Terry Wilson laughed after he said it, but the Gilford coach, like many of his peers in Class M-S, isn’t thrilled to notice it.

“Hi, I’m Coach Wilson,” he said during player introductions prior to his team’s match-up with the Derryfield School boys tennis team on Wednesday, April 11. “Some of you look familiar. Actually, many of you look familiar.”

Yes, the Cougars do, and for good reason.

With five of its top six players back from last season, Derryfield is in prime position to continue its run of four straight Class M-S titles.

Graduated is last year’s No. 2 singles player, Clinton Oas, but returning are Alex Green, reprising his role at No. 1; Bedford’s Than Moore, up one spot from No. 3; Kyle Keyes, a Bedford native and the team’s senior captain; Jackson MacKenzie, also a Bedford resident and senior; and Pat Khayat, another Bedford senior.

Junior Akash Vadalia moves into the No. 6 position to complete a lineup that essentially is the same one that went 14-1 last year, shut out eight opponents and suffered its lone loss to out-of- state foe Chelmsford, Mass.

The only other difference, Derryfield coach Bruce Berk said, is “all the kids look even stronger.”

“I think in their heart of hearts, they know this is a really good team,” Berk said. “I think being normal athletes, what they’re a little focused on is having that ability to challenge each other and move up and change the lineup from last year. I think that’s what’s really driving them.”

So far, the weather is the only thing stopping them. Entering their “opener” on April 11 – they already had four contests postponed – the Cougars enjoyed just seven days of practice. No rust showed in a 9-0 whipping of Gilford, but that doesn’t mean Berk has no concerns.

With the lack of practice time, Derryfield’s doubles teams, at least at the moment, are unsettled.

Green and Moore played together last year, but both Keyes and MacKenzie lost their playing partners in Oas and Bedford’s since-graduated Erich Bradley.

Against Gilford, Keyes and MacKenzie paired up in an 8-2 victory, while Vadalia and Bedford’s Justin Eldridge also combined for a win at No. 3 doubles. But Berk said several other players may get into the mix, including Khayat and Keyes’ younger brother, freshman C.J.

“I think we’ll just play a bunch of matches, see who plays well with who, see where the chemistry is,” Kyle Keyes said. “We’ll probably get it set, but it will be interesting.”

With 11 schools in the league, M-S is by far the smallest of the state’s three classes, and at the moment, Berk is unsure how many players the other teams brought back.

Profile, Inter-Lakes and last year’s runner-up, Moultonborough, usually prove tough, he said, but perhaps the team’s biggest rival isn’t even in the state.

Two matches against Chelmsford were circled on the calendar, Keyes said, though the April 6 meeting was postponed. DS is scheduled to play in Chelmsford on May 2. Last season, the Cougars lost a 4-1 decision across the border.

“What I don’t want from the kids is going through the season without becoming tougher tennis players who are willing to risk both mentally and physically,” Berk said. “If that doesn’t happen, then we haven’t had a successful season. And if we do that, then we would have had one. And they know that.”