The Skowhegan boys tennis team poses with the Class A North championship plaque after it beat Brunswick 4-1 on Saturday in Lewiston. Dave Dyer/Kennebec Journal
LEWISTON — The Skowhegan boys tennis team made some history Saturday at Bates College.
The No. 1 River Hawks beat No. 3 Brunswick 4-1 on Saturday to win the Class A North championship — the first regional title in program history.
“It feels amazing,” said Skowhegan sophomore Drake Turcottte, who beat Jacob Scrapchansky 6-0, 6-2, in first singles. “We all put in so much work and time and effort to get here. It feels amazing to pull it off. It was a little scary in the beginning, but it means so much more that we clutched out and came together as a team to get this done.”
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, just unbelievable,” Skowhegan head coach Dan Riley said. “The composure, the come-from-behind (spirit) says a lot about these kids. It says a ton.”
With a regional title and 15-0 record, the River Hawks have guaranteed the best season in program history. That mark was first placed last year, when the River Hawks went 9-4 and had an appearance in the A North quarterfinals. Skowhegan went winless in 36 matches from 2017-2019.
“We’re just a family,” Skowhegan junior Dominic Clifford said. “We’ve been playing for a couple years now, but it feels longer. We just all get along, it’s all connected. This has been my favorite team I’ve been a part of. It’s been a journey, it’s been fun.”
The regional title did not come easy to the River Hawks (15-0), who pulled together comeback wins in both doubles matches to help seal the victory.
The team of Cam Herrick and Asa Stroman struggled early, but came from behind to beat Will Farschon and Luke Vazdauskas 3-6, 6-2 (10-4) in first doubles.
Noah McConnell and Erik Cunliffe beat Blake Belanger and Brendan Ledwick 6-3, 3-6 (10-8) in second doubles. Before Saturday, McConnell and Cunliffe lost to Belanger and Ledwick twice during the regular season.
“For Noah and Erik to lose to those guys in the regular season and KVAC championship and then to win, and to win 10-8 (in the tiebreaker) was just phenomenal,” Riley said.
Clifford helped round out the early victories for the River Hawks, beating Michael Kenyon 6-3, 7-5 in third singles.
“I’m so thrilled (to win),” Clifford said. “I (usually) feel pretty confident. When I can’t hit the ball the way I want to, it annoys me. But it’s definitely a lot better, and I’m pretty happy I pulled myself out (in the match).”
Turcotte rolled to victory over Scrapchansky, showing a powerful serve and plenty of confidence on the court during his match.
Brunswick’s lone win came in second singles, where Edgar Meardon beat Mattia Rota 6-4, 6-4.
Originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, Skowhegan and Brunswick started at 2:30, as the regional final matches were moved from the Wallace Center, which has eight courts, indoors to the Merrill Gym, which has four courts.
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