Following four consecutive losses, Andover Boys Squash retaliated last weekend with two perfect 7-0 victories against Groton and Middlesex, bringing its record to 3-4.
“The fact that we lost [to Groton] 0-7 last year, and we beat them 7-0 is really a testament to how much the players on the team have improved,” said Malachi Price ’13.
Fortunately, Groton was missing their number one, which made them much easier to defeat.
“Our Boys Varsity Squash team is starting to put it all together, earning good to excellent scores in the categories of performance, behavior, and effort. We are still working to manage small injuries, and we are not yet in peak squash conditions,” said Coach Tom Hodgson.
Numbers one through four down the ladder, Captain Alex Demeulenaere ’13, Michael Huang ’15, Alex Kim ’14 and Justin Curtis ’15 all won in three straight games.
Alec Buck ’13 and Price both fought hard and earned victories in 5 games.
Wearing his opponent out with long games, Cam Morose ’13 won in four games.
The Middlesex match went similarly, with another 7-0 victory. This time, all seven players won their matches in three games.
“These two wins bring us to 3-4 on the year and give us momentum going into a pivotal stretch in the season,” said Curtis.
Hodgson said, “We have important matches over the next two weeks, matches whose results will determine whether we play in Division IV, III or possibly even II in the US Squash National High School Tournament in early February.”
In preparation for the tournament, the team will be focusing on conditioning and continue to improve as it solidifies positions on the ladder.
Today the team will travel to St. Mark’s, a weaker team. Andover hopes to even out its record with a win.
On Saturday, the team will play Nobles, whom it lost to 4-3 last year. This match should be more challenging, given that Nobles’ number one is ranked among the top five players in the country.
“Nobles has a really strong top part of their ladder, so if the guys at the bottom of our ladder can play well, then we have a good shot at getting the win,” said Price.
