The circumstances were right for an upset – an unusual morning match at the end of vacation week with a top-six player missing. But the Concord High boys’ tennis team wasn’t sleepy, checked out or undermanned during Friday’s match against visiting Alvirne. Instead, the Crimson Tide took care of business with a crisp 9-0 victory.
“In singles we dealt well with a team that is very patient and gets a lot of balls back,” Concord Coach Dave Page said. “Sometimes that can pose problems, but we stuck with our game plan, we were patient and we finished off the points when we had the opportunity.”
The win pushes the Tide’s record to 5-1. Alvirne drops to 2-4.
“Looking at the schedule that we’ve had, to be 5-1 now, that’s a good start,” Page said. “I think we just have to keep building on that and keep working hard. We’re improving every day, but we’ve still got a ways to go.”
Concord was missing its No. 3 player, Adam Bryant, who is on a family vacation. That bumped the fourth, fifth and sixth players up a notch and put senior Eli Frydman into his first varsity singles match. Frydman showed he more than belonged on the varsity ladder with an 8-0 win against Colin Calnan at No. 6.
“I must have been a little nervous to start because the first game went to six deuces,” Frydman said. “But that worked out well, it was like extra warm-up time. After that, it was decisive.”
Frydman, an exceptionally bright student and athlete, figured out his opponent’s weakness and once he did that, “I just hammered it,” he said.
Sebastian Hart-Meyer played in Bryant’s spot at No. 3 and walked off the court with an impressive 8-0 win against Jake Auger. Hart-Meyer, who is new to the top six this year, got in the habit of trying to start matches too quickly during the first part of the season. On Friday, he took his time to find a rhythm and that plan worked to perfection. Not only was he steadier than Auger, an athletic lefty with a powerful backhand, after a few games Hart-Meyer also was the more aggressive of the two.
Matt Chorlian moved up to the No. 4 spot and also came away with an 8-0 win. Chorlian won most of his points by staying consistent and waiting for his opponent, Cam Richall, to make mistakes. And when Richall made his way to the net, Chorlian put some extra pace on his backhand to pass or force errors, which is exactly how their match point played out.
Kevin Neary jumped up to No. 5 and, after a little bit of a slow start, beat Austin Gill, 8-3.
“I was really tight at the beginning and kept hitting it into the net, but then I loosened up,” said Neary, who got his cross court forehand working to quickly erase the 2-1 hole he found himself in after three games.
Aidan Connor claimed an 8-1 win at No. 2 singles against Alvirne’s Jared Whalen. Connor’s serve was on, same for his volleys, and when that mixed with the heavy topsin and pace he uses on his groundstrokes, Whalen didn’t really have a chance.
The No. 1 match wasn’t much tighter as Justin Toler beat Kabir Kalsi, 8-2. Toler’s all-court game was working well as he hit the right shots at the right times to the right places. Kalsi used his size to generate some serious pop on his first serve, and that serve helped him take two games off Toler, but that was all he would get.
Despite the lopsided singles scores, Concord stayed focused during doubles play with three 8-1 wins. Toler and Connor beat Kalsi and Whalen, Chorlian and Hart-Meyer downed Auger and Richall, and Neary and Frydman beat Gill and Calnan.
“I thought we really showed improvement in our doubles play and I was very impressed with that,” Page said. “I think our teamwork has really gotten a lot better since the beginning of the year.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or at tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20.)
From coaches’ reports
Concord 7, Alvirne 2
Key players: Concord – Alexandra Killinger (8-4 win at No. 1), Colleen Casey (8-4 at No. 2), Olivia Cattabriga (8-2 at No. 3), Irene Escobar (8-0 at No. 4), Lydia Yen (9-7 at No. 5)
Highlights/key moments: Even without two of its top six players, the Crimson Tide won five singles matches to seal the victory before the match headed to doubles.
Coach’s quote: “We didn’t know much about Alvirne ahead of time, but our girls came in and did their thing. (I’m) very proud of their heart.” – Concord assistant Rebecca Killinger
Records: Concord 5-2; Alvirne 3-3
Hanover 8, Coe-Brown 1
Key players: Coe-Brown – Megan Wimsatt (8-5 win at No. 6)
Highlights/key moments: The Bears fell short against perennially strong Hanover on the road.
