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07/11/2021 12:00 AMThe North Haven boys’ tennis team entered the 2021 season with a new head coach in John Higgins and a roster of players who either had never played the sport or hadn’t competed in two years. While he knew that his athletes had the deck stacked against them, Coach Higgins was pleased to see North Haven grind it out and make great progress as the year went on.
“The expectation was that it was going to be a tough year. We had an extremely tough schedule, the toughest schedule we’re ever going to see,” said Higgins. “We wanted to go out there, compete, and play hard every match. We were going to improve.”
North Haven lost its first 15 contests before playing a road match against Shelton in its season finale on May 19. With the score tied 3-3, junior Ben Rudikoff took the court for the No. 1 singles matchup. Rudikoff triumphed by a 7-6, 6-4 final to give North Haven a 4-3 win for its first victory of the year and its first win with Coach Higgins.
“It was really a good win. The kids worked hard. They wanted to win and knew they could win. It was 3-3 and our No. 1 singles player won his match, not knowing he needed to win. He won in straight sets,” Higgins said. “When he walked off, I told them he clinched it. I told the kids on the way back, ‘Play music, dance. You deserve it.’ It was a great way to end the season.”
Coach Higgins felt that North Haven’s overall growth throughout the year led the team to its victory versus Shelton. Higgins said that every player on the roster improved in some aspect of their game and that all of his athletes worked hard on a daily basis.
“Some of our kids had never played before, and most hadn’t played tennis in over two years. We didn’t have a lot of year-round tennis players,” said Higgins. “When I had to make my decision on Most Improved Player, it was an extremely difficult decision. There were advancements in every player. A few improved significantly. There were a whole lot of areas that they improved on.”
North Haven was led by senior captains Joshua Park and Tanner Powell this year. The duo served as North Haven’s No. 1 doubles pairing, and Park was ultimately presented with the team’s Sportsmanship Award.
Park and Powell were in charge of making sure that everyone could attend practice and then leading warmups once they got there. Coach Higgins described both captains as true leaders and said that each one of their teammates looked up to them and respected them.
North Haven featured three other seniors on its roster in Ahmed Anwar, Justin Falasco, and Matt Labanara. Anwar and Falasco served as North Haven’s No. 2 doubles team, while Labanara played No. 4 singles.
Coach Higgins said that all of his seniors were leaders and did a great job of guiding the squad both on and off the court this spring.
“I looked at them almost collectively. They were all good kids and good friends. They were all leaders in their own right. They worked hard and improved,” said Higgins. “None of these guys played tennis in two years. I’m not sure if any of them were in the starting lineup outside of Tanner as sophomores. We’ll miss them. They’re good athletes and they competed. That’s all I asked.”
Rudikoff played No. 1 singles for North Haven this season. Rudikoff had to face some difficult competition, but Higgins said the junior set a strong example for the team’s underclassmen with the way he battled through it.
Sophomore Lucas de Lencastre was North Haven’s No. 2 singles player. After persevering through some injuries, de Lencastre showed potential and figures to be a key member of next year’s team.
Sophomore William Lipinski played the No. 3 singles position after moving over from doubles. Higgins said that Lipinski performed well following the switch and continually got better.
Junior Justin Geremia and sophomore Jess Hansard won North Haven’s Most Improved Player Award after playing No. 3 doubles for the team. Coach Higgins said that both players grew immensely throughout the season and are poised to continue improving.
Coach Higgins noted that Nathan Oh, the team’s only freshman, was able to step up and fill various roles when necessary. North Haven’s roster also included sophomores Jonathan Chin, Oscar Hammarlund, Evan Looney, and Alex Ranciato.
Higgins is hoping that North Haven’s returning players learned from this season and come back even hungrier next year.
“I want them to come in enthusiastic. This year was tough. We didn’t get a break with that schedule. They want to get better. They want to win. It’s what you want to see,” Higgins said. “They want to improve, and they want to compete. They saw our seniors, who worked hard in adverse conditions.”
As he continues with the North Haven boys’ tennis program, Coach Higgins is eager to see his players keep sharpening their skills on the court. As the years go on, Higgins wants North Haven’s culture to be one of a family where, no matter the outcome, everyone on the team has each other’s backs.
“I want them to learn that we’re a team. We’re family. Everybody is going to get treated fairly and respectfully,” said Higgins. “We’re going to work hard, compete, and have fun. We’re going to improve, and we’re going to support each other. I want the kids to feel that.”