Boys’ Squash Sweeps Andover 7-0: Big Red Gains Momentum Heading Into National Championships

Fisher Squash Center smells like the rubber burning from speeding squash balls. The atmosphere is buzzing with the excitement of the day’s matchup. Colorful posters for each varsity player overlook the bleachers. An unexpected number of fans, including students, teachers and players from the girls’ and club squash teams crowd into the stands to support their boys.

After formal introductions, the team huddles together. What are they whispering? The suspense is tangible. Jamaican-flag wristbands can be seen flying around as the team fist pumps at the peak of the pre-game powwow. This display of Dri-FIT polo brotherhood finishes on an explosive chant of “1, 2, 3, RED!” that echoes above the glass and into the risers. The crowd responds minutes later with fierce whoops and cheers loud enough to spill back over the glass.

Last Wednesday, on Feb. 3, boys’ varsity squash crushed Andover, 7-0. They also beat Tabor on Saturday at home, 5-2, but their complete shutout of Andover has been the most impressive addition to their 6-4 record this season.

Co-captain and senior Rex Tercek was very pleased with the team’s performance. “Our 7-0 victory against our arch rival, Andover, was a fantastic way to bounce back from the two prior losses,” he said. “Everyone kept their focus, and except for a game here or there, we all won in straight sets.”

Sixth-seeded senior Torrey Foster, a veteran player, explained the team’s mindset going into the game. “We knew we couldn’t approach this match like it was any ordinary match,” he said.

“Considering this, we need to work harder and more efficiently to improve our fitness and court movement.”

The boys knew it was going to be a high-stakes battle, and the history of boys’ squash E/a made this year’s matchup even more intense. Tercek recalled that the team has “almost always had close matches with Andover in the past.”

Foster said that Andover’s team “always came prepared to play, and that only assured us that we had to be prepared to dig deep, to grind it out, to make our opponents hit one more shot.” With the NFL Playoffs still fresh in his mind, he continued, “I’d say our attitude towards the Andover match was similar to the New England Patriots saying, ‘Do Your Job.’ We had a job to do, and [unlike the Patriots] we did it.”

Andover did not lose without putting up a fight. It was a long match for some players, with lower Gautam Ramesh playing close to 90 minutes. All of the boys’ team and most of the fans crowded around the glass, showing support and helping Ramesh outlast his opponent.

Upper Liam Breen also played a difficult match, recalling the toughness of his competitor. “The guy I was playing tried really hard and played well, but he was a little over-matched,” he said.

Under coach Freddie Brussel’s pushing and guidance, Breen was able to comfortably seal his win. “The team did a lot of fitness training leading up to the match to make sure we did well,” he said, echoing his teammates who have spoken to a high level of practice rigor in past interviews.

The extra conditioning work has helped the team feel “pretty confident going in though because [they] knew Andover wasn’t nearly as good as us this year,” Breen said.

Breen also attributed Big Red’s success to the captains’ enthusiasm. “[Senior] Will Ettinger, our captain, really psyched us up the day of the match in the team huddle,” he said.

Although Wednesday’s match was a complete blowout, Tercek cautioned that it was “not time to get cocky,” as shown by the two losses incurred during Saturday’s exchange with Tabor. Tercek acknowledged that Andover’s team was “missing one or two key players, and if they hadn’t been, there would have been a lot of close, tough matches.”

Looking forward, Tercek has identified areas in which the team can improve. “Some of us were getting tired towards the ends of matches, and considering this was not the most difficult matchup, that does not bode well for future, stronger opponents,” he said. “Considering this, we need to work harder and more efficiently to improve our fitness and court movement.”

All in all, the win was a much-needed boost for the team following their two consecutive losses. Tercek spoke for the team in regards to their hunger for future victory. “Looking to the coming weeks, we would love to obtain a high seed in Division II at Nationals, and this outcome definitely helped us in that pursuit.” Boys’ squash will need the same fan support as they host nationals this Thursday from Friday, Feb. 12 to Sunday, Feb. 14.