BY RYAN O’CONNORSamantha Jean doesn’t like to lose, especially to her sister, Kirsten. The feeling is mutual, said the younger sibling. Though each was the top tennis player for their respective high school this season, they never met in a New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association-sanctioned event. Sam, a recent Manchester ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORBruce Berk said he doesn’t keep track of his Derryfield School boys tennis team’s successes from year to year. Maybe he’s just lost count. The Cougars have reached the state final 15 of the last 18 years, and they have 12 titles in that span, including the last six. Most recently, they wore the 2008 Class ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORWinning a state tennis championship is a tough enough task. Six individual players have to do their part, then change their approaches and play doubles – generally immediately following an intense singles match. Now, take away two of the starting six and, subsequently, one of three doubles units. That’s what ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORHe was expecting the call, but he still had his fingers crossed it wouldn’t come.It did. CJ Beck picked up the phone. “Remember that bet you made,” said the voice on the other line. “We didn’t forget.” So Beck paid up. West High School’s No. 2 boys tennis player shaved his ...

BY RYAN O’CONNOR It was an otherwise routine conversation between Danny Gorman, the uncle, and Danny Gorman, the nephew. “Are you looking forward to the upcoming tennis season?” asked the elder Gorman. “Can’t wait,” replied the nephew. “I just wish we had a coach.” The discussion took ...

BY RYAN O’CONNOR After five increasingly successful seasons as Manchester West boys tennis coach, including a 13-1 record and trip to the Class L finale in 2007, Shawna Morley was offered an opportunity at Bedford High she couldn’t refuse. “I knew the community of Bedford and how serious they are and how much they ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORA team of freshmen and sophomores should not be able to compete against junior- and senior- year opponents. Try telling that to the Bedford High School girls tennis team. The Lady Bulldogs could care less about conventional wisdom. They just want to win. And win they do. With a 7- 2 victory against Monadnock on Monday, May ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORSteve Houle and his Lady Blue Knights aren’t happy with last year’s playoff result, and they plan on spending this entire season rectifying it. After a fine 2007, West tennis fell in the Class L semifinals to city rival and eventual state champ Central. Now, Houle said the pieces are in place to sweeten last ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORIt was a year of near-misses and so-closes on the 2007 Bedford sports landscape, though there were a few spot-ons mixed in. While dozens of local teams and individuals competed for the top prize in their respective class and/or division, from the youth level through high school and sometimes beyond, many went home empty ...

BY SAPNA PATHAK Say it as many times as you’d like. The boys of Derryfield tennis won’t get sick of it. In fact, they’re quite used to it: another season, another state championship. In no surprising fashion, the Cougars grabbed their fifth straight Class M-S crown with an 8-1 win over top-seeded Berlin on May 26. Derryfield ...