Prep tennis: Northstars make coach proud.
Team strong in Maske’s last year
WAUKESHA - Nick Maske hasn’t told his secret to many, but he’s in the midst of a farewell tour.
Maske, the boys tennis coach at Waukesha North, has decided that his eighth season will be his final one. Now, the Northstars are doing their part to make sure Maske exits on a high note.
North finished tied for second at the Classic 8 Conference tournament Saturday, the best showing in school history. That followed a regular season in which the Northstars’ third-place finish in dual meets also was a school record.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for North, which was a perennial cellar dweller for years until recently.
“I remember some past years we’d come here and we wouldn’t score any points,” Maske said of the conference tournament. “We’d always be eighth or maybe seventh. But I absolutely love what’s been happening with the program.”
Arrowhead won the conference title for a fourth straight year, finishing with 40 points. North and Kettle Moraine tied for second at 22, while Catholic Memorial was fourth at 21.5.
Arrowhead won six of seven flights, including all four singles flights.
Brendan Pietila captured a title at No. 1 singles, while Noah Ebel rolled at No. 2. Lucas Ebel won the championship at No. 3 and Cole Contardi prevailed at No. 4.
Ryan Casey and Jared Pietila captured the title at No. 2 doubles, while Arrowhead’s No. 3 doubles team of Parker Anderson and Drew Budde also finished first.
“For the most part, we played to our seeds,” said Arrowhead coach Jeremy Schlitt, whose team went undefeated in the dual meet season. “I’m happy for them. This is one of stronger teams we’ve had.”
While the Warhawks’ dominance surprised no one, the rise of North’s program continues to astonish and amaze.
On Saturday, James Winter finished second at No. 3 singles, while Brennan Demark and Jordan Nowell were third at No. 3 doubles. While the Northstars didn’t crown any individual champs, they were steady across the board.
“Every point mattered,” Maske said. “And we got a lot of big wins along the way, even on the consolation side.”
That continued a magnificent year for the Northstars, who didn’t lose a home match during the regular season, established new high-water marks in the Classic 8, and stand a terrific chance of reaching the state team tournament for the first time ever.
When Maske first arrived at North, almost no one in the program played tennis in the offseason. Now, Maske has some of the best athletes in the school on his team, and almost every one works on their game all year long.
That’s why saying goodbye in a few weeks will be extremely difficult.
“Believe me, it’s going to be tough,” said Maske, who’s also the boys volleyball coach for New Berlin United. “I’m an emotional person and I’ve spent many days crying about this. The time was right, though. Now, I just want to go end the year in style.”
Saturday was another step in that direction.
“Believe me, it’s going to be tough. Now, I just want to go end the year in style.” NICK MASKE, WAUKESHA NORTH TENNIS COACH, WHO WON’T RETURN NEXT SEASON