Potvin plays national tourneys to stay sharp HA tennis star still likes high school experience

While most Maine high school tennis players look locally for an indoor court or just a sunny day to get in some preseason practice, Eliot Potvin has taken a more global view.

The reigning state schoolboy champion from Hampden spent last week nearly a continent away, measuring himself against the best 18-and-under players in the nation at the 39th annual Easter Bowl Championships in Palm Springs, Calif.

Potvin split two matches while competing in a select 64-player field at the Riveria Resort and Racquet Club. He opened with a three-set victory over Geoffrey Embry of Phoenix before falling to 14th-seeded Drew Daniel of Shawnee Mission, Kan., in a three-set Round of 32 match.

“It was a good eye-opener to prove to myself that I have a fighting chance against the top players in the country,” said Potvin, a junior at Hampden Academy who will turn 17 next month.

What separates Potvin from most of his peers on the junior circuit is how they balance the sport with other areas of their lives.

Many of the players in the Easter Bowl field are home-schooled, and most opt out of high school competition to focus on national-level tournaments and one-on-one coaching.

One example of that can be found in Maine, where Camille Jania of Scarborough, who as a freshman lost just one game all season while rolling to the 2005 state schoolgirl title, has opted not to defend that crown this year. The No. 1 player in the New England 18-and-under and 16-and-under ranks, Jania has opted to focus instead on training for regional and national competition.

But while Potvin also is ranked among the top 18-and-under and 16-and-under players in New England and wants to pursue tennis at the highest levels, he wants to get the most out of his high school experience – and that includes tennis.

“I thought about [playing just juniors],” said Potvin, an honor roll student who also plays on Hampden’s varsity soccer team. “There was a lot of pressure from most of my friends who play juniors because they don’t play high school tennis, but I have so much fun playing in high school, and it’s a nice break for me.”

Potvin does play a heavy dose of New England and national-level competition during the rest of the year, enough so that he is ranked “about 70th” nationally in the U.S. Tennis Association 18-and-under ranks.

Not only has playing at that level improved his ranking, it’s also improved his game – which isn’t good news for the rest of the singles players in the state. Potvin has lost only once in two years of high school play and did not drop a set last spring while rolling to an undefeated sophomore season.

“I think I’ve improved a lot since last year,” he said. “I’m a lot stronger and I’ve grown a little bit, but mostly I’ve gotten a lot more experience. I’m mentally tougher.”

Potvin will be a prohibitive favorite to win a second straight state singles title this spring, and he also hopes to lead the Broncos deep into the team playoffs, where Lewiston reigns as the three-time defending state and Eastern Maine Class A champion.

Then it’s back to the junior ranks. How high Potvin climbs in the national rankings remains to be seen, but he has identified one key to continued improvement.

“For me it’s mostly a fitness thing,” he said. “The top players work out on the court three or four hours a day with their coaches, and then two or three hours in the gym. I’ve just got to do what I can to improve my fitness level.”

That Potvin already competes against most of the nation’s top juniors is providing him exposure that may lead to his immediate post-high school ambition – playing for a top-level Division I college tennis program.

He already has received correspondence from such top-of-the-line programs as North Carolina, Duke, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Michigan.

It’s just another measure of success that leaves the son of Paul and Connie Potvin appreciative of what he has already derived from the sport he loves.

“It’s pretty funny,” said Potvin. “Three or four years ago I was struggling just to get into New England sectional tournaments, and now I’m number one or two in New England.

“To think about where I am now compared to four years ago, I’m definitely happy with it.”

Cheverus hires Wolfgram

John Wolfgram, who coached South Portland High School to four Class A state football championships and a 31-game winning streak during the 1990s, has been hired as the football coach at Cheverus of Portland.

Wolfgram replaces Vinnie Salamone, who was not rehired after three seasons of leading the Stags.

Wolfgram, 57, coached at South Portland for 15 years before stepping down in 2001, leading the Red Riots to state championships in 1992, ’95, ’96, and ’99. For the past five years he has been an assistant coach at Bowdoin College in Brunswick.

His 30 years of high school coaching experience also include stints at Gardiner, where he guided the Tigers to three Class B state titles, and Madison, where he led the Bulldogs to a Class C co-championship.