LEWISTON – To go two full years without losing a match in tennis is impressive enough.

But playing on one of the better teams in Maine, Mike Burke is also on the verge of capping off his high school career with a second straight state title.

The Lewiston High School graduate, the only member of the team to graduate this season, went into this year’s playoffs with a perfect record in dual matches as a singles player, and still has lost to just two players – this year’s state singles champion Bryan Brown of Bangor and runner-up Eliot Potvin of Hampden.

“I still remember the last time I lost in the regular season,” Burke said. “I was playing doubles with Nate Theriault and we lost to EL my sophomore year.”

It is that capacity to remember opponents, matches and even tendencies that has helped Burke come as far as he has in such a short time.

“In just the two years that I have worked with him, he has improved on not only the physical part of his game, but mentally he’s a lot stronger, too,” Lewiston coach Ron Chicoine said. “He’s learned to be patient, to set up points better. He’s willing to make those extra three or four shots that he didn’t wait for before.”

Burke started playing as a freshman, and was instantly hooked.

“I wanted to play singles pretty bad,” Burke said. “My sophomore year I thought I could make it into singles, but I ended up playing doubles. I was good, but so was everyone else that year. We had a very good team.”

After some lessons from Lewiston graduate and current Bates College coach Paul Gastonguay, and after re-focusing his attention to the sport, Burke showed a marked improvement in his junior season, and ended up as the No. 2 player behind Adam Wilding.

“You have to think things through by yourself in singles,” Burke said. “It’s up to you and you alone to figure out when something is going wrong and fix it.”

Physically, Burke has also improved.

“His fitness level this year is better than it was last year,” Chicoine said. “I think it helps him compete with the kids that, overall may be better athletes, but Burke will beat them with his knowledge of the game, and he can now keep up with them physically.”

That edge may have helped Burke upend Wilding for the No. 1 spot this year, something that has fueled both players to play their hardest.

“I don’t know that there is another 1-2 punch like this in the state,” Chicoine said. “To have both Adam and Mike at 1-2 like that is a tremendous advantage.”

On Saturday, Burke and Wilding will lead Lewiston into its second consecutive state title match. Biddeford, this year’s Western champion, has a formidable No. 1 of its own in Justin Tardif, against whom Wilding lost last year in a 4-1 Lewiston team win.

“They have a solid No. 1,” agreed Chicoine. “I think Mike will have a good test there, and I think he has a chance to win it.”

Lewiston’s case will be bolstered by the play of No. 3 singles player Nick Bonenfant, who breezed through his match on Wednesday against Bangor, and also by the No. 1 doubles tandem of James Morin and Mike Sarrazin, who won the deciding match against Bangor in a second-set tiebreaker. The KVAC doubles champions have not dropped a match this season.

As for Burke, his sights are set on attending the University of Southern Maine next season, where he will continue to play tennis. For now though, there is one more match in high school to think about.

[email protected]