Bedford sweeps Goffstown to move on to D2 boys tennis semifinals

BEDFORD – There were two teams that Gary Walsh would like to see win the Division II boys tennis title.

One was his Goffstown High School team, but the No. 7 Grizzlies, who went 10-4 during the regular season were knocked out Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

That leaves No. 2 Bedford, the team that beat Goffstown 9-0, as Walsh’s pick as a champion.

“Bedford is the best team in the state, could be the best team in New England,” Walsh said after Wednesday’s match. “Both coaches (Shawna Morley and Bob Luby) do a great job and I hope they win it all. The kids are very well-mannered and that reflects the coaches. This is a classy program. If anybody is going to win it besides us, I hope it’s them.”

The Bulldogs (14-1) looked like a team that could win its third straight Division II championship, as the closest match of the afternoon was an 8-3 win at No. 2 doubles, which started well after the match had already been decided.

Mark HoSang won at No. 1 singles for Bedford, beating Martin Pelletier 8-1, and HoSang teamed up with Jim Delahunty to win the No. 1 doubles match 8-2 over Pelletier and Nicholas Flanders. Delahunty also defeated Flanders, 8-1, in the No. 3 match.

“We knew we all needed to stay focused and have efficient and fast matches,” HoSang said. “We know what we have to do to win.”

Although Bedford defeated Goffstown 9-0 during the regular season, Morley felt the Bulldogs needed to come out ready to play or else.

“Goffstown is a very talented team,” she said. “If they would have taken Goffstown lightly, and weren’t mentally prepared, we could have easily been upset because of their talent.”

McKinley Grimes gave Bedford a win at No. 2, beating Patrick Bruzga, 8-2, while Dan Soucy knocked off Kyle Arnold, 8-1, at No. 4. Grimes and Soucy also combined to beat Bruzga and Arnold, 8-3, in the No. 2 doubles match.

Bedford’s James Foley took the No. 5 match, 8-0, over Lucas Sheehan and Zachary Anderson beat Grant Caine, 8-1, at No. 6. Foley and Matt Weeks also won the No. 3 doubles match, 8-1, over Nathan Blanchard and Samuel Tardif.

The Bulldogs return to the court on Thursday, as they’ll host No. 3 Portsmouth in the semifinals, starting at 4 p.m. Portmouth defeated No. 6 Pelham, 6-3, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Bedford defeated Portsmouth 8-1 on May 10.

No. 1 Hanover defeated No. 8 Kennett 9-0 in the quarterfinals, while No. 5 Lebanon knocked off No. 4 Windham 6-3. Hanover and Lebanon will meet in the other semifinal, also on Thursday.

The winners move on to the finals at 4 p.m. on May 29 at The Derryfield School.