Among his 32 years coaching the Central boys tennis team, Mark Telge had to admit this season was one of the most gratifying.

After all, the mentor said three of his six starters never picked up a racket prior to this season. Another had never played competitively.

Yet there the Little Green were, in the state semifinals after a 6-3 upset at perennial superpower and defending Class L champ Concord.

Though his squad fell, 8- 1, to undefeated Salem on Saturday, May 24, Telge said the season-ending loss takes nothing away from his players’ fine accomplishments.

“They had some talent. They had no experience. They lacked focus early on, but we put it together at the end of the year, and I think the results were evident,” he said of the 10-4 team. “I think we played well today too, but Salem was just a little tougher on all the courts.”

While pleased with back-toback tournament appearances, Telge conceded his job isn’t getting any easier.

“It’s tough getting kids to play tennis for four years now,” he said. “There are so many diversions. I mean, I’ve got to steal kids to be honest with you. “With lacrosse and everything else nowadays, I’m taking kids off the basketball court, the hockey rink … My No. 4, Rob Lucas, was captain of the soccer team,” he continued.

“That’s what you’ve got to do, I guess, and you get as far as you can with them. But the experience really comes out in tournament situations. The experienced kids will win almost every time.”

However, against fourthseeded Concord on Thursday, May 22, the No. 5 Little Green disproved their coach by avenging a 5-4 loss earlier in the month.

Senior captain, Buddy Mc- Quade, Central’s No. 1, replicated an earlier 8-3 loss to Concord’s Alex Pince, but Ben Sink, the Little Green’s other experienced player, won his match, 8-4.

No. 3 Keating Tufts overturned a previous 8-5 loss to Concord’s Teddy Pince with an 8-3 win, as did Lucas of Hooksett, who reversed an 8-5 score against Austin Scott.

No. 5 Andrew Berry did the same in winning his match, 8-3, though Kurtis Singleton was unable to duplicate his earlier win. He lost, 8-4.

The No. 1 doubles team of McQuade and Sink won, 8-1, against Alex Pince and John Hancock. The locals lost their previous match against the Concord duo, 8-5.

Lucas and Singleton won their doubles match, 8-5, and Tufts and Berry lost, 9-8, in a 9- 7 tiebreaker.