Under the radar: Severn took MIAA A Conference by storm
It took Alexander the Great 13 years to conquer the ancient world. It’s taking Severn boys tennis just one to do the same to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference.
As the regular season came to an end Tuesday with another win, the Admirals laid waste to every A Conference opponent in their first year in the upper-tier conference by going 12-0 overall and 7-0 against league competitors. The Admirals are anchored by three unbeaten players — junior Matthew McNair at No. 1 singles and Aiden Gilroy and Michael Hesford at No. 1 doubles — who will carry the “underdog” mentality Severn tennis as a whole embraces into the MIAA playoffs on Monday.
The Admirals earned the No. 1 seed.
“A ton of those schools don’t know what to expect from us, and we come into every match hungry,” McNair said. “We also don’t know what to expect with every single player because we’ve never played them before, so we have this mentality of expecting to win every single match and coming out to fight other teams who just don’t know who we are yet.”
Coach Cathy Officer had a feeling her team would be good.
Talented players such as McNair joined Severn tennis’s ranks last year and, though the pandemic didn’t offer them a chance to play in the MIAA A Conference in 2020 and gain high school experience, Officer felt certain that talent would boost them in the following year.
During the pandemic, Severn’s players grew closer. Their disappointment for losing their first shot at playing in the top league turned into a deep hunger to take advantage of their next chance.
“I’d also say the pandemic
allowed us another year of time,” McNair said. “It gave us an extra year of growth and development before we entered our first season in the A Conference.”
The MIAA split tennis into conferences long ago. While Gilman ruled the A, Severn conquered the B. The Admirals won the B title in 2016, 2017 and 2019, the most recent playoffs. Meanwhile, Gilman captured the MIAA A crown every year since 2014 that playoffs were held. They did what they did best to start this spring, beating team after team.
But Gilman’s known as a tennis school, Officer said, while Severn is not. Gilman competes on state-ofthe-art facilities in-house. Severn plays at a park.
That almost makes beating everyone else that much more sweet, the Admirals agreed.
Severn warmed up against five nonconference schools before it began conference play, and it faced every willing team it could find.
“That built good confidence in the kids,” Officer said.
It only seemed fitting that Severn would be given the three toughest teams in the A Conference to start their first adventure in the top league. But, then they beat Loyola Blakefield and Calvert Hall. That’s when Hesford knew they were good.
“Before that, we weren’t entirely sure what to expect from that A Conference level,” Hesford said. “When we won that match [against Calvert Hall], it gave us a lot of confidence, like, ‘Wow. We can compete in this league.’ ”
When Gilman ran into Severn on April 15, the Greyhounds wouldn’t write the same old story again. The Admirals delivered Gilman its first loss of 2021 by winning three of five matches, 3-2. McNair sealed the win with a 6-1, 7-5 win, and it was nearly a 4-1 win for the Admirals, but McNair’s younger brother, Daniel, lost his close battle at doubles. It’s still Gilman’s only defeat this spring.
Something changed for the Admirals after that particular victory. Severn never allowed that close of a margin again.
“It definitely sent a message because Gilman was always the team to beat. That was really our chance to prove ourselves as the No. 1 team in the conference this year,” Hesford said.
In Officer’s 17 years of coaching, she learned the chemistry that drives a top team draws from a team willing to practice together as hard as they play together, as Severn does. They call it a “brotherhood.”
It also certainly helps to have a dominant player leading the charge, like Matthew McNair. The No. 1 singles player is extremely vocal, Officer said, and competes with a fiery, competitive attitude. He’s like an uncontrolled campfire in the middle of the woods — sparks fly, and catch fire on the surrounding trees, too.
“When you have a strong player leading your team, and when you have a lot of confidence they’re going to win, it trickles down to the other kids,” Officer said. “It makes a big difference.”
The Admirals’ power also comes from its strength at No. 1 doubles, Hesford and Gilory. With those two going unbeaten, as well as McNair, Severnonlyhastowinoneoftheother three matches to capture the day.
Hesford only spent half of the 2019 season playing doubles, but he had a feeling he’d be asked to do more of it this year. He spent the long offseason training for doubles in anticipation, and it paid off.
Both McNair and Hesford agree Severn’s strength flows from the depth throughout the entire lineup, too. When players do lose at No. 2 singles or doubles, Officer tells them to take ownership. After all, they could be the tiebreaker for a title situation down the road.
“We’re just trying to get better every practice,” Officer said. “Our goal is to work hard and we work on things that make us feel better about our names. Our school isn’t known as a tennis school.”
But just maybe after this season, that’ll change.