Young Colts net 11 wins

“I’m lucky,” Dave Blaustein said with a smile.

The Calhoun boys’ tennis coach wasn’t just referring to an 11-3 regular-season record, but to the fortune he considers himself to have found this fall, with a young, disciplined and supportive team.

The Colts starting singles players are all sophomores and some of the most disciplined players Blaustein said he has coached in his 15-year tenure at Calhoun. “It’s kind of unusual for a team to be so together, come together, to have those things that can work together,” he said. “And they’re so young.”

That commitment to the sport also comes from their coach, said freshman Eric Ravens. Though it’s the second doubles player’s first time on the team, he knows the discipline instilled in his teammates is different than years past. His partner, junior captain Elan Maduro, agreed, adding that the sense of discipline is strong and hopes it will continue for years to come. “As a young team, and being one that’s disciplined, it will carry on and set a precedent,” Maduro said. The Maduro-Ravens tandem was the only undefeated team in the Colts’ lineup.

A sense of discipline carries from upperclassmen like Maduro down to his starting sophomores, Blaustein said. First singles player Brendan McAuliffe has been a leader since he stepped on the courts last year as a freshman. McAuliffe said the coach has instilled the importance of helping out younger players as well as the less experienced ones. McAuliffe, who has been playing tennis since he was 4-years old, said the desire to help his teammates is what makes playing high school tennis special. “It’s more of a team effort instead of individual,” he said.

The Colts’ team dynamic was more important than ever at the start of the season. Nearly two months ago, Blaustein found out he had the early stages of aggressive bladder cancer — the tennis season had just gotten under way. Blaustein had surgery on a Tuesday to remove the cancer and was back two days later for the team’s first match. The coach makes sure to schedule his chemotherapy early in the morning so that he can be on the courts with his players in time for afternoon practice.

“Working with the kids I get a rest from [the cancer,]” he said. “I don’t even think about it when I’m with my kids and we’re working on the courts; it’s been the best medicine
for me.”

Calhoun beat Conference III rivals Baldwin, Lawrence, Carle Place, Valley Stream South and Locust Valley twice apiece, split a pair with Hicksville, and dropped two tough matches to first-place Massapequa. Other key contributors for the Colts included Jake Salzman, Corey Barchat, Dylan Wall, Taz Choudhury, Kenny Chang, Jake Hollander, Brendan Reilly, Andrew Ryan and Dylan Phillips.

With the season come and gone, Blaustein said he is feeling stronger and looking forward to seeing how his young team develops over the next year. “I’m looking to be back with this team with a little more experience,” he said, and an eye on an undefeated 2012.