BY MATT STOUT

In a way, the Bow boys tennis team is frustrated it reached another Class I semifinal, against another Class I powerhouse, only to conclude another Class I season devoid of a finals appearance.

Well, last year it was certainly frustrating. This year ...

“I have to tell you,” said Bow coach Drew Groves, “it was a lot of fun.”

It’s not the first reaction you’d expect, but after Bow lost its No. 3 singles player midway through the year, rebounded to finish 10-4 to claim the No. 4 seed in the state tournament and stopped a surging Pembroke Academy team, 6-3, in the quarterfinals, how else would you describe the ride to the semifinals?

Once there, the Falcons went down, 2-4, in singles to top-ranked and undefeated Portsmouth but nearly stole it in doubles, taking leads of 5-4 and 6-5 and tying another match, 4-4. Then, as Bow assistant Greg Coache put it, it seemed all the air was suddenly let out, as the Clippers rolled to three wins and a 7-2 match victory.

But Groves still won’t forget the excitement that surrounded the team, especially after last year when a blown call stole all of Bow’s momentum in a 5-4 loss to No. 1 Kennett.

“Last year, I would say we were frustrated,” Groves said. “But (this year) you could see the tension. The other two coaches for Portsmouth, they were very nervous about what was happening. This was a lot closer than they had anticipated. Our kids were playing some great, inspired tennis.”

The performance capped a year in which Groves was hoping to just make the playoffs. Instead, he inherited a group of gusty players that proved far more capable. Senior Justin Coache proved a solid No. 1 after making the jump from No. 3, Tim Maher stepped in as a reliable No. 4 player, and classmates Aaron Miller and Jason Merges were nearly unstoppable at No. 3 doubles, losing twice all year.

Junior Brett Borbidge returns to lead the team next year, along with Andrew Vinneberg, who stepped in to fill the hole at No. 3, and Bobby Waddell, who moved all the way up from No. 8 to take the No. 5 position.

“I like how we were able to recover and still keep the fun in it,” Groves said. “I think to put forth the effort we did to get to the semifinal and then have a chance and put some fear in the Portsmouth players that, ‘Oh my God, we might lose it,’ that’s what I’ll take (from the season).”