With his team off to a blazing start, Windham boys tennis coach Wayne Martin said the key is simple. His young players simply love playing the game.

“They have the tennis itch,” Martin said. “They play all the time and that’s why we’re successful.”

The Eagles’ talent and depth was on display last Friday when they traveled to South Portland to take on the Red Riots. Windham took a convincing 5-0 victory, winning every set that was played.

Nate Johnson defeated Nick Lagios 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. Dan Crocker topped Tanner Burgdorf 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. Dan McGovern blanked Corey Doucette 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3 singles.

At No. 1 doubles, Kurt Stultz and Nick Rallis teamed up to defeat Aidan Boyce and Mark O’Donnell 6-2, 6-2. At No. 2 doubles, Kyle Morrell and Fernando Leon-Prado joined forces to top Keegan Hyland and Bryce McOsker 6-1, 6-1.

Windham improved to 6-0 while South Portland fell to 1-4.

“Windham, they’re solid up and down,” said South Portland coach Cory Snow. “They have a really good feeder system, just a solid program in general. They’re probably one of the top three or four teams in the SMAA.”

The Eagles lost in the Western Maine finals a year ago and graduated three players, including the top two singles players. With sophomores playing in the top five slots against South Portland, Windham may be young, but the team is ready to contend once again.

“Typically, you’d see the one, two and three positions being played by seniors, but we lost three seniors last year,” Martin said. “I think these guys were itching to play singles, so that’s why they got out to improve their game. They knew those spots were there if they worked for them.”

The three sophomores occupying the top three spots – Johnson, Crocker and McGovern – have helped one another secure their respective positions.

“My No. 1 through No. 3, they’re best friends,” Martin said. “They hang out all the time. They’ll get home tonight and go down to the tennis courts and play for two more hours. I’m not exaggerating. They know how to play each other and they want to beat each other. They’re best of friends, but when they play tennis, they don’t like each other.”

Making the leap from doubles to singles is a challenge, especially for younger players who generally give up a fair amount of knowledge and experience to their opponents across the net on.

But it’s a challenge these Eagles were anxious to take on.

“I was really hoping to play singles this year,” Crocker said. “It’s such a different game. Doubles, you have your partner to rely on to back you up. Singles, it’s just you. I think I like singles a little bit better because of that.”

Johnson, too, said he prefers singles. He said it is a better fit for his game. He was able to overpower Lagios, a senior, with his strong serve and blistering forehand. He also recognized what he had to do to take away Lagios’ strengths – speed and finesse.

“I had to be aggressive when he hits short balls,” Johnson said. “He runs down everything. He’s fast.”

Martin knew Johnson had the drive and talent to succeed at No. 1 singles. Now he’s seeing he is also learning the finer points of the game.

“You’re playing the best players every week at No. 1 singles. The battle is knowing how to build a point,” Martin said. “If you don’t know how you’re going to build a point and make your opponent work, you’re going to struggle at No. 1. That first serve, that’s what dictates the point for Nate. If he get his opponent back on his heals early, he can jump and finish the point fast. He’s got a lot of tools that can help him.”

Johnson admitted he was intimidated at the start of the season, playing as Windham’s No. 1. Now that he’s 5-1 in his matches, he’s feeling more confident.

“It was (intimidating) at first, but I’ve gained so much experience playing (other top players),” he said. “I remember when I would go out on the court and we’d warm up and hit serves and the other guy would just rip them, and I’d be afraid that the other guy was gonna just school me. But I’m not intimidated by better opponents now. I try my best to go out there and believe I can win.”

The Eagles also have depth at doubles. The team of Dylan King and Andy Brix is 4-0 this season, though the duo did not play against South Portland. With three solid teams to duke it out daily in practice, players don’t have to wait for matches to face stiff competition.

“There are some surprises, too,” Martin said. “Nick Rallis at first doubles was a JV player last year. He was knee high to a grasshopper. He just grew. He’s been the dark horse for out team. He stepped in and played that No. 1 position at doubles and we didn’t miss a beat there. We had strong doubles last year. My concern this year was, ‘How are we going to compete at doubles?’ If you’re successful at doubles, in the team scheme of things, you’re going to win. So he stepped in and he’s been great for us.”

The Eagles have a solid core for the next few years, but this year’s players believe they are capable of reaching the top now.

“We’re looking to win states,” Crocker said.

It’s a lofty goal, but one that is feasible given the work ethic of the players.

“They play all the time,” Martin said. “They almost play too much. A lot of them play tennis year round. They get coaching in the wintertime. There are a lot of things you see them do on the court and you can tell they play in the off-season. A coach’s dream is to see that happening.”

The goal for the South Portland team, which had a tough early schedule featuring Cheverus and Gorham, is to get back in the playoff hunt. Snow said confidence and consistency would be key for the Red Rios to get back on track.

“We have some more straightforward games after Deering (May 12), so hopefully we’ll be able to get in the groove and maybe get up to 6-6,” Snow said.

The Red Riots, though older than their Eagles counterparts, aren’t necessarily more experienced.

“It tends to be that players find tennis in their sophomore and junior year at South Portland for some reason,” Snow said.

“We have quite a few that are out there for the first time. Keegan Hyland, on our second doubles, he just picked up a racket,” Snow added.

Hyland, a sophomore standout for the South Portland basketball team last winter, wore high-top basketball shoes for his match and had a basketball in hand shortly after it wrapped up. Even though tennis is clearly not his first love, he’s showing some promise with a racket.

“He’s pretty unorthodox,” Snow said. “But he gets it over the net.”

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