PORTLAND — The Skowhegan boys tennis team’s run to glory came up short Wednesday afternoon at the Class A state championship.
The River Hawks fell 5-0 to Falmouth in the Class A final at Apex Racket and Fitness Center. It’s the sixth Class A title for the Navigators (16-0) dating to 2014.
Skowhegan, which sealed the program’s best season with a Class A North title on Saturday, finished 15-1.
“I’m super proud (of the team),” Skowhegan head coach Dan Riley said. “They worked hard. (Falmouth) was a challenge, and they couldn’t overcome it. I think of a couple balls in a couple different scenarios change, we would have had a chance. We just couldn’t overcome that. But they fought hard.”
“(A state title) was the goal this year, and it’s a lot of fun to see that happen,” said Falmouth’s Xander Barber, who beat Drake Turcotte 6-0, 6-0 in first singles. “(Winning a team title) is tough, because everyone has to go out and win. You can’t go out there and win and not worry about everybody else.”
Falmouth made quick work of Skowhegan to earn the crown. Karl Chamberlain and Eli Sidhu beat Skowhegan’s Erick Cunliffe and Noah McConnell 6-3, 6-1 in second doubles. Falmouth’s Charlie Wolak followed with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Dominic Clifford in third singles.
Raymond Li and Daniel Kim sealed the state title for the Navigators when they beat Cam Herrick and Asa Stroman 7-5, 6-3.
“I’m very proud,” Falmouth head coach Bob McCully said. “There’s a lot of juniors here that started out with me as freshmen. They’ve put a lot of work in to get better and better.”
Barber, who won the boys singles championship on May 22, rolled past Turcotte, a sophomore, in first singles.
“I went out there and just played my game,” Barber said. “I played (Turcotte) a couple weeks ago in the (singles tournament). He’s a pretty good player. I just go out, make sure I’m prepared, warmed up and just go out there and play my game.”
Sam Yoon wrapped up the sweep for Falmouth, as he beat Mattia Rota 6-0, 6-1 in second singles.
Skowhegan sealed its Class A North title with a 4-1 win over Brunswick on Saturday at Bates College in Lewiston. With no seniors on its roster, Skowhegan is well-positioned to make another run in 2024.
“I think (this year) made them connected,” Riley said. “I think they want to get better, and I think they want to see each other get better. That’s really great to see and that was an improvement from the beginning of the season.”
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