Records: Coe-Brown 4-3; Hanover 4-0
St. Thomas 6, Pembroke 4, 8 inn.
Key players: Pembroke – James Fisher (7 IP, 4 runs), AJ Gagnon (3-for-4, double, stolen base, 2 runs), Chase Ranfos (2-for-4, double, RBI), Justin Legere (2 stolen bases, run)
Highlights/key moments: The Spartans battled the Saints to a deadlock through seven innings, but St. Thomas scratched across two runs in the top of the eighth to come away with the victory.
Coach’s quote: “We played a solid eight innings today. We made some plays and put the bat on the ball.” – Pembroke’s Joshua Coughlin
Records: Pembroke 0-6; St. Thomas 2-3
Belmont 3, White Mountains 0
Key players: Belmont – Josh Guptill (7 IP, 6 Ks, 4 hits), Jonny LeClair (hit, RBI), Matt Pluskis (RBI), Cam Magerer (RBI)
Highlights/key moments: Belmont got only two hits, but managed to score three runs in the second inning. That was all that was necessary for Guptill, who held the Spartans off the board while surrendering only four hits.
Records: Belmont 6-1; White Mountains 3-3
Franklin 6, Stevens 5, 8 inn.
Key players: Franklin – Pat Kaplan, (3 runs, 2 walks, hit by pitch), Brendon Frechette (game-winning RBI)
Highlights/key moments: Franklin rebounded from a 4-0 deficit to tie it at five. In the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded, Frechette hit a hard grounder to the shortstop who struggled to field it cleanly and was unable to throw out Kaplan coming home.
Coach’s quote: “The boys played hard today and fought back from a 4-0 lead for the win. Our pitching was good enough today to keep us in the game. Stevens has a good program and it always feels good to win against a team like that at home.” – Franklin’s Dave Joyce
Records: Franklin 4-3; Stevens 2-3
Hopkinton 8, Berlin 3
Key players: Hopkinton – Kyle Slevira (7 K; hit, 2 walks, 3 runs), Dave Nelson (2 hits, 3 RBI), Ben McManus
Highlights/key moments: Hopkinton scored one run in the first and third innings before the batters opened up in the fifth. McManus opened with a double and the next batter was hit by a pitch. A sacrifice bunt advanced both runners, then Kolin LaPage hit a sac fly that drove in McManus. Slevira singled to add another run, and then Alex Lajeunesse hit a hard grounder to short that was misplayed, allowing two runs to score. Nelson singled to close out the scoring in the inning. Berlin added a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to trim the lead, but Hopkinton got an insurance run to close out the game.
Coach’s quote: “Putting the ball on the ground was an important focus of ours and Lajeunesse did so very well. That was a big turning point with two outs, instead of being up 4-0, it extended the inning and allowed us to add three more … it’s nice during vacation week to win both games.” – Hopkinton’s Dave Chase.
Records: Hopkinton 3-4; Berlin 3-4
Pembroke 5, St. Thomas 3
Key players: Pembroke – Kayla Paquin, Rachel Denoncourt, Brianna Connolly
Highlights/key moments: The Spartans held off the Saints to continue their hot start to the season.
Records: Pembroke 6-1; St. Thomas 1-4
White Mountains 7, Belmont 4
Key players: Belmont – Julianna Estreamer (2-for-4, run), Taylor Lavallee (2-for-4)
Highlights/key moments: Belmont fell behind 3-0 in the fourth inning due to two home runs by White Mountains. In the fourth inning, Belmont scored four runs on four hits and a few errors. White Mountains was able to tie it in the sixth and went ahead for good with three runs in the seventh.
