Valley News Staff Writer

HUDSON, N.H. — When the deciding match against Bow ended Wednesday and the Lebanon High boys tennis team clinched its second NHIAA Division II championship in three years, the celebration was decidedly understated.

Nolan Arado and Will Katz, who comprised the No. 1 doubles team, quietly bumped fists and … well, that was it. The Raiders had watched Oyster River run wild after beating them in last spring’s championship and decided they would not do likewise in the future.

“They went absolutely berserk, and it’s just unnecessary and impolite,” Arado recalled at Alvirne High. “We wanted to be excited in the moment, but we didn’t want to be rude to the other team.”

Top-seeded Lebanon made its statement with a 7-2 victory over No. 2 Bow, although that score is somewhat misleading. The teams were on the verge of concluding their six singles matches tied, 3-3, before the Raiders’ No. 6 player, Lucas Graham, gutted out an 8-6 triumph.

“That was the pinnacle for us, and it eased everyone’s minds going into doubles,” said fourth-year coach Tammy Arado, also known as Nolan’s mother.

Nolan Arado is a junior who’s never lost a high school tennis match to anyone except his older brother, Mason, during last year’s state singles tournament. He and Katz struggled a bit at the beginning of their pairs duel before winning, 8-2. Arado realized early that their opponents were hitting almost exclusively at Katz, so he moved to the net, cutting off as many incoming balls as possible.

“They were really putting pressure on my partner, and even though I was trying to get into the points as much as I could, they were keeping the ball away from me, Arado said. “Will stepped up and he made all those (winning) points happen. He applied the pressure, and I was there to finish things off.”

That decided the overall contest, but because the second and third doubles matches had already started, they were played out as a formality, the Raiders winning both, 8-4. The No. 2 pairing was Kyle Hines and Baden Schifferdecker, and the No. 3 duo was Graham and Finn Ericson.

Posing for photos with the championship plaque followed, before the Raiders climbed onto L20, the short yellow school bus that would carry them to dinner at the Hooksett Welcome Center’s Common Man eatery. A traditional trip around Lebanon’s Colburn Park with the flashing lights of a police escort ended the champions’ trip home.

“I’m exhausted but so proud of this team for doing what they’ve done,” Tammy Arado said.

Nolan Arado won his No. 1 singles match, 8-0, running his opponent around the court to the extent that the screeching of the other young man’s sneakers sliding across it became the showdown’s soundtrack. Katz lost, 8-3, at No. 2 singles, but Hines won a pivotal match at No. 3 by an 8-6 score.

The No. 4 singles match was fascinating, as Lebanon finesse player Finn Ericson ran into an opponent with his same style. The two didn’t so much hit the ball as caress it. Just when observers began to wonder if they were watching backyard badminton, however, one or the other would rip off a volley or an overhead that attested to a more-rounded game. Ericson lost, 8-2.

Lebanon’s Baden Schifferdecker won, 8-2, at No. 5 singles ,and the No. 6 match involving Graham was the last to finish, fans gathering in welcome shade at the western end of the six-court facility.

A sophomore and first-year varsity member, Graham began playing tennis roughly two years ago, Tammy Arado said. She was encouraged when Graham undertook six weeks of winter lessons at Hanover’s River Valley Club, where she is the director of tennis, seeing clear improvement in someone she labeled a beginner as a freshman.

“Lucas has nerves of steel, and there’s always a smile on his face when I come and ask him how he’s doing during a match,” the coach said. “He’s just happy to be out there, and that’s what helps him to be a good player.”

Tammy and Nolan Arado said last year’s Lebanon team was more talented but credited this year’s group for being willing to learn and to work toward its full potential. Nolan often acted as a second coach, finishing up his singles matches so quickly he could move from court to court and aid his teammates with expert suggestions and encouragement.

“Whenever I see something they do wrong or don’t know, I immediately go to them,” said Nolan Arado, who teaches under his mom at her club. “It’s second nature to help people with their tennis adventure.”

Lebanon’s title was the fourth in program history, after triumphs during 2016, 2017 and 2021. The Raiders were runners-up in 2015 and 2022.

Notes: Lebanon won the teams’ regular-season meeting, 8-1. … Tammy Arado’s husband, Chad, is listed as co-coach and attended Wednesday’s match and said his contributions mostly come from providing individual drills and running the Raiders’ preseason conditioning activities. Chad Arado had been the RVC’s head pro for several years but said he was let go earlier in the week. … Baseball assistant Chris Bahara drove the tennis team’s bus Wednesday, cheering the Raiders on from the shade of a pop-up canopy. Principal Ian Smith and athletic director Mike Stone also attended.

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.