For these high school squads, a perfect ending to spring

A fitting end to what was a grueling and testing battle last Thursday, more the norm than not on the Concord-Carlisle High School boys’ tennis team.

“There’s a lot of ups and downs,’’ said King. “These last two matches have both gone to three sets. It’s very tense, but the relief when it’s over is just great.’’

King saw the three-set victory, the clincher in the Patriots’ 3-2 win over Longmeadow High in the Division 1 state final, as his most emotional match of the season.

Leaning against a chain-link fence atop the hill overlooking the courts, sporting a pair of magenta sunglasses on an overcast day, and clutching a bag of tortilla chips, Concord-Carlisle sophomore Alex Steinroeder shared that sense of relief, conveying it in a soft tone.

“They tell me to stay focused out there, not get too confident,’’ said Steinroeder, who surrendered just one game in his straight-set victory. “Just work on new things that will help you in future matches.’’

Emotion, resolve and focus, all components in what was a 23-0 run for the Patriots in defense of their state title.

That streak of perfection was matched by three other area high school teams this spring:

◼ The Algonquin Regional girls’ tennis team culminated a 21-0 run by knocking off fellow unbeaten Wellesley, 4-1, in the Division 1 state final.

◼ The Dover-Sherborn girls’ tennis team finished its 21-0 season with a 5-0 blanking of South Hadley for the Division 3 title.

◼ On Saturday night, the Ashland High girls’ softball team extended its two-year winning streak to 54-0 with a 3-0 win over Hudson for the Division 2 crown, riding a no-hitter from the state’s player of the year, Nicole D’Argento, in her final high school appearance.

Two other programs also captured state titles in the past week: the Lexington High girls’ softball team repeated in Division 1, while the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional boys’ volleyball team exacted revenge in a rematch of last year’s final against St. John’s Prep of Danvers.

In its march to back-to-back crowns, the Ashland softball program has reaped the benefits of a deep feeder system, and followed the dominant D’Argento’s lead.

With her no-hit victory over Hudson, the Boston College-bound righthander closed out her brilliant high school career with an astounding 62-0 record, 0.24 earned-run average, 824 strikeouts, 14 no-hitters and three perfect games. But the supporting cast was talented, and poised, making the Clockers a challenge for any team.

The infield, anchored by senior third baseman Kylene Pease and senior first baseman Erin Gilfoy, with support from sophomore catcher Kristen Giombetti, is so solid that only one opposing team attempted a bunt all year.

When freshman shortstop Leah Flanagan went down with a season-ending injury with two games left in the regular season, senior Michelle Blackler stepped in and batted .451, and played error-free defense despite having never covered the position before. All 19 varsity players collected at least three RBIs this season.

“The older girls do a great job of incorporating the younger girls into the softball family,’’ Ashland coach Steve O’Neill said. “It’s something that’s passed on from year to year. Our kids are ready when they get the opportunity.’’

The Concord-Carlisle boys’ tennis team has ripped off 48 straight wins. Tennis is a year-round commitment for most of the players, and in every match, whether the season’s first or the state final, they are prepared.

On the individual level, talent is the key ingredient. But on the team level, keeping a win streak alive demands more. It takes, as the Patriots demonstrated in their win, a little bit of ebb and flow among players.

“We usually like to get our vocal leadership from our doubles,’’ said the team’s interim coach, Bill Steinroeder, who took over in March while head coach Alex Spence finished his master’s degree at Boston College.

At Dover-Sherborn, where the girls’ tennis team has gone 39-2 in Karen Raymond’s two years as coach, the Raiders set goals, and everyone is held accountable.

Before each match, the entire team forms a huddle to discuss what they’re going to do to win the match.

Raymond preaches footwork and constant motion, but also about staying focused on the game plan.

“We don’t talk about beating Medfield or Hopkinton,’’ two Tri-Valley League rivals, said Raymond, a former coach at Brockton High who played tennis at Mount Holyoke College in the early 1970s. “We talk about what we’re going to work with. I think that makes a tremendous difference. The focus is on the ability of the player to make a difference.’’

If the opponent across the net makes a bad out-of-bounds call in the self-refereed matches? Forget about it.

“We always talk about that as a feeling of empowerment,’’ Raymond said. “If you focus on that, you lose focus on the match. You need to see what you’re doing, step out of that and focus on your goals.’’

The Raiders pulled out three 3-2 victories over league foes before April vacation, but never lost sight of the ultimate goal. Singles players Katie Patterson and Alyssa D’Arcy, and doubles tandem Olivia Finnegan and Brittany Dacier lost just twice, while Caitlin D’Arcy and Julia Watson have gone 40-1 in two seasons.

At Algonquin Regional, the mentality of creating a team spirit in a singular sport is similar.

Coach Jan McCurdy annually hosts a preseason party to get the players, who hail from Northborough and Southborough, acquainted with each other.

The environment created by the coach helps in a number of ways. But McCurdy doesn’t want to take too much credit. In her view, it’s about having talent - such as sophomore Stephanie Hom and senior Mikaela Stamas - to complement good coaching.

In the state final against Wellesley, McCurdy said, every player gave “150 percent.’’ Still, when the Tomahawks prevailed, she was a bit taken aback.

“It’s a little bit of unbelief,’’ McCurdy said after winning her first state title in 30 seasons as coach. “Not that we couldn’t make it, but when you do it for the first time, it’s a real breakthrough.’’

Completing an unbeaten season also takes some close calls, and a few lucky bounces.

After stranding 16 runners through 9 1/2 innings in its state semifinal against Concord-Carlisle, Ashland had its best hitter - D’Argento - at bat when the game was suspended by rain. When play resumed 18 hours later, D’Argento promptly hit a double, and scored the winning run two batters later.

Finnegan and Dover-Sherborn had a little luck, too.

She and doubles partner Dacier were deadlocked at 6-6 in the second set tiebreaker against Lynnfield in the state semifinal, after already needing a tiebreaker to win the first set. That’s when the sophomore hit a shot that looked like it was going into the net. Instead, the ball rested on top of the net for seemingly seconds before rolling onto the Lynnfield side, giving them a 7-6 lead. The next point was hit into the fence by Lynnfield, giving Dover-Sherborn the match.

“At that point, I looked up in the sky and said, ‘It’s our turn,’ ’’ Raymond said with a laugh.

Brendan Hall can be reached at bhall59@hotmail.com.