Medford boys tennis tops Chelmsford but falls to Saint John’s in D1 Tourney

It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions for coach Drew Hendrickson and the Medford High boys tennis team, this week.

The Mustangs pulled off a thrilling 3-2 preliminary round victory over the Chelmsford Lions in the Division 1 State Tournament on Tuesday. It marked their first tourney win in five seasons.

Medford barely had any time to celebrate, however, after getting stymied by Saint John’s Prep 5-0, in first round action on Wednesday, less than 24 hours later.

It was a quick turn of events to be sure, but an exciting tourney trek, nonetheless for the upstart squad.

“I thought it was fine,” said Hendrickson, regarding the grueling back-to-back matches on consecutive days.  “Our guys were tuned up and ready to play. Scheduling is hard. It could have rained but it was really just a logistical thing."

According to the coach, Medford High had an event planned for Thursday night. And while they could have done both, felt it would have only rushed the process

"So, we just did it (Wednesday), and it’s all good," he said. "It was no big deal.”

Medford ends its incredible season at 11-5.

The 35^th seed in the Division 1 bracket, the Mustangs were still riding high on Tuesday, after defeating No. 30 Chelmsford 3-2, in a preliminary round nailbiter at Chelmsford High.

“It was a gut check win for them,” said Hendrickson. “Two years ago, we had three kids. We barely had a team. Now we’ve got good numbers and are turning  it around. The kids were psyched.”

Locked in a 2-2 stalemate, the Mustangs second doubles team of sophomore Nate Russell and junior Nolan O'Keefe rallied the troops to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Both players are newcomers to the sport joining the squad this season.

“Nolan is super competitive,” said Hendrickson “And Nate was battling. It’s been great to have both of them.”

Senior captain Sarvesh Maharjan and junior Krish Patel also prevailed at first doubles 6-4, 7-6.

The pair were in prime position at 5-2 40-love to close out their match routinely, but needed the tiebreaker to close the game

“That was some crazy drama,” said Hendrickson.

Junior Zach Travers triumphed at second singles 6-4, 6-2.

Freshman Micah Cheriakaleth lost at first singles 6-4, 6-7, 6-4.

Sophomore Nathaniel Burns was bumped off at third singles 6-1, 6-4.

“It was great,” said Hendrickson, who earned just his second tourney victory in five years at the helm. “It was an awesome match. Chelmsford was competitive. Two of the matches went to three sets. That’s great competition. We were pumped. Last year, we had such a battle with Somerville and lost. This time these kids showed their toughness and pulled it out “

The celebration didn’t last long as Medford was back at it the following day against a private school juggernaut in No. 3 seeded Saint John’s Prep. The Falcons were just too much for the upstart Mustangs handing them a 5-0 loss.

“I think there is just a total difference in what type of experience the players on that team bring to the sport,” said Hendrickson. “So many of our guys started playing two years ago. Many of them started playing this year. These (Prep) kids, to their credit, have been playing since they were like 7-8 years old, and are at a different level.”

“I had realistic expectations that this would be just a different type of tennis and it was,” he added “That’s how it played out, but it was a cool experience for our guys. It’s a bit of a reality check. We realize where we’re at, but we’re still inspired to eventually get there. That’s my goal, to get to where they’re at. It will take a while, but that’s our long term goal.”  

One thing’s the sure the future remains very bright. The Mustangs will only lose senior Sarvesh Maharjan to graduation this year, leaving behind a bumper crop of prospects that just continue to improve.

“I’m excited,” said Hendrickson. “We still have all these young guys. A couple sophomores are getting better. Our best player (Cheriakaleth) is a freshman and we’ve got some middle schoolers coming up the pike excited about tennis."

With a little more seasoning, the coach is convinced Medford could be on the verge of something big in the next few years.

"It’s going to take a level of commitment to compete with the likes of Saint John’s Prep," he admitted. "We’re not there yet, but there is enough of enthusiasm in our community that I think we can make it there.”