HAMPDEN, Maine — Several varsity sports teams at Camden Hills Regional High School of Rockport — soccer, basketball, baseball and softball among them — made their Class A debuts during the school year after a long tradition of competitiveness in Class B.
The school’s tennis program initially was thought to be joining the Class A ranks, too, at least long enough to be given a Class A regular-season schedule for this spring.
Unfortunately for its postseason opponents, Camden Hills’ enrollment ultimately was discovered to be just under the 675-student cutoff for Class A tennis, and on Tuesday afternoon, the Windjammers swept the boys and girls Class B North championships at the Armstrong Tennis Center.
The second-seeded Camden Hills boys won their third straight regional title with a 4-1 victory over No. 4 Caribou, and the fourth-seeded Windjammer girls blanked No. 2 Waterville by a 5-0 score in matches that were moved inside because of the rain.
The Camden Hills teams will play in state finals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Lewiston High School. The Class B South champions will be determined Thursday.
“It’s what we look for every season and what we go for,” said Camden Hills junior Josiah Krul. “Being in Class A all season we’ve seen a lot of tough opponents, and that really helped set us up well for today, but it really just came down to execution.
“It was really nice to see us pull through and give us a chance to win states now,” he added.
The Camden Hills boys (14-1) returned six of their top seven players from its 2015 championship roster, but a Class A regular-season schedule that included six 3-2 matches hardened the Windjammers for its showdown against a Caribou team that had avenged its only loss of the year with a semifinal victory over top-seeded John Bapst of Bangor.
“It was a benefit because the competition in Class A suited us a little more in helping us get better as players,” said Camden Hills top singles player Matt Morse. “I think this year we’re actually better than last season with more depth. A lot of kids played in the offseason this year, so we got better there, too.”
The Windjammers’ first doubles tandem of Alex Forcillo and Colby Arnu scored the first point of the match, easing past Austin Scott and Bailey Griffeth 6-1, 6-1.
Caribou (13-2) equaled the match at second doubles where Austin Cheplic and Gabriel Rand outlasted Shawn Albertson and Henry Cooper 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3.
Camden Hills swept the singles, as No. 2 Luke Burstein topped Alec Cyr 6-2, 6-0; No. 3 Krul defeated Emerson Duplisse-Cyr 6-2, 6-4; and Morse topped Ethan Plourde 6-2, 6-4.
The Camden Hills girls (13-2) similarly used their accidental strength of schedule to their benefit in preparing for a postseason run that included back-to-back victories over previously undefeated teams — the Windjammers edged No. 1 Caribou 3-2 in the semifinals.
“I think it might have helped us, at least that was our plan going in,” said Camden Hills coach Dave Cook. “We just knew that we had to win enough matches to get in.”
Windjammers’ top seed Jana Spieker outlasted Waterville’s Emma Cristan in a first-set tiebreaker before going on to a 7-6 (6), 6-1 victory in a clash of players both seeded at the recent state singles tournament.
Katie Vannorsdall then rallied for a 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2 win over Sammi Saulter at second singles before the second doubles team of Vivian Priestly and Charlotte Messer secured the clinching point with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Madeline Greene and Sofie Warren.
The Windjammers capped off the sweep with victories by Kelsie Merrill and Kassie Krul at second doubles and by Naomi Landry at third singles.
“The doubles teams played well and got stronger as the matches went on, and my second singles and third singles had lost up to Caribou, and they both came back strong,” said Cook. “Emma Cristan is a good player, so I didn’t know what was going to happen there, but Jana won a tough first set and went on from there.”
Waterville ended its season at 14-1.
