Mount Greylock Boys Fall in State Quarter-Finals
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Anyone watching Mount Greylock No. 1 singles phenom Tate Carothers Friday could see that he was not himself.
Hard-hitting? Yes. A shot-maker? Definitely. But also struggling physically and frequently taking a break to catch his wind between points.
And when the Mounties’ Division 4 State Quarter-Final against Manchester Essex was decided and Carothers’ match was the last one on court, did Mount Greylock coach Stephen Bryant dare suggest that Carothers, who had struggled with nausea during the day, resign his match?
“No,” Bryant said. “He definitely wouldn’t resign. He’s too much of a fighter. He wanted to win this, and he tried. He put it all on the court.
“It just wasn’t his day.”
And it wasn’t fourth-seeded Mount Greylock’s day either.
No. 5 Manchester Essex swept the singles points and won at second doubles to take a 4-1 win and advance to next week’s state semi-finals.
The first doubles pairing of Walter Love and Nico McWeeny earned a point for Mount Greylock, taking their match in straight sets.
“It’s great to see that,” Bryant said. “They were really strong, hitting their shots, full energy, working every point. That was probably one of the best they’ve played this season. So it was really great to see.”
Everywhere else, the Hornets swarmed to early leads and held on for two-set victories.
At second doubles, the Mounties’ Oscar Heeringa fell, 6-1, in the first, but had a 4-2 lead in the second before Manchester’s Peter Langendort recovered and won, 6-1, 6-4.
At second doubles, the Mounties’ pair of Max Wied and Anders Tainter stayed in the match with a win serving 3-5 in the second but Hornets Luke Piland and Ben Tobin bounced back to put the match away, 6-1, 6-4.
Even Carothers, who looked uncomfortable all afternoon, bounced back from a 6-1 first set that included a medical break to play a very competitive second set, falling 6-1, 6-4.
The only bad loss for Mount Greylock – on the scoreboard – came at third singles, where Keaton Repetto rolled his ankle during his contest with Freddy Jakes and was clearly hobbled throughout the second set of a 6-0, 6-0 decision.
“It’s just something you can’t control,” Bryant said. “In tennis, you get days like this where it just doesn’t go your way. If Tate was at 100 percent, he would have won. I think Keaton could have battled back if he had a good ankle, still. Oscar [Heeringa], he just dipped a little bit. He just couldn’t make it back. And he wasn’t feeling 100 percent. If he was, I think he could have made it.
“But the other team just stood their ground. They did not falter. They played their shots. They played strong and just outplayed us.”
After accepting the trophy for reaching the state’s Final Four, the Manchester Essex coach made a point of congratulating the Mounties on a gutsy match. He also noted that with no juniors or seniors on Mount Greylock’s roster, he hopes he does not run into the Mounties in the tournament again in the next couple of years.
“We’re young,” Bryant said. “The whole team’s young. Our oldest are sophomores. So we have another two great years coming up, and even then on. We’re building year after year.”
More photos from this match to come.
Singles
No. 1 Alex Montares, ME, def. Tate Carothers, 6-1, 6-3.
No. 2 Peter Langendort, ME, def. Oscar Heeringa, 6-1, 6-4.
No. 3. Freddy Jakes, ME, def. Keaton Repetto, 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles
No. 1 Walter Love/Nico McWeeny, MG, def. Andrew Cahill/Ernest Taylor, 6-2, 6-2.
No. 2 Luke Piland/Ben Tobin, ME, def. Max Wied/Anders Tainter, 6-1, 6-4.