TOPSHAM
The Brunswick Dragons and Mt. Ararat Eagles boys tennis teams headed into Thursday’s Class A North quarterfinal knowing anything might happen.
The Dragons and Eagles split their regular season matchups, with Mt. Ararat taking the first match, 4-1, in April and Brunswick returning the favor, 3-2, on May 18. The Eagles came in as the third seed with a 9-3 record, but it was the 5-7 sixth-seeded Dragons who came away with bragging rights in the “Battle for the Bridge” matchup.
Brunswick needed every point to claim the 3-2 win as the day came down to the last remaining match. With the teams even 2-2, all eyes were on Brunswick’s No. 3 singles player Kian Murray against Mt. Ararat’s Matt Mosher. Murray sent the Dragons to the semifinals with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6, 6- 2 victory.
“We haven’t played that many sets or games all year,” said Mt. Ararat coach Don Foley. “It was very, very close. Doubles were very close, and obviously those two at the end.”
SIXTH-SEEDED Brunswick visited No. 3 Mt. Ararat in a boys tennis quarterfinal matchup on Thursday, with the visiting Dragons coming away with a 3-2 upset victory at Topsham. Pictured here, clockwise from the top, are Brunswick’s Calvin Doherty and Lucas Piatt, along with Mt. Ararat’s Zander Chown. BOB CONN / THE TIMES RECORD
“It’s nice to win when it comes down to the wire,” said Brunswick coach Chris Leighton. “This one there was a lot of excitement, it comes down to the wire.”
Mt. Ararat started the day with a big win from its No. 1 singles player. Peter Mao settled in after splitting the first pair of games against Brunswick’s Wyatt Slocum. Mao went on to take the first set, 6-2. In the second set, he put Mt. Ararat on the board first with a 6-0 victory.
Brunswick responded in doubles. After jumping out to an early 5-2 lead in the first set, Nick DaRosa and Spencer Taylor saw the lead disappear to Mt. Ararat’s Will San Pedro and Luke Curnin for a 5-5 score. Taylor and DaRosa recovered in the first set and took the match 7-5, 6-3, at No. 2 doubles.
The Dragons other doubles pair of Lucas Piatt and Calvin Doherty continued the momentum swing for Brunswick. The duo won a three-set battle with Mt. Ararat’s Nathan Kofroth and Zander Chown. Piatt and Doherty won the match, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The win gave the Dragons a 2-1 overall lead and put the pressure back on their rivals and friends at Mt. Ararat. Many of the players on the two teams have grown up playing against each other.
“Its fun hearing them talk about each other before the matches,” said Leighton. “I think one of the things they enjoy is that camaraderie. There’s a lot of good sportsmanship, they like each other.”
“They play against each other all year,” said Foley. “You’ll hear them talk about past matches.”
With his team’s season on the line, Mt. Ararat’s Ryan Glass was trying to finish off a lengthy match with Brunswick’s Connor Shaw at No. 2 singles. Shaw took the first set 6-4 and looked comfortable up 3-0 in the second. Glass responded to Shaw’s aggressive play at by keeping the ball low, making for difficult shots. He worked his way back into the set, winning the last three games for a 6-4 win. Glass held the lead for the last set, winning 6-3 and tying the overall score, 2-2.
MT. ARARAT’S Nathan Kofroth has his eyes on the ball during his No. 1 doubles match against Brunswick on Thursday. BOB CONN / THE TIMES RECORD
Mosher and Murray played the longest match of the day, holding the fate of the season in their hands in the last set. Murray battled back for most of the match, dropping the first set 6-4. In the second set, long rallies dominated play. Two games in the second set remained even at deuce for a lengthy amount of time. The set was settled by a tiebreaker, with Murray taking the win, 7-6.
Midway through the third set, Mosher and Murray was the lone match still up for grabs on Mt. Ararat’s five courts. Mosher took the first game, but the resilient Murray won the next four. With a 5-2 lead, Murray watched a shot sail wide to earn the win and send the Dragons to the semifinals.
“We knew it would come down to this, next one is going to be just as tough. Just as well losing here I suppose, with friends,” said Foley. “The seven that are playing (in the playoffs) are all even, there’s not a clear-cut favorite.”
“It’s good for the kids to have these nail-biters because they know what’s going on and they know their match really counts,” said Leighton. “It’s on them and they have to win their match.”
Brunswick moves on to face the second-seeded Lewiston Blue Devils in the Class A North semifinals. The Dragons will have to win on the road again Saturday (2 p.m. start time) to keep their season alive.
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