The Tewksbury High boys tennis team took a big step in the right direction this season, finishing the regular season with a 7-7 record and qualifying for the state tournament.
While the 33rd-seeded Redmen did not win their playoff opener, falling 5-0 to Belchertown, just reaching the postseason was quite a feat for TMHS.
“Unfortunately, we lost the match, but that has no reflection on how hard the boys worked to get into the postseason,” said Tewksbury coach Richard Keene. “This was a great year for us, after going just 1-13 last year, we knew we had to take a positive approach this year and put in the extra work. The boys took that mindset and were able to do that and then some.” Keene said team captains Jeff Wolfinger and Kevin Daigle started the preseason early, getting the team together for captain’s practices, indoors at Trull Brook tennis center.
“We have a short time window in the spring season to get the team ready for our first match, so having my captains take the lead was crucial to this year’s success,” Keene said. “We ended the season at .500. That is a direct reflection on how hard every player on this team worked to get us there. What I am so proud of this team, is that these boys have no quit in them, when we returned home after our postseason loss, the boys hit the courts to start postseason captains practices.”
Keene is optimistic about the future for the Redmen.
“With all our players returning next year, coupled with their hard work and dedication, we are really looking forward to next season,” the coach added.