2024 boys tennis preview capsules

DIRIGO COUGARS
Coach: Bruce Thompson (47th year)
Conference: MVC; Class: C
Last year’s results: 0-10
Returning athletes: Seniors — John Lane, Logan Timberlake; Sophomores — Jack Swett, Jackson Libby, Darryl Curtis.
Promising newcomers: Sophomores — Henry Waleck, Carter Fuller.
Season outlook: Last year, Dirigo only had one returning player, but this season the Cougars have five players with experience. Bruce Thompson expects to be more competitive with a full team. Dirigo will be relying on its veterans as it battles for a playoff spot.

EDWARD LITTLE RED EDDIES
Coach: Greg Vincent (15th year)
Conference: KVAC; Class: A
Last year’s results: 9-5, reached Class A North semifinals.
Returning athletes: Seniors — Brady Kilby, Axel Escobar; Sophomores — Calvin Vincent, Kadan Roussel-Haider, Gavin Pelletier, Calvin Cormier.
Key losses: Jonah Chen, Lucas Pawlina, Richie Romano.
Promising newcomers: Freshmen — Kai McHan, Ryan Manson, Brennan Edwards, Nathaniel Bigos-Lowe.
Season outlook: Edward Little has more depth than it has had in a very long time, according to coach Greg Vincent. He said it should help the Red Eddies return to the playoffs. Last year, the team had a very strong singles lineup, which carried them to their best record in over ten years. This year, the lineup is more balanced from top to bottom.

LEWISTON BLUE DEVILS
Coach: Tom LeBlond (13th year)
Conference: KVAC; Class: A
Last year’s results: 1-9
Returning athletes: Seniors — Gavin Bavis, Everett Mailhot, Austin Vincent, Ethan Rinko; Sophomore — Caleb Paris.
Season outlook: The Blue Devils are returning a competitive group of seniors who have experienced the highs and lows of the 2023 season. With another year under their belt, coach Tom LeBlond said the Blue Devils are looking to make some noise in 2024.

MOUNTAIN VALLEY FALCONS
Coach: Todd Papianou (12th year)
Conference: MVC; Class: C
Last year’s results: 6-4-1, reached C South quarterfinals.
Returning athletes: Seniors — Owen Sevigny, Brody Jamison, Nate Gallant, Caleb Gamache, Joel Tardiff, Aiden Arsenault; Junior — Ben Desalle.
Season outlook: Todd Papianou is excited for the large group of seniors that should help the Falcons in a hopeful playoff run. Nate Gallant, Owen Sevigny, and Brody Jamison are expected to be the team’s singles players. There’s a lot of competition for the two doubles teams.

MT. BLUE COUGARS
Coach: Zac Conlogue (10th year)
Conference: KVAC; Class: A
Last year’s results: 4-8, reached A North quarterfinals.
Returning athletes: Seniors — James Stinson, Tim Williamson, Jacob Caton, Jack Cramer, Aydrian Dakin, Austin Ragsdale, Alex Rackliff, Logan Walsh, Nick Welch; Juniors — Eli Hoeft, Nate Armstrong, Gordon Mcbean; Sophomores — Lincoln Tierney, Eli Kalchik, Connor Greenleaf, Nick Bell, Ben Lewis, Preston Labbe.
Key losses: Carson Zundel, Diego Cortes.
Promising newcomers: Seniors — Jose Gutierrez, Caleb Foster, Camren Ryder; Junior — Rodrigo Samaniego; Freshmen — Quinn Lawless, Landon Morse, Denis Ragsdale, James Civiello.
Season outlook: After playing a difficult schedule in 2023, the Cougars are excited to be back on the courts. The Cougars started to jell late in the season and almost pulled off the upset on second-seeded Brunswick. They look to use that late-season momentum to have a successful year in a tough KVAC Class A North. The Cougars are led by James Stinson, who reached the round of 32 last year before falling to the eventual singles champion, Xander Barber. The Cougars feature a deep roster, where players will be challenging each other frequently and should make for some competitive practices.

SPRUCE MOUNTAIN PHOENIX
Coach: Marc Keller (fourth year)
Conference: MVC; Class: C
Last year’s results: 8-4, reached Class C South semifinals.
Returning athletes: Seniors — Ian York, Jesse Lewis; Juniors — Jaziah Lavoie, Jace Bessey, Bryce Comeau.
Key losses: Tyler Guay, Braden Libby.
Promising newcomers: Sophomores — Austin Armandi, Matthew Harding; Freshmen — Caden Frazier, Owen Kelvey, Jacolby Jackson, Myles Godbey.
Season outlook: The Phoenix boys return five of their top seven players from last year, including Ian York and Jaziah Lavoie, who were both named to the MVC first-team in 2023. The team brings experience in all the singles positions and one doubles team. The newcomers bring in a tremendous amount of athletic ability and raw talent, according to Keller. Spruce should be very competitive in the MVC this year.