There’s certainly a Franklin County flair to the upcoming WMass tennis tournaments.
The MIAA released seedings and brackets for the Division 3 fields on Friday, and the area is well-represented with four teams in total seeking sectional titles.
The boys field is loaded with local interest. Turners Falls High School is the top-seeded team in Division 3, followed closely by Greenfield, the second-seeded squad in the seven-team field.
Tri-County League champion Turners (14-2) gets the lone bye on the boys side, and the Thunder will open their postseason at home with a semifinal match on Thursday against the winner of No. 4 Lee (7-4) and No. 5 South Hadley (10-7). The Powertown has lost in the quarterfinal round each of the last three years, the last two as the fifth-seeded team in the Division 3 field.
TCL runner-up Greenfield (11-4) gets to work in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday afternoon. The second-seeded Green Wave welcome No. 7 Frontier (9-5) for a 3:30 p.m. contest at the Davis Street Courts. The Red Hawks enter the postseason under unusual circumstances, as the school’s girls team competed throughout the year with one boy (Coleman Hartner) on the roster, requiring them to now compete in the boys tournament if they wanted to include Hartner on the postseason roster.
“Playing in the boys’ draw was a decision that the team made,” began Frontier coach James Fitzgerald. “We’ve had Coleman on the team all season and he’s one of the reasons we are where we are. Given the option, we’d be remiss and bordering on inappropriate if we left him off the roster. We know what we’re getting into and we’re ready. We’ve prepared all year for moments like this.”
It’s been a special season for the Davis Street Kids, as the Greenfield boys team rebounded from a one-win 2018 season to the No. 2 seed in the 2019 tournament.
“I’m particularly proud of the seniors,” said Greenfield coach Andrew Varnon. “There’s a lot to be proud of this season.”
If seeds hold, Turners and Greenfield could meet in the WMass championship match, set for June 11 at Forest Park in Springfield. Last year’s champion, South Hadley, and finalist, Belchertown, will offer firm resistance along the way however.
“We’d like a return match with Turners,” offered Varnon, whose team split a pair of matches with the Powertown during the regular season. “That would require us to win two matches. But there’s at least a pathway for us to play them in Forest Park at the end of this whole thing.”
Greenfield is the lone girls team in the Division 3 field, and the Green Wave are seeded fourth in the eight-team bracket after finishing 9-1 and sharing the TCL North with Pope Francis. First-year head coach Alexis Silk’s team is set to open with a quarterfinal round match against No. 5 Mount Greylock (12-2) on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at the Davis Street Courts.
“I love their spirit,” said Silk of her team. “I’m excited that we’ve made it to this point. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.”
Greenfield reached the semifinal round a year ago, ultimately falling to eventual champion Lee. The defending champs are the No. 2 seed in the field after a perfect 15-0 campaign, while South Hadley is the top-seeded team on the girls side with a 15-2 regular-season mark.