By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

The way an athlete carries himself on the tennis court and treats opponents says a lot about his character.

Dave Doherty is one of several high school tennis coaches who stands by that statement.

In the best singles match of the afternoon, which featured several close calls, Pembroke Academy co-captain and top-seeded player Matt Kowalik came from behind to take a 7-6 lead, but eventually lost, 9-7. Still, the PA senior said he'd rather leave the court knowing he played honestly - and lose - than win by making calls that go in his favor. (Marc Thaler Photo)

Doherty, the Pembroke Academy boys tennis coach for the past 10 years, said his 2005 roster is full of character guys.

Of course, that roster also consists of guys who are, quite simply, a bunch of characters, he added.

But that's the beauty of this tennis team. The Spartans. blend of fierce competitors who find plenty of time to have fun is PA's greatest attribute, according to the coach.

"It's just amazing. This sport creates people who learn how to play the game right and do a good job at it, which is pretty cool," Doherty said. "And hopefully there are some lessons they can take out of here. I'm not sure there's always that transferal. But hopefully they're learning things about character, sportsmanship and fair play."

Although the Spartans have entered the win column on a handful of occasions this season, the digits corresponding to team victories and defeats isn't the most important number in this mentor's mind.

"We have 20 kids playing and that's a good number," Doherty said. "I see this as a sport that these kids can play their whole lives."

But Doherty isn't interested in merely teaching 20 teens about a sport they can play for years to come. He works to teach them how to play the sport correctly, whether a call is in favor of - or goes against - his player.

"This is a very unique sport in high school because we don't have any referees or officials. They're their own referees out there," Doherty said. "They have to make all the line calls and they have to trust that their opponent is doing the same thing. And it works extremely well."

Much like golf, Doherty said there's a particular "code" that athletes must follow when stepping onto the tennis court. Since the players double as officials, making the appropriate call is more important than winning the point.

"You have to play with a lot of integrity out there," said PA senior co-captain and No. 1 singles player Matt Kowalik. "You have to make the right calls even if they go against you ... If I won because I made bad calls (in my favor), my conscience wouldn't let me get away with that."

Along with learning how to compete properly, PA's No. 2 singles player and senior cocaptain Blaine Phair said tennis has taught him an equally valuable lesson.

While the results from an adverse scenario might not always be to his liking, Phair said tennis has helped train him to remain composed during tough times.

"Tennis isn't only a physical game. It's a mental game," Phair said. "You have to keep your concentration, your cool.

"If I can handle certain situations (on the tennis court), I'll be able to handle stress (off it)," he added.

"It's amazing how well they do that," the coach said of all his players and their common ability to keep perspective while in the heat of the moment. "If they make a bad shot, they go play the next point because that's all they can do."

In addition to the captains, PA's '05 edition includes seniors Marc Brodeur, Andy Conley, Mike Lacerte and Steve Yeaton; juniors David Andrews, Rick Bartlett, Jon Berube, Jon Mehegan, Jacob Parris and Joel Yeaton; sophomores Russ Batson, Tony Castignino and Steve Putnam; and freshmen Joe Beachy, Dan Bouchard, Matt Dobe, Jacob Plourde and Bob Thomas.

"In high school, you're trying to get them to become responsible for themselves," Doherty said. "And that's exactly what they're learning out here."