There’s no denying the loss of 2016 state singles champion Justin Toler impacts the Concord High boys’ tennis team as it prepares for the 2017 season. But what the Crimson Tide brings back from last year’s 14-2 group that reached the Division I semifinals may prove to outweigh that loss by the end of the campaign.
Other than Toler, a two-time doubles champ who is now playing at Endicott College, Concord returns its entire varsity lineup. Seniors Aidan Connor, Adam Bryant, Sebastian Hart-Meyer and Matt Chorlian will play Nos. 1-4, respectively, when the courts are clear from snow and the season begins (it was scheduled to start Monday).
Junior Kevin Neary, last year’s No. 6, will take one step up the ladder like the four seniors and start the season at No. 5. Freshman Ethan Crandlemire earned the final spot in the top six after the indoor round-robin challenges.
“To have a veteran group coming back is going to make a difference for us, I think, especially in a year where court time has been so limited,” said Dave Page, now in his 13th year as Concord’s head coach. “These kids have come back pretty focused and pretty locked in.”
That focus starts at the top with Connor, last year’s No. 2 who said he played four or five times a week during the offseason. He already had the game to compete at the top level of NHIAA tennis, and the extra work has given him more consistency to go with it. He understands taking over at No. 1 comes with some pressure, but he also knows he can compete with the state’s best players since he plays with some of them in the offseason.
“I definitely have big shoes to fill with Justin gone,” said Connor, who won the doubles title with Toler last year. “So I’ve just been trying to get better and see what I can do.”
Page, for one, thinks he can do quite well.
“I think (Connor) has the potential to play with anybody in the state,” he said said. “From his freshman year to his senior year, he has improved as much as just about any kid I’ve ever coached. And it’s all his doing. He takes it upon himself to take lessons, to play tournaments, and now he plays men’s league, too. He’s got a lot of experience against high level competition. So, yes, it is a step up to take over the No. 1 spot, but I think he’s ready for that challenge and he’s eager for that challenge.”
That focus and dedication make Connor, who was a captain last year, a natural leader. But the Tide has no shortage of leaders, or leadership styles, among its seniors.
“(Connor) is very self motivated and he organizes the other kids and I think they follow his lead. And they follow (Bryant, also a captain last year), too, he’s got a strong personality and some intensity,” Page said. “(Chorlian) is a little quieter, but he sort of leads by example. And then (Hart-Meyer) is good with the younger kids. He keeps them relaxed and people are pretty open with him.”
Those four seniors aren’t just teammates, they’re also close friends off the court. The extra bonds are a bonus … most of the time
“I think having your friends on the team can help throughout almost every part of the season, apart from challenge matches. Nobody likes to lose to or beat their friends,” Connor said. “It’s probably one of the most stressful things I’ve done in my life, playing my best friends for spots on the ladder. But other than that, I think playing with your friends is really, really good.”
Just on the strength of those seniors and Neary, Concord would have been a favorite to finish in the top four of D-I this year. The addition of three freshmen – Crandlemire, No. 7 Anders Norton and No. 9 Liam Grennon – could help push the Tide even further and it’s certainly a good sign for the future of the program. Newcomer senior Thomas Burns (No. 7), sophomores Philip O’Sullivan (No. 10) and Jon Shamash (No. 11) and senior Richie Clar (No. 12) round out the top-12 for the Tide.
“We’ve got some depth, which we haven’t always had in the past,” Page said. “We’ve got a kid with a 95 mph serve at 12. We’ve got nine or 10 kids that I would trust to use in a match. It’s a long season and there’s a lot that can happen, but we have a good group of kids and I’m excited to begin the journey.”
The biggest matches currently scheduled for that journey will come April 24 at Bedford and May 8 against Derryfield. Bedford has won seven straight D-I titles and holds an 81-match winning streak. But the Bulldogs lost three of the top six from the team that beat Derryfield in last year’s final, 7-2, and those Cougars return five of their top six.
“Hanover will be good, Pinkerton and Exeter will be good again,” Connor said when asked about the competition in D-I, “but Bedford and Derryfield are the ones I’m worried about.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @tosullivan20.)