Toni Weber wasn’t planning on being a savior.

And it’s hard to call a high-school-aged athlete — especially one transplanted from Germany to Rumford, Maine — anything but, well, a high-school-aged athlete.

But Weber’s arrival at the school was more than welcome for the tennis program there. A force in 2009, the Falcons had to replace nearly the entire varsity roster to begin the MVC campaign in 2010 after graduating the bulk of their players.

And coach Todd Papianou was prepared to do that.

“We knew it was going to be a tougher year in terms of having kids play who had varsity experience,” Papianou said earlier this season. “It was just going to be a matter of letting them get that chance to play in a few matches. We didn’t have anyone who’d played varsity singles before.”

The Falcons got a bit lucky.

Weber, from the Bavaria region of Germany, and a two other exchange students, enrolled at Mountain Valley, and they all played tennis.

“We didn’t know what level they were at, honestly,” Papianou said.

Of the three, Weber quickly separated himself. Their presence, meanwhile, allowed Papianou to bring along the younger players more slowly, as doubles players.

“When you go from having to play first singles to playing doubles, it’s better to learn the ropes that way,” Papianou said.

Weber, meanwhile, adjusted just fine to playing in the top singles position for the Falcons. He didn’t lose a match in MVC play, and his performances earned him notice at the state level. He was seeded No. 7 at the annual MPA singles tournament, and played handily to his seed. He won each of his first two matches in straight sets before bowing out in the quarterfinals to No. 2-seed and finalist Patrick Ordway of Waynflete.

“He’s a really good player,” Weber said following that match. “It was a great chance to play in this tournament.”

For leading his team all season, for his finish at the singles tourney and for his ability to succeed despite living for less than six months in the United States, Weber is the 2010 Sun Journal Boys’ Tennis Player of the Year.

All players (or teams) listed alphabetically by last name

Singles

Brian Bradstreet, Oak Hill

Scott Gagne, Lewiston

Eric Hall, Lewiston

Eric Morin, Lewiston

Matt St. John, Mt. Blue

Toni Weber, Mountain Valley*

Doubles

Ryan Baillargeon and Kevin Smith, Monmouth

Alex Chicoine and Jon McDonough, Lewiston

Keagan Cote and Brett Vallee, Lewiston

Dylan Stinchfield and Dylan Toothaker, Mt. Blue