By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

The Grizzlies' second-seeded boys tennis player, sophomore Chris Meighan, might be the coach's son, but according to first-year Goffstown High School mentor Tom Meighan, all 11 athletes are considered a part of his family. 'As a parent, I was focused on my own kid,' he said. 'Now, I feel like they're all my children. It's a profound feeling.' (Marc Thaler Photo)

GOFFSTOWN - Tom Meighan couldn't have asked to step into a better situation as the first-year coach of Goffstown High School.s boys tennis program.

It's too early to tell if the Grizzlies will contend for the Class L crown. But according to Meighan, who watched the team as a parent last season, this year's cast is already having a blast.

"They're all out here giving 110 percent," Meighan said. "And for a coach such as myself, that's a wonderful thing."

GHS features 11 players on this season's team, with seven returning from the 2004 edition that went 5-9 in Class L action.

The Grizzlies. new coach considered the team's record of a year ago to be somewhat successful, considering Goffstown is one of the smallest schools competing at the large-school level.

The goal for '05, however, is to have a winning season. And with a solid nucleus of experienced athletes, the team's collective objective is far from impossible.

"There's no substitute for experience," Meighan said before his boys hosted Manchester West at Barnard Park on Friday, April 8. "High school boys are in the middle of the maturation process. Having experience makes them smarter, stronger, faster - that translates into a lot of potential for this year."

Although the Grizzlies lost to West, 7-2, they roared out of the gate at Nashua North on Wednesday, April 6. Against the Titans, GHS won convincingly, 8-1.

The result against North was exciting, but Meighan said he was most impressed with the outcomes in a pair of singles matches.

Bob Nelson, the Grizzlies. senior captain and top-seeded player, and fellow senior Tyler Mudrick trailed in their matches by four and five games, respectively.

Both battled back to post victories.

Refusing to lose was critical, Meighan said, because doing so requires tremendous mental toughness. And according to the coach, more than helping the players improve between the lines, his greatest strength is helping them build confidence between the ears.

"What they're getting out of me is (instruction with) the mental side of the game," Meighan said. "Last year, I saw a lot of mental mistakes and players getting down on themselves."

This year, the coach is emphasizing the psychological aspect of tennis, which he said presents the largest hurdle for any athlete.

"That's basically the key to tennis," Nelson said of the mental component. "Being consistent and keeping your head in the game is important. You don't want to focus on one thing that can bring you down. The team is doing really well with that this year."

Nelson said the team is enjoying its new coach's approach to the game. In Nelson's case, he said Meighan played an important part of his season-opening singles win.

Goffstown's top-ranked player fell behind 4-0. A lot of Nelson's shots were sailing out of bounds, he said.

"Coach brought me back to reality, told me I'm better than that," Nelson said. "That got me relaxed and I started to play consistent."

Of course, Meighan accepts no credit. He believes his players are rapidly improving because of the competition they provide each other in practice. Due to the team's talent and depth, Meighan tells the boys there's no reason every player can't secure a singles or doubles spot by winning challenge matches in practice.

"Talk about incentive," the coach said. "They have no reason to say 'I guess I can't get any further.' That dynamic of having to be on your toes, it's wonderful to be involved in something where you're constantly being challenged."

Along with Nelson and Mudrick, the GHS boys tennis team includes senior Josh Friedel; juniors Juan Arubaru, Kasey Donovan, Fritz Lauer, Dan Politz and Dana Schaaf; sophomores Greg Meighan and Zach Morris; plus freshman Trey Wittenberg.

"Playing against kids that give you a scare - that makes you better," Nelson said. "It's going to make a lot of us better."