Yarmouth High avenged its only loss of the season and Waynflete took a step closer to a 12th straight boys’ tennis state championship as both teams earned regional championships Thursday at Apex Racket and Fitness in Portland.

In the day’s final match, two-time defending state champion Falmouth continued its unbeaten season with a 5-0 victory over Thornton Academy of Saco in the Class A South final.

All three teams advanced to the state finals Saturday at Lewiston High.

The third-seeded Clippers beat No. 1 Freeport 3-2 in Class B South. Earlier Thursday, the No. 3 Flyers swept top-seeded Winthrop 5-0 in the Class C regional final.

Chris Register, one of the four seniors in Waynflete’s lineup, avoided what would have been his sixth three-set match of the season by winning 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3 singles to complete the sweep.

On Saturday, the Flyers (12-3) will face Orono (14-1) at 9:15 a.m. followed by Falmouth-Camden Hills at 12:45 p.m. and Yarmouth-Belfast at 4:15. Thursday’s regional finals, originally scheduled for Bates College in Lewiston, were moved indoors because of weather concerns.

Thorne Kieffer (6-3, 6-1) and Ben Adey (6-0, 6-1) also won at first and second singles for Waynflete. Cooper Sherman and Ben Lualdi teamed for a 6-1, 6-0 victory at first doubles, and John Moon-Black and Henry Hart won 6-2, 6-2 at second doubles.

“No way we were going to be the senior class that lets everyone else down,” Lualdi said of the program’s championship streak. “We can’t let that happen.”

Winthrop finished 11-2 after not being able to muster enough players to field a team last spring. Coach Kelsey Ouellette said facing a perennially successful team such as Waynflete posed a challenge.

“You know you’re going against a different skill set,” she said. “My players are still building theirs, not honing them.”

In Class B, Yarmouth (14-1) turned the tables on Freeport (13-2), which won 3-2 a month earlier. Liam Ireland, who missed that earlier match for Yarmouth, returned and, with Asher Lockwood, delivered a 6-1, 6-4 victory at first doubles.

Archie McDonough next wrapped up his match at No. 1 singles, beating Clay Canterbury of Freeport, 6-1, 6-2. Will Nicholas of Yarmouth clinched the title at No. 3 singles with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Liam Gould.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Nicholas said. “I was confident coming in but you have to be confident against such a strong team.”

Freeport, which fell 3-2 to Caribou in the 2018 state final, salvaged points from Wes Goodwin at No. 2 singles and the second doubles team of T.J. Whelan and Gage King. Because the overall match had been decided, each remaining matchup was settled with a 10-point tiebreaker in lieu of a third set.

Goodwin beat Shep Shutkin of Yarmouth 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-8), and Whelan and King rallied past Miles Hagerdorn and G.W. Ruth of the Clippers, 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 1-0 (10-5).

“We’re happy but it’s a little bittersweet, to be honest,” said Yarmouth Coach Bill Shardlow, noting the graduation of four Freeport seniors. “They’re great kids. There’s a lot of respect and a lot of admiration between the two teams.”

After edging Thornton (13-2) by a 3-2 score a month ago, Falmouth swept all three singles matches in straight sets and rallied to win both doubles matches after dropping the first sets.

Nick Forester provided the clincher with a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 1 after Matthew Ray avenged a May defeat to Caleb Richard of Thornton by a 6-3, 6-1 score at No. 2 and Calvin Spencer beat Charles Qu 6-3, 6-0 at No. 3.

Ten-point tiebreakers settled the doubles matches. Jake Leavitt and Marcus Goodbody of Falmouth won theirs 10-8 after splitting sets 3-6 and 6-2 at No. 1. At second doubles, Jack Forester and Willie Parker fended off a match point and won two more to win 11-9 after sets of 1-6 and 6-2.

 

 

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Baseball: Marshwood scores late to rally past Portland, 4-1

Next »

Girls’ tennis: Scarborough ends Falmouth winning streak at 187