By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
The Montgomery High boys tennis team left absolutely no doubt which team was the best in New Jersey this season.
The Cougars completed a dominating run through the Tournament of Champions with a 5-0 win over Newark Academy in the championship match. Montgomery, which did not lose a set in either of its TOC matches, finished the season with perfect 22-0 record.
After holding off West Windsor-Plainsboro South for a 3-2 win in the Central Jersey Group IV final, the Cougars posted four straight wins to capture the Group IV title and the TOC title. The match against the Pirates proved to be the toughest in the title runs for Montgomery.
“We knew that things would get easier after going through West Windsor-Plainsboro South and then Westfield in the Group 4 tournament,” Montgomery coach Raheel Saleem said. “Those were two heavyweights. After those matches we had to stay focused because we knew every match the rest of the way would be a battle.
“Mentally, we were right there. We were taking it one match at a time and knew the matches would be tough. In the conversations I had with the guys we knew originally they had circled West Windsor-Plainsboro South on the calendar. That was a main one and then from there we took it one match at a time. West Windsor-Plainsboro South is such a fantastic team, especially with Matthew Michibata back in for sectional final.”
The Cougars topped WW-P South, 3-2, in the sectional final and then defeated Westfield, 4-1, in the Group IV semifinals. They topped Livingston, 5-0, to win the Group IV crown and Delbarton, 5-0, in the TOC semifinals.
“We figured we would have some battles and know Westfield and how they played,” Saleem said. “After our match with West Windsor-Plainsboro South the guys were exhausted. We had a good win against Westfield and carried that over into the win against Livingston.”
In the TOC final against Newark Academy, the Cougars swept the singles behind wins from Vishnu Joshi, Ishaan Ravichander and Mark Fridman. The doubles just kept on winning as they have all season as Chris Guo and James Hopper won at first doubles, while Liam Lynch and Phillip Szkudlarski won at second doubles.
“After we won the TOC, I just sat down and watched them celebrate,” Saleem said. “Seeing how happy they were is the best feeling I have had as a coach. All the long hours and hard work the guys put in, you see it all come together.”
The Cougars challenged themselves early in the season against some top competition and were as prepared as any team could be for the tough matches down the stretch.
“We played the Delbarton tournament the past two years and we look at that as a TOC setting with all the best teams playing in that tournament,” Saleem said. “So we’re playing Newark Academy and West Windsor-Plainsboro South and watching the other teams. We knew we could plan accordingly to work at it with the guys to get ready. So we were confident.”
And throughout their perfect season, the Cougars never got too far ahead of themselves. They took each match as it came along and wound up perfect.
“Something that talking with last year’s team we realized was one of the biggest things looking so far into the future and what they could accomplish,” Saleem said. “What we have learned winning the TOC for the first time is you could have a great team but if you don’t have the heart and fight to get there it doesn’t happen. You have to be modest and humble and understand everything is going to be a fight.
“A lot of teams trying for the same goal. Our guys stayed grounded and understand that at any point one of these teams could beat us. We talked about sometimes not being at your best but true champions can win even when they’re not at their best. Regardless of how strong the opponent was we could do that.”
