Published June 18, 2021
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High school boys tennis team enters playoffs hot off a 4-1 win over Woburn that took place on Friday, June 11 at home at the Lyons tennis court in Melrose. Over the last week, Melrose went 1-1 during Middlesex League tourney play and now are preparing for play in the MIAA tournament.
Melrose head coach Sam Stallings was happy to take a win before playoffs. “Woburn was a fun team to play against ahead of the MIAA tournament. Though they hadn’t won a match this season, they competed well in most of the matches and made us earn the win. Fortunately, players like Patrick Stratford, who had a good three-set win, were up to the task.”
Earning wins for Melrose was senior captain Griffin Castergine in first singles, who won by a score of 6-2, 6-1. In second singles, freshman Patrick Stratford won by a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. In first doubles, senior captain Mick Maguire and freshman Caleb Miller won by a score of 6-1, 6-2. And in second doubles, freshmen Ben Rossi and Nathan Chow won by a score of 6-0, 6-0. Sophomore Taha Jamaleddine fell just shy in third singles by a score of 4-6, 1-6.
It’s been a solid season for Melrose senior captain Griffin Castergine, who is currently 9-3 in first singles play and his teammates Mick Maguire and Caleb Miller are also enjoying a strong season, having only lost one match at first doubles when paired together.
“We’re looking forward to finding out who we will be playing against this week,” says Stallings. “A break in the schedule for us (about four days or so) has given us a good opportunity to get some valuable practices in that will help the team in our final push.”
Winning at the right time has been a positive sign for Melrose. The coach points out that their two best matches have come in the last week or so by beating Woburn 4-1 and losing to Reading 3-2. Says Stallings, “Reading beat us 5-0 in a scrimmage at the start of the year. We’re playing our best tennis right now and that couldn’t come at a better time as we head into the playoffs.”
As they wind down their season, coach Stallings credits his senior captains Griffin Castergine and Mick Maguire for leading by example. “Both Griffin and Mick have done a great job of being available for our team in a variety of ways. They have set an example for the younger guys when it comes to taking care of business and winning matches, and I hope that carries into the playoffs.”
Win or lose, Melrose will look to focus on development in the off season. “My goals for the team are to continue developing the young core of players that we have on our roster. Of our eight kids, six of them are currently of sophomore or freshman standing, and this should give our team an advantage next year as we continue to compete and improve because of match experience from this season. This season, six of our ten losses came at a match score of 2-3, and so a tangible goal for our team would be to get to a point that we are winning those close matchups, rather than losing them.”
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