CHS boys’ tennis team finishes season on a hot streak
By Danny Joseph
Junior Alex Geyyer, second doubles
The Canton High boys’ tennis team ended its season on a tear of epic proportions, winning seven straight regular season contests to finish with a record of 10-7. Last Thursday, the Bulldogs defeated King Philip, clinching a berth in the state tournament and also giving them a moral victory over a team they hadn’t beaten in four years.
Canton’s number one singles player, freshman Viboosh Chandresekar, was out due to illness, but the rest of the Bulldogs more than rose to the occasion in his absence. Senior captain Peter Sidney, filling in at the number one spot, battled valiantly, but eventually succumbed to the top player from KP in straight sets.
“Peter Sidney showed an abundance of maturity filling in at the number one position,” head coach Leo Nelson said. “He played extremely well against some tough competition.”
Canton got on the board with big wins from both doubles teams — senior Scott Chamberlain and freshman Sam Riemer in the first slot, and Alex Geyyer and Alex Garcia in the second pairing.
However, the match of the day came from junior Mitch Kayserman. Despite the overbearing heat, Kayserman defeated his opponent in straight sets to clinch the match and the state tournament berth.
The Bulldogs continued their hot play with a dominating victory over Norwood the day after the clincher. Nelson’s charges rolled to a 5-0 victory over the Mustangs.
“Our confidence was high from the huge win against King Philip and it showed,” Nelson said. “We played the way I always knew we could.”
The match showcased an aggressive, attacking style for both Bulldogs’ doubles teams. “The doubles were taking the net aggressively, sticking to their game plan, and playing their game,” said Nelson. “They didn’t let the 90-degree heat get to them one bit.”
In the first round of the tournament, the Bulldogs drew perennial power Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. Players were excused early from school on Friday in order to make the 3 p.m. match on the Vineyard. However, the higher seeded Vineyarders proved to be too much for the upstart Bulldogs, ending Canton’s season with a 5-0 defeat.
Despite the less than glorious ending, the Bulldogs had a season to remember. The men in green finished the season playing their best tennis, and will utilize the confidence they gained as they practice and improve over the summer. A promising core of young players will be back next year as Canton looks to build toward the future.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=5763
Posted by Danny Joseph
on Jun 8 2011. Filed under High School, Sports.
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