Boys Tennis Season Comes To An End

The Nantucket boys tennis team, ranked #13 in the Div. 4 State Tournament, saw their season come to an end Thursday afternoon in a 5-0 defeat at the hands of #4 Hamilton-Wenham on the road in their Round of 16 matchup. The Whalers weren't able to generate much of any momentum but head coach David Cheever said he couldn't have been more proud of his team.

"It was a lot of fun," Cheever said. "That team over there is a great team and they played really well. We came over here and we competed and gave it all we had. It has been a joy to coach these kids and while it is a bummer we lost, at least we are still the better fishermen."

Evan Belanger and Silas Moore are the two seniors who will be graduating on Saturday. While Moore was in his first year with the tennis program, he has had an accomplished sports career as a baseball and soccer player as well.

Belanger meanwhile has been a staple of the program all four years of high school. Belanger was Nantucket's top singles player this season and held his own against most of the competition that came his way. He showed his toughness all school year long, most notably during hockey season as he battled shoulder injuries but continued to play at a high level as one of Nantucket's top defenseman. Belanger was a captain of both teams.

"Evan was in this program even before me," Cheever said. "He played a great match and is a great kid. He was a lot of fun to be around and a pleasure to coach. To see him grow every year into the young man he is today and to watch him continue to get better on that tennis court, it was just a lot of fun."