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07/19/2021 12:00 AMThe Guilford boys’ tennis squad put together a strong season in 2021. The Grizzlies tallied a 9-9 overall record that included trips to the SCC Division I Tournament and the Class L State Tournament. After a slow start, Guilford came on strong in the second half to secure its postseason position.
Guilford made some big strides by the end of the year, which was Head Coach Paul Malafronte’s goal in his first year at the helm. Malafronte wanted to see some progress in his players’ skills. Making the postseason was also important to Malafronte, and he felt that the squad’s overall improvement made their playoff hopes a reality.
“I think that one of the goals was to get to the postseason. One of the positive notes on the season was that we started out at 3-7, and we finished at 9-7,” Malafronte said. “We had a better performance the second time through with some teams. We beat Amity, Xavier, and Fairfield Prep. Those were teams that we were even with talent-wise.”
Malafronte wanted to instill a never-quit attitude with the Grizzlies, and he felt that he saw that demeanor develop by the end of the year, as well. Being tenacious through a whole match can be difficult in tennis, especially after falling behind early, but Malafronte saw his players leave it all out on the court from love to match point.
“I still play competitive tennis, and what’s important to me is having the drive while playing and finishing matches. I saw that in our players,” said Malafronte “For example, in our matches that went three full sets, the boys went 14-3 on the season. I think in those types of situations our team did really well.”
Part of the Grizzlies overall attitude on the court stemmed from their senior captains Ethan DeAngelo and Ronan McDermott. There were challenges that they both overcame this year, and seeing that helped other players persevere.
“Ethan came into the season diagnosed with a heart condition. That was on his mind, but he fought through it. He opened the season 0-2 and finished 15-2. He showed his leadership through his work ethic and by supporting his teammates,” said Malafronte. “Ronan was more of the vocal leader, supporting the team inside and outside the fence. Ronan got some of the other guys to give more vocal support to teammates on the court. Players do better when they feel that support from their teammates.”
As far as Guilford’s line-up, Malafronte had several players prove themselves at different points of the season. Some players climbed the ladder over the course of the campaign, but No. 1 singles player senior Walker Mulligan held that top spot wire to wire.
“Walker is good at a lot of stuff, and he even acted like a captain all year long, too. He’s really knowledgeable about the game and was almost like an assistant coach for me. He’s got such great talent,” said Malafronte. “He works on his game a lot on his own. He finds players to hit with outside of practice. He’s played in USTA tournaments since he was 13, so he gets a lot of competitive play in the offseason.”
At the No. 2 singles position for the Grizzlies this season was junior Dom Dadak. Coach Malafronte was impressed with his ability to come from behind and take tough matches like Guilford’s second matchup against Amity.
“Dom will be captain next year. He was there all year for us, and even played No. 1 a couple of times when Walker was out. He’s one of those guys that had a lot of three-set victories. He competed for us everyday and works hard everyday,” said Malafront “At one point in the season I impressed on the kids how much Dom works in the offseason. If it’s 35 degrees outside, he’s there hitting with his dad. In tennis there is no substitute for repetition. It builds consistency and power. Dom puts in the work 12 months a year.”
DeAngelo manned the No. 3 singles position, and Coach Malafronte depended on him for wins match after match.
“Ethan was our rock. He is close in talent with Dom. Ethan got the team MVP by the end of the year. He was just a given every match,” said Malafronte. “We can coach at every changeover. I tend to come out and talk to the kids about how they’re breaking down their opponent, but in the second half of the season I didn’t talk to Ethan that much. Coaches come out when they are worried. I wasn’t coming out because I wasn’t worried. He made his opponents play his game and had a great approach.”
McDermott played steadily at the No. 4 singles spot, but was also versatile in being able to play doubles matches as well.
“Ronan played No. 4 most of the year, but he played a bit of doubles, too. He had a big win in doubles in the Amity match, and he had a big win against Xavier. He just did whatever I asked him to do. If I asked him to play whatever, he just went out and did it,” said Malafronte. “He was an emotional leader and had some big wins for us. At the end of the year, I put a lot of pressure on him in different situations with less experienced players, and he really was a leader for them on the court. He always answered the bell.”
As far as doubles, there were a number of players who saw time at different spots in the lineup. Two huge contributors for the Grizzlies were sophomores Patrick Zhang and Max Banning.
“We used different combos throughout the year. Patrick Zhang and Max Banning were at No.1 for the first half of the season,” Malafronte said. “In the second half, I had Pat play No. 1 doubles and Max play No. 2 to pair them with some other players. They weren’t getting a ton of wins together, but they played well. I think they will big part of the lineup next year.”
Other players that saw significant time on the courts were junior Nick Meeks, sophomore Aryan Patel, junior Ben Kellner, junior Luke Robbins, and freshman Evan Stein.
“Ronan played doubles here and there along with Nick Meeks. Aryan has some more experience than other guys and works hard everyday. Very good for a sophomore. He battles well out there. Ben Kellner’s a guy that played singles and the top end of the doubles line up. He’s a talented kid. Looking for big things out of him as a senior,” Malafronte said. “Luke Robbins was Most Improved Player. I didn’t expect a lot, but eventually, I couldn’t afford to take him out of the lineup. Evan Stein made some significant contributions for us as a freshman when I wasn’t expecting him to be in the lineup.”
As for the future, Coach Malafronte feels optimistic about his returning players next season, but the Grizzlies’ success will most likely come down to numbers. Malafronte hopes that Guilford’s solid showing this year encourages more players to come out in 2022.
“I mentioned a few guys that should contribute next year, but we need 10. We’ll see who comes back. I think we’ve got some guys to depend on to set the tone and lead the team. We’ve always had some depth,” said Malafronte. “I want a roster that can compete up and down the lineup. Guys are working hard in the offseason and out on the courts working. I think we have some good things ahead for us. Without Walker and Ethan and Ronan, we need to figure it out. We need four wins and we know were losing a few with them.”