Two schools familiar with deep postseason runs will represent northern Maine in Saturday’s Class A tennis state championship matches.
The top-ranked Camden Hills of Rockport boys won their third straight North regional title while the defending state champion and No. 1-seeded Brunswick girls also earned another trip to states with decisive victories Tuesday at the Wallach Tennis Center on the campus of Bates College in Lewiston.
Both champions defeated their opponents in the regional final for the third time this spring as Camden Hills topped No. 6 Mount Ararat of Topsham 5-0 in the boys match and the Brunswick girls similarly shut out No. 3 Camden Hills in the girls final.
The Camden Hills boys clinched their victory with straight-set victories from second singles player Lincoln Pierce, third singles player Noah Thackery and the first doubles tandem of Wilson Fedarko and Liam O’Dwyer.
The Fedarko-O’Dwyer combo scored the Windjammers’ first point with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Noah Fusco and Tucker Wnek. Pierce topped Alex Liva 6-2, 6-1, then Thackeray put coach Noah Capetta’s club over the top with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Charles Scribner.
“We’ve been playing well,” said Thackeray, who’s playing third singles for Camden Hills for the second straight season. “At the beginning of the year we were winning matches a lot closer, and we also lost one, but we’ve all improved a lot since then.”
Camden Hills capped off its victory with Ezra Lemole’s 6-0, 6-0 win over Landon Weaver at first singles and a 5-7, 7-5, 10-5 victory by Alex Tidd and San Van Lonkhuyzen over Noah Cook and Aaron Paul at second doubles.
The Windjammers advance to face the winner of Wednesday’s Class A South final between No. 1 Thornton Academy of Saco and No. 2 Kennebunk for the state title at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at South Portland High School.
Camden Hills will be seeking to take that one final championship step after suffering 3-2 losses to Falmouth in the 2019 state final and to Kennebunk in last year’s title match.
The Windjammers last won the state title as a Class B program in 2017.
“I think this year there’s a lot of motivation,” said Lemole, the Windjammers’ No. 1 singles player since his freshman year. “We have a lot of seniors, a deep team, and a lot of kids practiced hard during the offseason. I think we’ve got a good chance this year.”
The Brunswick girls survived several competitive first sets to secure its championship-match victory.
Third-seeded Sadie Levy got Brunswick off to a quick start with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Hattie Moss, then the Dragons’ first doubles team of Hazel Goodwin and Izzy Leitzell topped Mila Bonometti and Julia Russell 7-6 (3), 6-2.
Emily Davison and Logan Brown scored the deciding point at second doubles, rallying from a first-set loss to defeat Ilanna Lam and Amelie Wold 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
The Dragons’ Abby Sharpe also survived a first-set loss at third singles to defeat Charlotte Delehey 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Brunswick top seed Coco Meserve, the state singles runner-up last month, capped off the victory with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Eliza Nickelson.
“This means a lot to me, especially since tennis is always such an independent sport, at least it is for me,” said Meserve, a sophomore in her second year as the Dragons’ top singles player. “I always look forward to this because it’s a big group of girls and we’ve all known each other for a while so it’s amazing to see us progress and advance together.
“They’re the best support group I have and we’re always cheering for each other so it’s a big thing to be back here again.”
Brunswick improved its record to 14-1 and will face the winner of Wednesday’s Class A South girls final between No. 1 Kennebunk (14-0) and No. 3 Falmouth (13-2) in the state final scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday, also South Portland High School.
Camden Hills concludes its season at 11-4.
