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 ...

BY MATT STOUT In droves they’ve come, challengers to the Concord boys tennis team’s throne in Class L, and time after time, they left beaten, bruised and empty-handed. Manchester West, though, was different, the only team to beat the Tide in the last 10 seasons -- twice, in fact, including once in the state final two years ago. On ...

BY MATT STOUT Phoebe Lyman had an idea that the Manchester Central girls tennis team’s hopes against Bishop Guertin in the Class L championship hinged largely on her match. But she wasn’t about to let it get to her. “Even if she did ask (what the score was),” said Central coach Bill Cannon, “I wouldn’t have ...

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 ...

BY MATT STOUT Steve Houle isn’t fooled by the score, and anyone who looks beyond it, the Manchester West girls tennis coach said, will see why. “You look at court No. 6 (singles), which was an 8-2 match,” Houle said following his team’s 7-2 win over No. 4 Concord in the Class L quarterfinals on May 24. “That was a ...

BY MATT STOUT Moments after they clinched another Class L title with a 5-2 win over Manchester West on Tuesday, May 29, members of the Concord boys tennis team grabbed a blue jug filled with water, snuck up behind head coach Dave Page to douse him – and missed. You’d think they have it down by now. But the Crimson Tide ...

BY MATT STOUT Reflecting on the best season in Goffstown boys tennis history, Grizzlies coach Tom Meighan couldn’t help but think back to March, when nothing but snow covered the area’s tennis courts. It was then Goffstown made its push toward the upper echelon of Class L. Allowed to use the indoor courts at the town’s YMCA ...

BY MATT STOUT Mike Jolicoeur said throughout this season he believes his Salem boys tennis team is a year away from being a true contender in Class L. Boy, what a way to spend the year getting there. Despite dropping an 8-1 decision to No. 2 Manchester West in the state tournament semifinals on Saturday, May 26, the third-seeded Blue Devils ...

BY MATT STOUT Two months ago, the Pelham boys tennis team probably would have jumped at the opportunity to be in this position. Five days ago, they probably would have given anything to avoid it. With back-to-back losses to start the week – the first coming in a 5-4 upset loss to Con-Val on Monday, May 14, the second in a 9-0 setback to ...