The promising, if shorthanded, ConVal boys’ tennis team put up a valiant effort in Tuesday’s season opener against Goffstown at Adams Playground, but the undermanned Cougars couldn’t overcome the hole in their ladder, losing 6-3 to the visiting Grizzlies.

“I’m happy with what happened,” said ConVal coach Mike Young after the match. 

The Cougars had to scour the halls of ConVal just to come up with the five players they have on the squad to start the season and are still actively recruiting for a sixth to fill out their roster. With the sixth spot left blank Tuesday, ConVal started the match with Goffstown in a 2-0 hole.

Wyatt Burbank ran into some trouble with Cody Neff at the No. 1 spot, losing 8-2, but Young expects the senior to have an above-average season.

“He’s very competitive, and not everybody is going to be as good as [Neff],” Young said. 

Burbank has only been playing tennis for a little over a year; in fact, most of the ConVal roster is relatively inexperienced, but they have good instincts, athleticism and want-to, so Young said they have the potential to improve as the season goes along. 

Down the roster, senior Jake Daniels played a lengthy match with Tyler Dionne at No. 2, winning 8-4, and senior Harrison Bernier got an 8-3 win over Coen Soucy at No. 3 to round out the Cougars’ singles scoring positions.

Senior Carter Rousseau, the team’s newest recruit, fell 8-6 at No. 4; Young expects him to improve a lot over the course of the year as he gains experience. 

“He just has really good instincts,” Young said.

Mark Khalaf, an exchange student visiting ConVal from Lebanon, is in the No. 5 spot, where he was shut out.

Rousseau and Bernier teamed to take care of business at No. 2 doubles, 8-3. Burbank and Daniels played an excellent match against Neff and Dionne at No. 1 doubles, coming back from a 5-0 deficit before ultimately coming up just short with an 8-6 loss. 

“Sometimes when you come back, you just can’t keep it going,” Young said. “And, the other team got a little more intense.”

ConVal (0-1) plays at Kingswood Thursday, weather permitting. Any ConVal students interested in joining the boys’ tennis team are encouraged to contact any member of the team or athletic director Kevin Proctor. 

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