Article

Billerica Memorial High School Tennis

Billerica Memorial High School Tennis
Billerica Memorial High School Tennis
1987 - Warrior yearbook


Billerica Memorial High School Tennis covers the boys' and girls' varsity tennis teams of Billerica Memorial High School, spring sports that play their dual matches in the Merrimack Valley Conference. The girls' team won the school's first conference division championship in 2000 and took the Division 2 title again in 2005, 2007 and 2008; the boys' team went 19-3 and reached the North Sectional final in 1990. Sam Colangelo, a teacher at the high school for 33 years who coached the boys' team in two stints, gave his name to the town's public courts, the Sam Colangelo Tennis Courts.

Tennis came to the Billerica schools before it was a varsity sport. In March 1926 Town Meeting voted $500 "for the construction and equipment of a tennis court on the Howe High School grounds," the money to be spent by the Playground Committee, which reported progress on the court in 1927; the Howe High School yearbooks mention tennis tournaments and players but no school team. At Billerica Memorial High School a senior of 1960 listed the "Tennis Team" among his activities, intramural tennis appears in the yearbooks of the early 1970s, and by 1973 there were interscholastic teams: that year the school department's pages of the town report carried a picture of the girls' tennis team, eight girls in white tennis dresses with numbered bibs, and a senior listed two years on the tennis team. The Warrior of 1976 gave tennis its own pages in its spring supplement.

The teams have used both the school's own courts, repaved in 1990, and the town courts. In 1975 the Park Department and Recreation Commission built eight tennis courts beside the Lampson Memorial football field on Campbell Road, later known as the Chuck Lampson courts; they were rebuilt in 2009 and 2010 and named for Sam Colangelo in 2011. Weather has been a problem in the spring: in 1993 a foot of snow on the courts forced the boys to practice in the Marshall School gym while rivals such as Andover and Chelmsford played indoors.

Sam Colangelo, a 1964 graduate of the school who taught social studies and health, coached the boys through 1990. His teams improved from 6-10 in 1987 to 11-7 in 1988 and 13-6 in 1989, a third place in the league and a run to the North Sectional quarterfinals. The 1990 team went 19-3, losing only to Andover; it beat North Andover, Arlington and Marblehead in the tournament, and lost the North Sectional final to Andover 3-2. Tom Severo coached from 1991 to 2002. After several losing seasons his 1996 team made the state tournament in the last match of the regular season, and in 1999 the team went 10-6 and beat Somerville for its first playoff victory in over a decade; Severo was named Merrimack Valley Conference coach of the year. Colangelo returned in 2003 after a ten-year absence, and his teams of 2004 and 2005, the latter 12-5, qualified for the state tournament. Russ Govertsen coached the boys from 2006 into the 2010s; his teams of 2006 and 2008 reached the state tournament.

Diane Smith coached the girls in the late 1980s. Her 1987 team went 11-5, beat Holliston 4-1 in the state tournament and lost to the top seed, Lynnfield; the teams of 1988 and 1989 went 11-7 and 12-6 and also made the tournament. Shirley Granfield took over in 1991 and coached the girls for two decades. Her 1992, 1993 and 1994 teams made the state tournament, and in 2000 the girls went undefeated in Division II of the Merrimack Valley Conference for "Billerica's first ever division championship," then beat Beverly 3-2 in the MIAA North Sectional tournament before losing to Lexington. The team won the Division II title again in 2005 with a 12-4 record, shared it with Methuen in 2007 and won two tournament matches, and was undefeated in the division in 2008. Moved up to Division 1 in 2010, it still went 8-6 and made the tournament. Coach Bishop led the girls through the middle 2010s, with Coach Park in 2017.

