LEWISTON – They were supposed to rebuild this year.

Then again, they were supposed to have to rebuild last year, too. And the year before that. And the year before that. And … well, you get the picture.

The Lewiston High School tennis juggernaut, which has rattled off six consecutive boys’ state championships and three in a row on the girls’ side, has never been heavily reliant on seniors.

“We say it over and over again and it gets repetitive, but you have to look at the summer rec program,” Lewiston senior Mike Butler said. “Without that, we wouldn’t start so young.”

Seven players participate in a regular varsity tennis match. At any one time, Lewiston rarely has more than four players from any one class of students on the courts in a varsity match at the same time.

Last year, the boys had four seniors.

This year, four sophomores and a junior, along with just two seniors – Butler and Ben McDonough.

On the girls’ side, again, just two seniors patrol the nets this season – Chantalle Lavertu and Stephanie Gagne. There are two juniors and three sophomores there, as well.

Yet both teams are right back where they were last season – 15-0 and vying for a state title on the final day of the season.

“Our JV players could be playing varsity at a lot of the schools we play against, honestly,” Lavertu said. “It’s really nice to have depth like that up and down the lineup.”

Contrast that against teams like the Morse girls, who will graduate four of their seven top players, or the Mt. Ararat boys, who part ways with six of seven after another valiant effort to dethrone Lewiston went for naught in the regional semifinal round.

In the boys’ regional final match, some cracks started to show in the strength of the team’s youth. The Devils needed victories from each of their two seniors in order to defeat Brunswick.

“I thought our doubles teams played a bit tight (against Brunswick),” Lewiston boys’ coach Ron Chicoine said. “I think we showed our youth a bit and played tight. But we wouldn’t be here at all without them pulling out big matches this season. Against Mt. Ararat, it was reversed, the two seniors got taken out and every player who won was an underclassman.”

But one group of younger players – this time, at second doubles – also needed to win for Lewiston to have a shot.

“It’s fortunate tot have a team like this,” Butler said. “We can all go to practice and push each other every time, at every spot in the lineup.”

The girls have been far less tested this season. In fact, the only loss on the slate all season involved one of the team’s two seniors, and this on the day following the school’s project graduation celebration.

But if the Devils hope to hoist the hardware again, someone who’s not a senior will have to step to the plate.

“It is a lot of pressure to put on younger players,” Lewiston girls’ coach Anita Murphy said. “It’s surprised me a little bit at how well they’ve all stepped it up. They’re going to have to do it again Saturday.”

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, next year’s boys’ team could end up competing with no seniors at all, or maybe just one or two again. The girls? Perhaps just two, as well.

“Even though Steph and I are going to be gone, the team will be still be extremely strong,” Lavertu said.

Chicoine agreed about his squad, and he and Murphy both agreed that there are likely some surprises waiting in the wings, too. No one returning at Lewiston is ever guaranteed a spot on the following season’s roster. That is, in part, what helps keep the players on their toes, and helps create the team’s juggernaut persona.