spartans are a deeper and more experienced squad than they’ve had in recent years.
“The girls have been working hard at practice and we hope to hang well with the teams in our division,” Goulet said. “We plan on having a great season this year.”
BISHOP BRADY
Coach: Rebecca Killinger (1st year)
Last year: 8-8, reached D-II quarterfinals
Returning starters: Laura Yap, jr.; Anya Koshy, so.; Abigail Michie, jr.; Maddy Cole-Tucker, jr.; Avery Sahr, so.; Cameryn Howe, sr.
Top newcomers: Berta Paniego-Hernandez, sr.
Outlook: The Giants are in a new division (D-III) and have a new coach – former Concord High coach Killinger – but return a large group of veteran players who have trained hard in the offseason.