The Lewiston boys didn’t have the luxury of knowing their rivals last season in the regional tournament.

That all changes this spring.

The Blue Devils, the defending Class A champions, are anxious to begin their first season in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference. Last year, Lewiston and Edward Little played Western schools, but then faced KVAC clubs during the Eastern regional.

“We really don’t know what to expect,” Adam Wilding said. “Other teams will be competitive, but (meets) will be new and there is always one or two good players on each team. We only saw (KVAC) teams in the playoffs last year. So, they didn’t know about us and we didn’t know about them.”

It wasn’t an issue because Lewiston won all 15 matches en route to winning the Eastern regionals. The state match offered a rare opportunity to avenge the long blemish on the Blue Devils record. They beat Deering 4-1 in the state final.

Lewiston knew its first match against the Rams was close (five three-set matches), and the players anticipated the rematch would be equally competitive. The advantages were twofold because the Blue Devils had long since secured their line-up, but even more important was the level of confidence that filtered throughout the team.

“That was definitely it,” senior Mike Burke said. “We had played Deering early in the season, but our team had improved so much. We have a great coach (Ron Chicoine) and with plenty of confidence, we won the states.”

Although two players graduated, Lewiston has plenty of experience, including one of the best single tandems in the state with Burke and Wilding. Perhaps the only other team that can match that caliber is the Cape Elizabeth duo of Sam Maurey and Garret Currier.

Burke moves up to No. 1 after edging out Wilding in challenge matches. Burke went unbeaten at second singles last year, but he realizes this season will be difficult.

“About half way through last season. I felt that I could beat any one,” Burke said. “I don’t plan on changing my approach to matches this season, but I’ll have to be more focused.”

There’s plenty of pressure at the top and for two years it was Wilding who was up to the task. The junior fed off that competition, which made him mentally stronger.

“It’s a coaches dream,” Chicoine said. “They are two of the top players in the state and will be key components on our team. They are both extremely competitive, but they have contrasting styles. Mike tends to be more aggressive and has some good ground strokes. Adam is more of a scrambler and utilizes his athletic skills.”

The team has plenty of talent with Bryce Bryant and Nick Bonnefant competing for third singles. James Morin and freshmen Mike Sarrazin were at No. 1 doubles, while Ben Bergeron and Nick Beauchesne played No. 2 doubles in the Blue Devils’ opener. Luke Bonnefant is waiting in the wings. The team is planning to spend spring break in Hilton Head, S.C.

Edward Little will have Adam Platt returning at No. 1 singles, while Andrew Knapp and Charlie Orne fill out the singles. Brian Gleason, Eric Jackson, B.J. Lavasseur, Jason Rithman and Ryan Goss will fill the doubles’ slots.

“The weather was a factor for all the teams this spring,” Edward Little coach Norm Gellately said. “There are two big differences this season. The first will be playing during vacation and half of my 19 players will be away. I like the fact that we’ll only be playing two meets a week, during the season.”

In the past, teams would get backed up because of rainouts, which severely limited practices. This schedule will allow time to teach the finer points of the game.

Mt. Blue is coming off its best season. The singles will be strong will Tyler Schoen and Peter Kingsley.

“We’ve got plenty of experience,” Mt. Blue coach John Schoen said. “Last year was successful and there’s no reason that we can’t be equally as strong. It will require working hard. Lewiston will tear up our league, while Edward Little and Brunswick will be strong.”

The Cougars Arnold Norton, Nate Underkullfer and Joe Fowler each will earn starting positions.

The Lewiston girls are the defending regional champs. The ability of the veterans to maintain their focus will be a tell-tale sign.

The singles will consist of three senior co-captains. Alli Bleakney was at third singles last season. Beth Melanson and Amanda Bergeron move up from doubles.

“We’ll see how things go,” Lewiston coach Anita Murphy said. “The new schedule should make it interesting. We lost a lot at Nos. 1 and 2 singles, but I’ve been impressed with the girl’s this spring. They’ve been very competitive.”

Jessica Roy was expected to challenge for one of the singles spots, but the sophomore is still recovering from knee surgery last fall. Roy could still return to action before the end of the year.

The Blue Devils have produced solid doubles teams. This season should be no exception with Roxanne Healy and Katie Nadeau; Katelyn Ouellette and Ashley McWorter.

Mt. Blue has seniors Cammy Keiler and Anna Dunlap and junior Jen Wallace.

Edward Little will have its fifth coach in as many years, with Eli Irland taking over. The players returning include Jen Holly, Elizabeth Mitchell and Sara Ross. Freshman Christine Chamberlin will also challenge at singles.