WATERVILLE — Waynflete sophomore Ben Shapiro told himself to forget the score, to play each point in isolation and concentrate on getting the tennis ball back across the net.

Of course, staring into the barrel of triple-match point under the watchful gaze and enthusiastic responses of every other player from both Waynflete and George Stevens Academy and all spectators in attendance at the Colby College tennis courts can be a trifle distracting.

“That was the hardest,” Shapiro said. “That was when it was hard to ignore the score.”

With the Class C boys’ title hanging in the balance, Shapiro somehow dodged five championship points and rallied past GSA freshman Alexander Heilner for a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 victory, giving Waynflete its fourth straight state title Saturday afternoon.

Under overcast skies and occasional spits of rain, Waynflete swept the boys’ and girls’ state titles against George Stevens of Blue Hill. The boys won 3-2 and the girls, seeded eighth in the West, won 4-1.

“This was four years in the making,” said Waynflete girls’ coach Linda Cohen. “Every year was a step closer.”

Sophomore Kaitlyn Thompson, freshman Emily White and senior Maddie High swept the singles matches for Waynflete (12-4). The clinching victory, however, came from the first doubles team of senior Elena Britos and junior Hilary Niles, who won 7-6 (3), 6-2.

“It’s just crazy,” said Niles, who rowed crew last spring and played lacrosse the year before. “I had no idea we could get this far. It was just awesome, every step of the journey.”
 

Copy the Story Link