It’s no coincidence.
During the offseason some members of the Taunton High boys tennis team put in extra time on the courts and then enjoyed one of the program’s best years in school history.

Nearly half of coach Meredith Patenude’s starting seven participated last year in a program through the Southeastern Mass. Community Tennis Association. Others took lessons.

“The more they play, the better it’s going to be for the team,” Patenude said of last year’s 12-6. “We haunted them that the only way to do really good is you have to practice your skills throughout the year.

“This particular group of boys stuck with it. They kept at it and they progressed at it.”

The hard work paid off in the Tigers’ first postseason appearance.

Prior to last year the only summer tennis available in Taunton was through the Park and Recreation Department. Former Bridgewater State College tennis coach Filipe Miguel wanted there to be more opportunities. That’s why the Easton Tennis Pro started the SEMCTA in conjunction with the Old Colony YMCA.

“What it is is basically another way for us to bring tennis to more people in the community,” Miguel said. “This was a way to reach out to the community by providing programs through the YMCA in Taunton.”

In its first year, the program featured players from Taunton, Bridgewater, Lakeville, Easton, Brockton, Weymouth, Quincy, Fairhaven and Fall River.

“This is something that we’re building,” Miguel said. “This is our second year. Our goal is to try and establish these community programs so they’ll be excellent feeders programs for high school teams.”

Miguel’s new tennis program might not have fed incoming players into Taunton High, but it did give current THS athletes more opportunities on the court. And that translated into more Tiger victories.

“We were happy to see a team like Taunton High School do so well,” Miguel said. “They had one of their best seasons ever and we felt like we contributed to that. For the first time, some of the Taunton boys team played all summer.”

Since Patenude had five seniors last year, her players had knowledge of the sport. What they lacked was a ton of match experience which they got through the SEMCTA.

“They already knew how to play,” she said. “He made matches for them. That was good because they were able to play and that helped my team.”

Besides an 18-and-under league, SEMCTA holds junior clinics each Wednesday night from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Friedman Middle School.

“The parents love it,” Miguel said. “The kids love it.” 



Breeding Success

Taunton High is not alone. Several other high school tennis teams are reaping the benefits of youth and club tennis in the area.

“We have quite a few kids that do youth programs before they get to the high school,” Bridgewater-Raynham girls tennis coach Bob Peterson. “They definitely stand out.”

Coyle-Cassidy girls coach Dave Casavant can tell right away if an athlete has played tennis before. He saw it when recent graduate Kristen Bonito was a freshman and also when current senior Juliet Levangie entered the school.

“Kristen I know she plays year round,” Casavant said. “She’s been involved in the indoor programs at Lakeville (Athletic Club). She used to play in tournaments. She was taking lessons. She was very, very active. Juliet Levangie was the same was. She’s from Middleboro and she’s very involved.”

Levangie is not only the captain of C-C’s girls team, she’s also an active member of the Lakeville Athletic Club, where she participates in junior matches, private lessons and clinics.

“I’ve been coming here since I was very little,” Levangie said. “I live pretty close so I can just come whenever. It is my second home.”

Levangie’s extra time on the court has translated into success at the high school level. Last year she earned her second Taunton Daily Gazette All-Scholastic selection by completing a perfect 16-0 season at second doubles. Her two-year win total at Coyle-Cassidy stands at 34-4.

She admits if it wasn’t for youth tennis, none of this would have been possible.

“I had a very good experience of tennis, of what it is and how to score,” she said of her knowledge entering high school. “A lot of girls now just start and think they can pick up a racquet. It’s a lot of work you have to put in before you just come into high school.”

If she hadn’t been training at Lakeville all those hours, Levangie said, “it would have been very difficult. I would have had to be out there a lot of days each week putting in a lot of hours to catch up to the other (high school) girls if I hadn’t (done youth tennis). So I’m very glad I had the experience beforehand.”

The Lakeville Athletic Club is the home to more than 200 youth and teenage players.

Many who are passionate about the sport spend hours upon hours at the club.

“I’m here a lot,” said Coyle-Cassidy player Peter Jameson.