Billerica Memorial High School boys' varsity tennis by season, from Warrior yearbooks. Records are as printed; blank cells are not known, and seasons with no surviving information are omitted.
SeasonHead coachLeagueDual-match recordLeague finishTournament resultNotes
1987Merrimack Valley Conference6-10The text gives 5-11
1988Merrimack Valley Conference11-7Lost to Swampscott 4-1 in the preliminary round
1989Sam ColangeloMerrimack Valley Conference13-63rdBeat Swampscott 4-1; lost to Masconomet 5-0 in the North Sectional quarterfinals
1990Sam ColangeloMerrimack Valley Conference19-3North Sectional final: lost to Andover 3-2Tournament wins over North Andover, Arlington and Marblehead
1991Tom SeveroMerrimack Valley Conference5-9First season under Severo
1993Tom SeveroMerrimack Valley Conference5-11Practice in the Marshall School gym because of snow
1994Tom SeveroMerrimack Valley Conference4-14
1996Tom SeveroMerrimack Valley ConferenceState tournament
1997Tom SeveroMerrimack Valley Conference7-9One win short of the tournament
1999Tom SeveroMerrimack Valley Conference10-6Beat Somerville in the first roundSevero MVC coach of the year
2000Tom SeveroMerrimack Valley Conference9-7
2001Merrimack Valley Conference2-13
2003Sam ColangeloMerrimack Valley ConferenceColangelo returns after ten years
2004Sam ColangeloMerrimack Valley Conference9-7Lost in the first round
2005Sam ColangeloMerrimack Valley Conference12-5Lost to Lexington in the first round
2006Russ GovertsenMerrimack Valley Conference8-8Lost to Beverly in the first round
2008Russ GovertsenMerrimack Valley ConferenceLost to St. John's Prep in the first round
Billerica Memorial High School girls' varsity tennis by season, from Warrior yearbooks and town reports. Records are as printed; blank cells are not known, and seasons with no surviving information are omitted.
SeasonHead coachLeagueDual-match recordLeague finishTournament resultNotes
1973Team picture in the town report
1987Diane SmithMerrimack Valley Conference11-5Beat Holliston 4-1; lost to Lynnfield 5-0
1988Merrimack Valley Conference11-7Lost to North Reading 3-2
1989Diane SmithMerrimack Valley Conference12-6Won the first round 5-0; lost to Notre Dame 3-2
1990Diane SmithMerrimack Valley Conference9-6The score table gives 9-7
1991Shirley GranfieldMerrimack Valley Conference4-11First season under Granfield
1992Shirley GranfieldMerrimack Valley Conference10-6Lost in the first round
1993Shirley GranfieldMerrimack Valley Conference11-5Lost to Arlington 3-2 in the preliminary round
1994Shirley GranfieldMerrimack Valley Conference12-4Lost to Newton South in the first round
1997Shirley GranfieldMerrimack Valley Conference4-14
2000Shirley GranfieldMVC Division II10-8Champion, undefeated in the divisionBeat Beverly 3-2; lost to LexingtonFirst division title
2002Shirley GranfieldMVC Division II6-122ndState tournament
2005Shirley GranfieldMVC Division II12-4Champion
2006Shirley GranfieldMerrimack Valley Conference11-5Lost to Acton-Boxborough
2007Shirley GranfieldMVC Division II11-5Co-champion with MethuenBeat Melrose and Waltham; lost to Newton South
2008Shirley GranfieldMVC Division II11-4Champion, undefeated in the divisionLost to Melrose 4-1
2010Shirley GranfieldMVC Division 18-6Lost to Acton-Boxborough in the first roundMoved up to Division 1
2017Coach BishopMerrimack Valley ConferenceWith Coach Park




References

  1. Billerica Town Report 1926, Town Meeting: $500 voted for a tennis court on the Howe High School grounds
  2. Billerica Town Report 1927, Town Meeting: the Playground Committee reports progress on the tennis court on the High School grounds
  3. Warrior 1960: a senior lists the Tennis Team among his activities
  4. Billerica Town Report 1973, schools: photograph of the girls' tennis team
  5. Warrior 1973: a senior lists two years on the tennis team
  6. Billerica Town Report 1975, Recreation Commission: tennis courts and a softball field built at the Lampson Memorial Field
  7. Warrior 1976, spring supplement: the tennis team
  8. Billerica Town Report 1990, schools: repaving the high school's tennis courts
  9. Warrior 1987: boys' tennis, a down year
  10. Warrior 1987: girls' tennis, 11-5, state tournament win over Holliston
  11. Warrior 1988: boys' tennis, 11-7, state tournament loss to Swampscott
  12. Warrior 1988: girls' tennis, 11-7, state tournament loss to North Reading
  13. Warrior 1989: boys' tennis, 13-6 under Coach Colangelo, North Sectional quarterfinals
  14. Warrior 1989: girls' tennis, 12-6, Coach Smith
  15. Warrior 1990: girls' tennis, Coach Diane Smith
  16. Warrior 1990: boys' tennis, 19-3, North Sectional finalists under Coach Sam Colangelo
  17. Warrior 1991: girls' tennis, first year of Coach Shirley Granfield
  18. Warrior 1991: boys' tennis, first year of Coach Tom Severo
  19. Warrior 1992: girls' tennis, 10-6 and the state tournament
  20. Warrior 1993: boys' tennis; snow sends the team to the Marshall School gym
  21. Warrior 1994: girls' tennis, 12-4, second straight state tournament
  22. Warrior 1996: boys' tennis reaches the state tournament
  23. Warrior 1999: boys' tennis, 10-6, first playoff win in over a decade; Severo MVC coach of the year
  24. Warrior 2000: girls' tennis, undefeated in Division II, the first division championship
  25. Warrior 2002: girls' tennis, second in MVC Division II
  26. Warrior 2003: Coach Sam Colangelo returns to the boys' team after ten years
  27. Warrior 2005: boys' tennis, 12-5 and the state tournament
  28. Warrior 2005: girls' tennis, MVC Division II champions, 12-4
  29. Warrior 2006: boys' tennis, 8-8, Coach Govertsen
  30. Warrior 2007: girls' tennis, 11-5, division co-champions with Methuen
  31. Warrior 2008: girls' tennis, undefeated MVC Division II champions
  32. Warrior 2010: girls' tennis moves up to Division 1, 8-6
  33. Warrior 2014: boys' tennis, Coach Russ Govertsen
  34. Warrior 2017: girls' tennis, Coach Bishop and Coach Park