“I started off slow but just started looking at my strings, focusing on the next point and not worrying about missing balls,” said Finnegan. “I could have played better. I have stuff to work on, mainly my mentality, but I think overall, I played pretty well.”

His win, coupled with a near-simultaneous one from fellow senior Mason Thomas and a 2-0 showing from Hughesville’s doubles duos, played a key role in the team’s win. Amidst a cold, windy Saturday afternoon at Bruce E. Henry Park, the Spartans defeated Loyalsock 4-1.

Based on what Loyalsock (3-3) had previously accomplished through the early goings of the season, Hughesville head coach Josh Fry expected a challenge, but one the team could overcome. Coupled with the prospect of bouncing back from Friday’s 3-2 loss to Danville, he was happy with the result.

“I think this was a little bit of a ‘Let’s get back on the right track’ kind of match,” said Fry. “Obviously, it was great to see us have success today.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesvillie's John Finnegan returns a hit from Loyalsock's Logan Hammond at the No. 1 singles at Bruce Henry Park Saturday.

Each doubles duo got out to a fast start and though Loyalsock’s duos adjusted, they finished the job.

Josh Myers and Michael Finnegan earned the Spartans their first point of the match with a controlled 6-2, 6-4 win at Doubles Court One, while Brayden Walters and Tanner Bunce handled business after Hughesville had clinched the match.

“One of our typical Court Two doubles players wasn’t here today, so we had Tanner Bunce hop in the lineup to help us out there,” said Fry. “They’re kind of a work in progress so I think after both of them losing yesterday, it was a nice win for both of them.”

There were avenues for Loyalsock to rally back, with junior Evan Anderson bouncing back from a rough first set at singles court two and the duo of Ian Bower and David Bjorkman doing the same. Each fell just short of sending their respective matches to a third set, but Loyalsock head coach Kirk Bower was proud of what he saw, nonetheless.

“He’s one of my first-time players. He’s one that doesn’t give up and he bounced back [today],” said Kirk on Anderson, who took interest in tennis after taking up pickle ball. “We talked after the match about just coming out a little more quickly so you’re not deep in the hole and don’t have to fight your way back.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesvillie's John Finnegan returns a hit from Loyalsock's Logan Hammond at No. 1 singles at Bruce Henry Park Saturday.

With his roster being young and Hughesville being a great team, he was proud of the team as a whole for keeping things interesting. Loyalsock junior Colby Peters came away with a two-set win on singles court three while the rest of the team came just short of set wins.

“Matches like this one make you better,” said Kirk. “I thought the guys played well. The big thing we’ve been working on is more consistency. They were in the matches and earning points. Just keeping the focus on being more consistent on their shots.”

Their next chance to bounce back from this loss and its previous one at Montoursville will come on the road at Bloomsburg (0-6) on Monday.

For Hughesville (5-1), the focus is to keep building momentum as it tries to match or exceed their success from last season. It has a pretty tough upcoming slate, taking on Central Columbia (5-1) at home Monday before preceding road matches against South Williamsport (2-2) and Montoursville (3-1).

“It’s great to see this area has some tough competition to where we go in thinking we might win but that it might not turn out like that,” said Fry. “It’s much more stressful but it’s also just good to watch great tennis. It’s nice to see the guys get that win.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Logan Hammond returns a hit from Hughesvillie's John Finnegan at No. 1 singles at Bruce Henry Park Saturday.

Hughesville 4, Loyalsock 1

SINGLES

John Finnegan (HHS) def. Logan Hammond (LT) 6-4, 6-1. 2. Mason Thomas (HHS) def. Evan Anderson (LT) 6-2, 7-5. 3. Colby Peters (LT) def. Jake Buck 6-4, 6-0.

DOUBLES

Josh Myers/Michael Finnegan (HHS) def. Ian Bower/David Bjorkman (LT) 6-2, 6-4. 2. Brayden Walters/Tanner Bunce (HHS) def. Marco Blas/Aadi Patel (LT) 7-5, 6-1.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Logan Hammond returns a hit from Hughesvillie's John Finnegan at No. 1 singles at Bruce Henry Park Saturday.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Logan Hammond returns a hit from Hughesvillie's John Finnegan at No. 1 singles at Bruce Henry Park Saturday.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Evan Anderson returns a hit from Hughesville's Mason Thomas at No. 1 singles at Bruce Henry Park Saturday.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Mason Thomas returns a hit from Loyalsock's Evan Anderson at No. 2 singles at Bruce Henry Park Saturday.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Mason Thomas comes up short on a hit from Loyalsock's Evan Anderson at No. 2 singles at Bruce Henry Park Saturday.