Staff Writer
CARIBOU – This is the season for Viking boys’ tennis. Having reached the end of the regular season with an 11-0 record with a number-two rank in the Heal Point Standings, Caribou’s elite tennis athletes remain fixated on the Eastern Maine Championship.
Staff photo/Gloria Austin
Spencer McElwain sets up for a backhand return during a recent match.
While the CHS girls’ tennis team has racked up years of success and banners under the leadership of longtime coach John Habeeb, the boys have yet to bring a banner to the Viking halls. In 2007, Caribou tennis boasted a competitive season only to fall short in the Eastern Maine finals to Mount Desert Island.
However, this year’s squad is hungry to bring their most aggressive game into the post season for the coveted banner.
According to Habeeb, the prospects seem positive. “This is the best season we’ve ever had,” said Habeeb. “We’ve beat everyone 5-0, and no one has lost an individual match. That bodes well for us. If everybody keeps playing the way they’ve been playing, then our chances look good.”
Despite Belfast’s number-one ranking, Habeeb suspects MDI and Camden Hills will put up a good fight on the courts as well. “MDI might scare us a little bit just because they beat us last year,” commented Habeeb. The Trojans, while defending Eastern Maine Champions, have finished regular season in the number-six spot.
Habeeb also remains confident in the Vikings’ ability to overcome the Windjammers. Caribou has faced Camden Hill’s current number-one Willie Levine in the past.
Casey Lancaster, CHS’s number-three single, matched with Levine two years ago and, while he lost the game, Levine struggled for the victory. Levine’s ’08 regular season record is 8-3 but Caribou’s number-one singles Franz Zehentner has yet to be beaten.
“We’re also encouraged by Bapsts’ success, because we handled them pretty well in the beginning of the season,” said Habeeb. John Bapst ended up number-four in the Heal Points.
Leading Caribou into the post season is Zehentner, an exchange student from Villach, Austria. Zehentner played tennis all year round in Austria, and his experience has shown throughout the season.
“He’s amazing to watch,” said Habeeb. “Sometimes he’ll make mistakes, but other times he’ll just blast the ball into the corner. He doesn’t do anything mediocre.”
Zehentner’s serve could shatter a lot of the competition. His fastest serve ever was clocked at 121 mph. “If it works, it’s one of my best shots,” said Zehentner.
Zehentner plans to play a calculated game with all his opponents in the upcoming championship rounds. “It totally depends on the other guy,” explained Zehentner about his style. “If he doesn’t like drop shots then I’m going to play drop shots.”
Junior Shane Belanger took up the number-two singles position after a challenge match with Zehentner this year. Belanger gives the Vikings the advantage of having a number-one worthy player at number two.
“We’re going to be focused and hit every point like it’s our last point,” said Belanger about the upcoming matches.
Number-three singles for CHS is senior Lancaster who has gone undefeated in the regular season for two years in a row.
With the a trio of strong singles players settling into their technique, Habeeb spent a great deal of practice focusing on the doubles game. Senior Spencer McElwain and junior Taylor Jepson will play in Caribou’s number-one doubles spot. McElwain, who also ranks among the fastest in long-distance track, played tennis all four years of high school and has paired with Jepson for three.
“We kind of know how we’re going to play and where we’re going to be now,” said McElwain about his partner. “We’ve really focused on getting the doubles mechanics down and working on the basics like service and net play. We’ve got to play every game like it’s a championship match.”
Jepson knows that their team strategy has improved this season. “We’re going to play smart,” said Jepson.
Second doubles pair senior Keegan Wakana and junior Tim Langlais also have an experience advantage over younger teams.
Wakana’s game scheme also relies on the doubles techniques the Vikings have worked on in practice. “We have to keep the ball in play, outlast them and try to get into the one and two mode as much as possible,” explained Wakana.
Despite their youth, the Caribou girls also have another chance at making a racket in playoffs. The Viking girls ended with a 7-4 season record and number-six in the Heal Points.
Number-one singles is junior exchange student Octavia Panzeri followed by freshmen Jenna Selander and Laura Collins. Doubles teams are Nicole Nadeau and Meagan Nadeau and Elizabeth Barbosa and Missy Nadeau.
