Sports
Boys Tennis Boasts Best Season in Two-Plus Decades
The Tigers finish their regular-season 11-5, their best record since 1989, and also see their top doubles team reach the quarterfinals of the Class LL tournament.
As the first-year coach of the Ridgefield High School boys tennis team, Jonathan Buchman naturally had to get to know his players after taking the job last fall.
His plan was to push them hard, but initially he didn't know if that method would work. But he soon learned that he had a team eager for success.
"We had a good group of seniors who knew this was their last organized sport, and they really wanted to do something special with it," Buchman said.
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The Tigers responded to their new coach, finishing the regular season 11-5 in a rugged FCIAC that included state powers New Canaan, Staples and Greenwich.
It was Ridgefield's best year since 1989.
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Leading the way for Ridgefield was its No. 1 doubles tandem of seniors, Greg Jacob and Oliver Murray, who finished 15-0 in the regular season and earned a unanimous selection to the all-FCIAC team.
The duo reached the quarterfinals of the Class LL state tournament and won three matches before a tournament-ending loss on Monday.
Freshman Arnaud Valentin was named to the FCIAC all-honorable mention team after posting a 13-2 record while playing in the second and third singles position.
And four Ridgefield players—Shane Lovallo, Keith Beizer, Valentin and Zachary Passman—advanced to the singles competition in the Class LL tournament. Lovallo (11-5 during the regular season while primarily playing at No. 3 singles) and Passman (6-9 at No. 1 singles) reached the second round. Lovallo then lost to No. 8 seed Jason Ottomano of Fairfield Prep, 6-3, 6-1, and Passman, the No. 18 seed, fell to No. 16 Cam Marco of Staples, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
Senior Soichi Hirokawa was a valuable asset at No. 2 doubles because he was able to play with six different partners.
"I was able to reward guys who worked hard in practice by playing them at No. 2 doubles (with Hirokawa)," Buchman said.
The team is losing seven seniors including five starters. The Tigers will lose their premier doubles team and their No. 3 singles player in Lovallo, but their top two singles players, sophomore Passman and Valentin, will be back.
"I'm envisioning a good season," Buchman said of next spring. "Again, I'm going to work them as hard as I can to get the most out of them."
