The Blue Devils may have put a thorough thrashing on his squad, but Central coach Mark Telge couldn’t be happier for those on the opposite side of the tennis court.

Following an 8-1 Salem victory in the state semifinals on Saturday, May 24, Telge spoke openly about Salem’s chances to win a championship and his bond to the program.

“Their former coach, Bob Rhoades (who died just prior to the 2006 tennis season), he was probably my best friend in the state tennis circle, and I hope he’s watching up there,” said Telge.

“If they’re going to win a title, let it be at my expense. I know he’d appreciate it. “Salem deserves everything they get,” he continued. “To be honest with you, I don’t think anybody can stop these guys. It’s a year of destiny for them.”

Indeed, the Blue Devils have yet to lose in 2008, and for the first time in program history, they’ve reached the Class L finale.

For Salem’s current coach, Michael Jolicouer, it’s truly a special honor to take the program to the next level.

“The first year we talked a lot about (Rhoades), and it was a pretty emotional season because (his death) happened so suddenly,” said Jolicouer, who taught with Rhoades at SHS. “At this point it’s kind of an unspoken thing, but we’ve certainly dedicated the success of the program and the season to him and his contributions.”

Even though the pieces were in place for the current run, and all signs pointed toward unprecedented success this year, Jolicouer said he’s remained cautiously optimistic throughout the season.

“Our (arrival) is really due to us being able to have those five returning starters on the team,” he said. “As juniors they were 12-2, so we had the talent but lacked the experience.”

Returning this season for the Blue Devils were No. 1 Michael Cohen, No. 2 Jeff Bunker, No. 3 Bobby Pike, No. 4 Joel Vastl and No. 5 Tim Briggs.

Though five of six starters were all but set in stone entering this season, Jolicouer said it was an unexpected source that put his team over the top.

“We had four or five guys that were very comfortable playing (No.) 5 or 6 (singles), but Chris Correia stepped in and has been absolutely phenomenal,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t expect him to be this good, but he put a lot of hard work in in the offseason and has really solidified our lineup playing as our No. 6.”

Salem was scheduled to compete against upstart Londonderry, the No. 6 seed, which knocked off third-seeded Exeter and secondseeded West to reach the title contest, on Wednesday, May 28.

And Jolicouer knows the Lancers would love nothing more than to complete their fairy-tale story with a win over the state’s lone undefeated power.

“I still get nervous every time we take the court, and believe me, I’ll be just as nervous going into that last one,” he said. “But I’ve been very encouraged by our play, especially in the semifinals. We had some close matches, but overall the guys are really stepping up.”

Against Central, Cohen won, 8-6; Bunker and Pike each took 9-8 tiebreakers, 7-4 and 7-3, respectively; Vastl earned an 8-2 victory; Briggs edged his opponent, 8-6; and Correia triumphed in his match, 8-3.

In doubles, Bunker and Vastl fell to Central’s top doubles unit, 9-7; Briggs and Jordan Faulconer won, 8-3; and Correia and Brian Peltz earned the final victory of the day, 8-4.