“The Edgewood Swim and Tennis Club in Raynham — it’s probably the only great tennis club in Bridgewater and Raynham,” B-R boys coach Gerry Cunniff said. “The Lakeville Athletic Club is the place for Coyle-Cassidy. When they had those three standouts a few years ago, those kids practically lived there.”

The Lakeville Athletic Club, which is owned and operated by Richard Anthony, offers programs to all ages and abilities. Many players like Levangie start at Lakeville young and move up through the ranks.

“It’s great technical instruction which is the first step so they’re hitting the ball accurately and properly,” Anthony said. “Then it’s up to how much effort and time they want to put into it. As they go there’s great instruction as far as strategy, conditioning, getting them match experience and match play.”

While high school coaches are only able to prep their player for two weeks leading up to the spring season, Tennis Pros like Phil Kadesch have plenty of time to mold them.

“They get a couple of weeks before the start of the season and away we go, whereas we’re working with kids year round here,” said Kadesch, who coaches at Lakeville. “We are a feeder program. The kids who come through our program are filling the top varsity spots on all the local high school teams.”

As Kadesch spoke Friday afternoon, on a court nearby, recent Coyle-Cassidy graduate and former No. 1 player Mike Silva was playing mixed doubles.

“He’s that type of kid he is,” said Anthony, who is the Coyle-Cassidy coach as well. “He’s played his whole life and his whole family has played. His brothers have been here and his sister. You definitely see (the impact of youth tennis) through them.”

When Kadesch became a tennis pro at Lakeville four years ago, he envisioned a time when all the top high school players would be on court with him.

“It was my goal when I came here to turn this into one of the top junior programs in the area and I think we’re quickly doing that,” he said. “And I think the results speak for themselves. We’re working with them on building a solid foundation of their mechanical skills and if you have good mechanical skills, then you have the ability to play at a high level.”

Anthony finds that athletes not only learn how to play tennis at a high level at Lakeville, they thrive off of each other.

“We had a top kid from Bridgewater-Raynham, Taunton High school, from Apponequet, from Carver, from Old Rochester, from Middleboro — anybody from all over the place,” he said. “So they push each other. They motivate each other.”



Impact on high schools

When recent Apponequet graduate Jeff Dziura was challenged last year by juniors — Pat Walker and Adam Wladis — Dziura wasn’t upset. He knew they had more playing experience and welcomed the competition, knowing it would only make Apponequet a better team.

“There are even some kids who are younger than you that can beat you,” he said. “That may bring down your morale a little bit, but it definitely helps your game because you know that people who are coming up are going to be better.”

Having several players participating in tennis prior to reaching high school helped Apponequet reach the Division II South Sectional Semifinals.

“There are a couple of kids on our team — Adam Wladis and Pat Walker — they played when they were younger and it just excels your game,” Dziura said, “because the more you play, the better you get and the longer you play, the more experience you have.”

Cunniff expects to have a strong team at B-R the next few years thanks to experienced players coming into his program.

“Anything you can do younger is better,” he said. “It’s the absolute truth. The younger you start, the better you’re going to be.

“We have some good freshmen coming in so the next three years we should be good.”

What Peterson has noticed to be the biggest advantage to experienced players at B-R is their anticipation.

“The biggest thing I think early exposure not just in tennis but in any sport, you can have a good athlete and you’re teaching them and they’re just reacting,” Peterson said. “Just the anticipation that experience gives you is the edge. That’s really the biggest thing that you see with the kids who have played as youngesters... you’re comfortable.”

Peterson saw that in Jackie McGuirk when she entered B-R.

“She came in just a strong player as a freshman,” he recalled. “When you’re No. 1 is a freshman, the upperclassmen you’re competing with haven’t had those years of experience.”

Peterson believes that the United States Tennis Association has played a part in local success at high school.

“Half of my team was doing USTA once they got to the high school level,” he said. “If you want to do the higher level stuff, you have to do USTA. I think most high school coaches benefit from the work of the tennis pros.”

And that’s the point.

The Lakeville Athletic Club, Easton Tennis Club, Edgewood Swim and Tennis Club and the Southeastern Mass. Community Tennis Association are established with that goal in mind.

llos@tauntongazette.com