By Jeff Appelblatt
It’s been a tough pill for Woodbridge High School boys’ tennis coach Dan Mortensen to swallow. His team, before its May 8 contest vs. Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen, won only twice in its 13 chances.
The second-year coach refuses to drop his head low — no matter how much he, like any coach, prefers to see his team win.
“I’ve never really liked losing, but I’m someone who likes to look at the positives,” Mortensen said. “My goal is to improve match by match.
“By the end of the season, I want to see an improvement.”
It took the Barrons two weeks into the season to get a win. Woodbridge lost five more matches before seeing the win column again May 3.
The positive coach was able to quickly point out who the team beat in each of the two wins. They defeated one of the team’s top rivals, Colonia High School. On top of that, the Patriots have had less luck on the tennis court than the Barrons this year. The only team Colonia beat was Middlesex High School.
“It was good to beat them,” Mortensen said, not trying to compare the dismal records of Woodbridge and Colonia.
Woodbridge’s coach just wishes his top senior’s play wouldn’t go unnoticed in a year he hasn’t had much help.
“[Mehul Jain’s] record might not really show it, but he’s always competed first singles,” Mortensen said, explaining that one match can never win a full day’s competition.
Woodbridge’s coach just hopes to see his team compete the rest of the way and maybe add on another win or two.
Woodbridge faced South Plainfield High School May 9 and takes on South River High School May 10 in Woodbridge at 4 p.m.
Before they know it, Mortensen and his team will be thinking about next year.
“Each year starts fresh,” Mortensen said. “Next year, we’ll be looking for someone else to earn control of first singles.”