Coach’s quote: “(It’s) nice to see us play well against a good team.” – Belmont’s Bill Clary
Records: Belmont 4-2; White Mtns. 6-0
Bow 6, Hillsboro-Deering 3
Key players: Bow – Sam Benoit, Brenna Novakoski, Katie Vozella (all 3-for-4), Allie Beaudette (2-for-3), Lauryn Colby (winning pitcher); H-D – Haley Hurd (2 RBI, sac fly), Maggie Atkins (complete game, 11 Ks), Kimmy Rodier (2-for-3)
Highlights/key moments: The game was tied going into the seventh, but Jess Doward and Benoit picked up back-to-back triples, giving the Falcons a lead they’d hold for their first victory of the season. The Hillcats loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but ended the game with a line drive back to the pitcher.
Coaches’ quotes: “Very pleased with the victory. Both teams played very well defensively but we came up with a few big hits in the last inning.” – Bow’s Rick Ladd
“Although we were missing three starters due to a school field trip and injuries, we played a tough, exciting game down to the wire. Our hats are off to Bow; they got timely hits and did what they needed to do to win.” – H-D assistant Joe Lincoln
Records: Bow 1-3; H-D 1-4
Franklin 11, Stevens 1
Key players: Anna Doherty (3 hits, 3 RBI, 3 runs), Hanne Nichols (3 hits, RBI, run), Hailey Haskins (4 IP, 8 Ks, 2 BB, 2 hits), Kaylee Marshe (3 IP, 7 Ks, BB, 0 hits)
Highlights/key moments: Franklin built on a 2-0 lead in the third, when consecutive hits by Doherty, Nichols, Breanna Styles and Ryley Haskins helped the Golden Tornadoes break the game open with a 5-0 advantage.
Records: Franklin 6-0; Stevens 1-4
Monadnock 8, Kearsarge 7
Key players: Kearsarge – Kate MacLeod (4-for-4), Maddie Folcik (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Samantha Dow (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Ashley Thompson (6 IP, 6 K, 2 BB)
Highlights/key moments: Monadnock’s power bats in the fifth and seventh innings sprung the offense, with two home runs each for two different players. Folcik and Dow combined for four RBI, but it wasn’t enough to help out Thompson in the circle.
Records: Kearsarge 2-5; Monadnock 3-3
Portsmouth 9, Bow 8
Key players: Bow – Alex Killion (2 goals, assist), Colin Tracy (goal, 3 assists), Brendan Ulrich (goal), Ben Podis (3 goals, assist), Colin Buck (goal, assist)
Highlights/key moments: With Colin Buck having a great day in the faceoff circle and goalie Chase Chamberlin making key stops in net, the Falcons battled the powerful Clippers before being edged at the end.
Coach’s quote: “I was pleased with how we came back after being down two (goals) early in the third quarter. We played a well-coached team that executed on offense in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.” – Bow’s Kyle Tracy
Records: Bow 1-2; Portsmouth 7-1
Coe-Brown 16, Stevens 1
Key players: Coe-Brown – Mitchell Wade (14 ground balls, 8 caused turnovers), Dave Desrosiers (17-of-21 on faceoffs), Andrew Dziuba (2 goals, 4 assists), Liam Taylor (4 goals, assist)
Highlights/key moments: The Bears rolled from the start, taking a 6-0 lead after the first quarter and 15-0 advantage into halftime.
Coach’s quote: “This is the second year of the program. What we’ve been focusing on this year is team offense and team defense. Everything clicked tonight, the guys are really starting to buy in.” – Coe-Brown’s Ryan Hanavan
Records: Coe-Brown 2-2; Stevens 1-4
St. Thomas 14, Bow 13
Key players: Bow – Taylor Darrell (5 goals, assist), Amanda Murray (2 goals), Maggie Vogt (2 goals, assist)
Highlights/key moments: The Falcons kept pace with a strong Division III contender before falling just short at the final whistle.
Records: St. Thomas 4-1; Bow 2-1
Windham 3, Coe-Brown 1
Key players: Coe-Brown – Liam Clinch (11 assists, 10 kills), Josh Moreshead (5 kills, 3 aces), Phaleap Taing (6 blocks)
Highlights/key moments: The Bears followed up 25-18 and 25-17 defeats with a 25-23 victory, but dropped the match with a 25-10 loss in the fourth set.
Records: Coe-Brown 1-4; Windham 4-2