Guilford ends Avon’s run as state champions in boys tennis

NEW HAVEN – The Avon High boys tennis team came close but they finished second at the Class M championships.

A year after losing to the Falcons by two points, Guilford High came out on top with a two-point win to claim the state championship, 21-19. Avon was trying to capture its fourth straight Class M championship.

Guilford clinched the title Wednesday when the top-ranked team of Luke Lemieux and Matthew Murphy won the doubles crown with a solid 6-0, 6-3 victory over Avon sophomore Mike Arciero and junior Mike Thramann, the No. 3 seed. It was Guilford’s third state championship and first since 2010.

Arciero and Thramann won four straight matches to get to the championship match, including a hard-fought three-set victory in the quarterfinals over No. 2 seed Joseph Boughton and Niall Kneerim of Brookfield, 6-7 (3-6), 7-6 (8-6), 6-2.

Arciero and Thramann received plenty of help from their Falcon teammates. Doubles teammates junior Andre Wang/senior Chris Haynes and freshmen Austin Chen/Alex Herz each won a pair of matches.

In singles, senior Riley Van Dusen went 1-1 while No. 4 seed senior John Burdick and No. 7 seed junior Eric Selzer each went 3-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Burdick dropped only three games in his first three victories. In a quarterfinal loss to No. 5 Evan Powell of Guilford, Burdick was beaten in a tiebreaker in the first set and was dispatched in the second set, 7-6 (6-3), 6-2.

Selzer had a tough start but outlasted Stratford’s Alex Masi in the first round, 7-5, 6-2 before rolling to a pair of wins. Berlin’s Dan Rombola, the No. 2 seed, beat Selzer in the quarterfinal, 6-2, 6-1.

Avon (14-2, 13-0 NCCC) had an outstanding season this spring, winning the NCCC championship for the fourth straight season and winning the NCCC Tournament, as well.