BRUNSWICK

The Brunswick High School boys tennis teams has a new face at the head coaching position for the 2018 season.

Chris Leighton enter his first year as the boys head coach in Brunswick, retiring after 34 years as an assistant attorney general for the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

The former Deering High School standout and No. 2 singles player at the University of Southern Maine that reached the NAIA nationals in 1979 is excited for the opportunity to coach at Brunswick.

“I am excited about sharing my knowledge and passion for tennis with these young players,” said Leighton, a former president of the Maine Tennis Association for a number of years in the 1990’s.

Leighton takes over for Sewall Janeway.

In 2017, the 12-0 Dragons entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed in Class A North, but eventually fell to Lewiston, 3-2 in the regional finals. The Blue Devils also upended Brunswick in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference finals by the same score.

“This year’s team has a good spread of classes,” notes Leighton, whose Dragons fell to Lewiston in their opener on Thursday, 3-2, and visits Mt. Ararat on Monday. “Last year’s team was top heavy in seniors, so this year’s team looks good, not just for now, but for the next few years as well.”

Wyatt Slocum, Lucas Piatt and Spencer Taylor provide Leighton with senior leadership, while juniors Kian Murray, Connor Shaw, Nick DaRosa, Ben Donsbach and Nuri Rosen will also be valuable upperclassmen to the younger players.

Freshmen Calvin Doherty, Luke Flanagan and Micah Pietraho round out the roster for Brunswick.

Here is a look at the rest of area squads:

Morse

The Shipbuilders graduated their entire lineup from last season, including state single quarter-finalists Thomas and Matthew Jarmusz.

Four players from last year’s squad are returning to the team for head coach Steve Boyce. Juniors Christian Keenan and Dillon Reece will compete, with sophomores Corey Klein and Ryan Reed at the scoring positions this season.

Although the squad has virtually no match experience, Boyce is encouraged by the mixture of talent.

“Many of the players have recreational tennis experience, but little in a competitive match setting,” said Boyce. “I am sure that by season’s end, each player’s athleticism and competitive desire will be evident by their improved quality of play.”

After two weeks of practice inside, the group of players have demonstrated to Boyce that there is good potential on the team and the competition for the remaining scoring positions will be tight.

“It will be a fun season with the team results dependent on how quickly we progress on the court,” added Boyce.

Morse fell to Gardiner in its opener on Thursday and takes on Lincoln Academy in Newcastle on Monday.

Mt. Ararat

It will be difficult replacing two-time MPA state singles champion Nick Mathieu at the No. 1 slot at Mt. Ararat, but Eagles coach Don Foley feels the team has a little more depth this season, with athletes either returning from injury or coming out for tennis for the first time.

“We have six players back from last year with several new faces,” said the Eagles coach. “They have all been great in the cold, wind, rain and snow. We are looking forward to a great tennis season.”

Mt. Ararat, 6-6 and No. 5 in Class A North in 2017, has fallen to Mt. Blue in the quarterfinals the past two years.

Senior Peter Mao is back from an injury and looks to man the No. 1 or 2 singles spot. Junior Matt Mosher is back, working hard and looking good at the No. 1 or No. 2 according to Foley.

Senior newcomer Ryan Glass has looked solid in the few practices the Eagles have had outside. Juniors Eli Begert and Nathan Kofroth return and have also looked good in early preseason matches. Sophomore Dave Neufeld is returning, and he and Tristan Caswell- Riday have improved over the winter.

A pair of freshman, Zander Chown and Luke Curnin, will compete in singles or doubles.

Mt. Ararat has several new faces including Jacob Fusco, Will San Pedro and Carson Estela. All will contribute and “compete for spots” according to Foley.

“I look forward to a successful season and a spot in the playoffs,” added Foley, whose Eagles defeated Edward Little, 4-1, in their opener on Thursday.

Freeport

Entering his 18th season as Freeport’s head coach, Jay Harper is looking forward to the upcoming season for the Falcons.

“We have 15 players out for the team,” said Harper. “We are still a young team overall, but we have talent with a fair amount of experience.”

After falling to Cape Elizabeth in the Class B South quarterfinals, the Falcons look to improve on their 5-7 campaign from a year ago.

Both the No. 1 and No. 2 singles players are returning for Harper. Sophomore Clay Canterbury holds down the top position, while junior Wes Goodwin is the team’s No. 2 singles player. Both are coming off a successful season last year.

Junior Liam Gould, who played doubles last year, appears to have the inside track on joining the singles players as the team’s No. 3 players. Gould played that position his freshman year before competing in the doubles last year.

One of the Falcons’ top doubles players, Sullivan Smith, returns to the court and will await partner with either junior Aaron Rusiecki or senior newcomer Ethan Sclar.

Harper likes his depth and is looking for a deeper run in the postseason.

“Canterbury was 6-6 as a freshman last year and Goodwin was outstanding playing at No. 3 and some No. 2.,” said Harper, whose Falcons host Greely in their opener on April 24. “We need to figure out our doubles, but I’m excited and expect a further run in the playoffs this year.”

Lisbon

The Lisbon Greyhounds are an inexperienced team this year, with eight freshman and two sophomores on the roster.

Head coach Paul Giggey returns to the helm for the Greyhounds.

“We have a lot of young athletes on the roster this year,” said Giggey. “We need to be patient and develop our skills.”

Returning players are Ben James and Alex Wells.

Members of the Mountain Valley Conference, the Greyhounds and will compete in Class C South.

Lisbon has not made postseason play since 2013, when the 4-8 Greyhounds lost to North Yarmouth Academy in the Western Class C preliminaries.

Lisbon opens the season at home on April 24 against Boothbay.

Wiscasset

Like with most area teams, the unsettling weather has forced most of the action inside, scrambling to find places to practice.

Despite the challenges, Wiscasset is poised to make another run into the Class C South playoffs. Head coach Chris Hammond is assessing his roster.

“We have depth, and a very athletic group, which should pay dividends later in the season,” said Hammond. “The team is in good physical condition.”

Returning are seniors Matt Martin, Sam Strozier and Jesse Perkins. Each played at least one singles match a year ago. Classmate Trinin Jeffrey will also compete for a spot.

“All four returning players have the potential to be singles, unlike last year when we had Ethan James, who was a clear first singles,” said Hammond.

The Wolverines have some newcomers on the roster this year. Senior Ben Masten, and freshmen Ben Hodson and Dylan Orr add depth to the roster.

Waynflete defeated the 5-5 and No. 7 seeded Wolverines in the quarterfinals last year.

With numbers continuing to struggle, Hammond notes that with just seven players, health and attendance will be important factors for them to compete.

“I expect us to make the playoffs and be competitive in all our matches,” said Hammond. “First singles and second doubles will be our most challenging spots to pick up wins.”

Wiscasset opens its 2018 campaign with a match at Dirigo on April 26. The Wolverines will start their home schedule, hosting Boothbay on April 30 in the third match of the season.