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07/27/2015 12:00 AMQuestions marks are always abound when a team wins a state title and then enters its subsequent season having graduated several players who helped achieve that feat. For the Guilford boys’ tennis squad, the Indians didn’t defend their throne this spring, but still made an impact while moving up the state’s ranks with a cast of athletes who outperformed expectations.
After claiming their second Class M state crown in four years in 2014, Guilford climbed into Class L this season. Although the Indians didn’t take that tier’s title, they still finished a strong fourth for the draw while boasting the program’s second solo state champion in junior Evan Powell, who went 21-4 on the year. Additionally, Coach Andy Raucci was equally pleased that his squad rolled with the punches all year long, especially after taking three-consecutive defeats to SCC Division I heavyweights.
“The following year after winning a state title is usually pretty difficult after losing players. But our goals didn’t change in that we wanted to stay healthy and play our best tennis at the end of the season and they really overachieved with those goals,” said Raucci, whose team finished 10-7 in the regular season. “We played Fairfield Prep, [SCC DI champion] Amity, and [runner-up] Hand all in one difficult week and lost all three [May 11-15]. I wondered about the mental makeup of our team after that stretch, but the boys really dusted themselves off, turned around, and did really well in states. There were a lot of good teams in Class L, so I thought we overachieved with the talent we had.”
Raucci went on to explain how meticulously his program plots out its season schedule and so the fact that the Indians responded to bumps in the road by claiming high postseason accolades further spoke to the character of the roster.
“I go back to that week where we got beat up badly because it defined who they were and what they wanted to accomplish,” Raucci said. “We had a close 4-3 win against Avon and then we had to win at Cheshire [a 4-3 SCC DI first round victory] and so they dug their heels in and decided that they would make a good run in the postseason tournaments. When things don’t go right, it can be easy to check out, but they rose to the occasion, and I’m proud of what they accomplished.”
The Indians had one lone captain in senior Matt Murphy, who was coming off of a Class M state doubles crown for 2014. With a new partner in fellow senior Joe Boughton, the tandem went 6-3 and reached the semifinals of both the Class L and State Open draws after Murphy had alternated between singles and doubles throughout the campaign.
“Matt was our lone wolf as captain, but he was easily one of the best leaders I’ve ever had in tennis. He found a way to bring people together and he was another set of eyes for me as a student and teacher of the game,” said Raucci. “He was ready to do whatever for the team and his teammates loved him, plus he and Joe struggled in the semifinals, yet they had a good run.”
Finalizing the graduating class were fellow seniors of Cameron Charbonneau and Milo Roth. All of the Indians’ seniors steadily crafted their games over time to set the gold standard of success for the Indians’ future.
“It will be very difficult losing those guys. Cameron, Joe, and Milo were here for four years and they improved during that time, so it will be tough to say good-bye. Cameron was a workhorse, plus Joe and Milo worked hard,” said Raucci. “The freshmen looked at them as they set the right example and they will definitely be missed.”
All-SCC DI Team member Powell also made the All-State Team for the third-straight season and took home team MVP honors after battling a rigorous slate of SCC and Class L adversaries. He ultimately captured the Class L solo crown by beating Bobby Neuner of Darien 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the final on June 4 at Conard. Fellow junior Jackson Inchalik was the Sportsmanship Award winner and classmate Aidan O’Callahan was honored as Most Improved Player.
“Evan was just in a war with every match he had this year,” said Raucci. “Every contest, he also had little down time.”
Raucci and the Indians will have their work cut out next spring with an even newer collection of athletes, yet with the same strong mind frame that this current group had, Guilford can still strive for great things.
“We will have a small group returning next year and unsure about who will be coming in as freshmen. The older guys will have to bear the load,” said Raucci, whose 2016 squad will be captained by Powell. “We will be challenged to hold our own and it will be difficult, but with time and energy, we can achieve success.”