BATH

Warming up underneath the warm sun on a day that helped solidify that spring is here to stay, the Morse High School boys tennis team prepared to host Oceanside in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference matchup this past Friday.

Players were laughing and chatting with one another, making it appear that a group of friends just decided to meet up at the courts for a few games of tennis. However, one thing for those who may have been seeing this team for the first time may not have realized is the Shipbuilders were sitting on a perfect 7-0 record atop the Heal Point Standings in Western Maine Class B.

A couple of hours later, and a 3-2 victory to its name, Morse extended its perfect season to 8-0. However, the reason for the Shipbuilders’ success is nothing out of the ordinary, and as the top three singles players mention, it’s just the love for tennis that makes it easier to be successful.

“Our preparation, our physical preparation, our mental preparation too and our coach that we work really hard with,” Shipbuilders’ No. 2 and captain Stephen Tapia said before the Oceanside match about what goes into the season that they’ve had. “We’re just trying to take every single match as serious as possible. Every single practice we look for the win and for the fun of tennis.”

“I definitely think that the returning team, everyone knows each other,” No. 1 singles player Thomas Jarmusz said. “You have that good dynamic going. I think that team relationship helps. I mean everybody knows each other and are close enough to joke and it’s fun. I think that’s what makes it a great sport.”

“Everybody on our team pretty much played last year, so we all kind of know how it works,” No. 3 Matthew Jarmusz said. “We have a lot of new people too, so it’s also great to have a lot of new people playing, to get better.”

A year ago the Shipbuilders finished with a 9-3 record and in second place in the Western Class B Heal Point Standings behind Cape Elizabeth. After receiving a first-round bye in the postseason, Morse went on to beat Maranacook in the quarterfinals, but fell just short in a 3-2 match against Yarmouth in the semis. The Clippers were eventually swept by the state champion Cape Elizabeth squad in the Western B Finals.

“Part of what they do and how they approach the matches, they want to win, but the intensity is limited to the point that this is just a tennis match,” head coach Steve Boyce said. “As a result they keep things in proper perspective and I think that’s why they do well. When they start countering any sort of issues during a match they just sort of mellow out.”

However, the success goes far beyond the three singles players in the Jarmusz brothers and Tapia. A strong core of doubles players that include Lucas Brown, Justin Trottier, Wade Daigle and Oskar Matero provide a different style to the game, considering how communication is inevitably key during these matches.

“Our doubles teams, especially being friends with each other, they know what to do,” Thomas Jarmusz said. “Them hitting together is just so much fun to watch and I think that helps them know their way around.”

“The communication is critical,” Boyce said about the doubles game. “It’s faster because the balls come back at a quicker pace because you have two people on either side. What’s helping the doubles teams become better is they are beginning to communicate with each they do that they communicate tactically, which is helping them out.”

Four matches remain on the Shipbuilders’ schedule, with a scheduled contest on Tuesday against Camden Hills, which held a 7-1 record before the match, while another showing between Morse and Oceanside rounds out the regular season on May 22.

Though, one thing is for certain for the Shipbuilders. Up until now the team has proven itself, but as the team will say, the success is never something that they will allow to get to their heads.

“It’s our captain,” Thomas Jarmusz said of Tapia. “He brings fun to every match and sometimes it’s hard to be serious because he’s so much fun. I think it’s really Stephen that keeps the team from getting really competitive on each other.”

“Stephen and coach make sure we practice and prepare for the matches, they do a good job with that,” Matthew Jarmusz stated.

“The team makes something special in the hearts of every person on this team,” Tapia said. “Coach, he’s the best role model that we can see. He is our mentor and I just want to bring happiness to this team and they bring it back to me.”

“The season has moved incredibly fast,” Boyce said. “But, again, I think what they’ve done is haven’t really been overly impressed with themselves. They take it one match at a time and they’re enjoying it. At this point we’re waiting for Cape to play some more games, because once they play some more matches the (Heal) Points will come back and it’ll make it more level in a matter of time.

“I’m hoping we’re close to where we are now (No. 1 seed). There’s a possibility of staying there if we have this success for the rest of the year. I just want to be close to the top and be competitive in the playoffs. I would love to give these guys an opportunity to play for KVAC title and that’s a possibility, but a lot of things have to fall into place.”