Cougars Split Busy Day as Tennis Triumphs, Lax Falls and Softball Stumbles

Nicholas Mistretta

MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent

Montgomery High School teams saw a mix of results in recent competition, with the boys tennis team earning a strong 4-1 victory over Somerville, while boys lacrosse dropped an 8-5 decision to Somerville and the softball team fell to Princeton.

Boys Tennis: Montgomery Rolls Past Somerville, 4-1

Montgomery’s boys tennis team improved to 6-3 with a convincing 4-1 win over Somerville, turning in a dominant performance across much of the lineup.

At second singles, Arjun Poddar cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Ivan Radzinski, while Shaury Kulhari matched that effort at third singles with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Ethan Lu. Montgomery also swept both doubles flights in decisive fashion. Srikar Bavigadda and Amogh Mutyala posted a 6-0, 6-0 win at first doubles, and Nathan Han and Advaith Molakaseema added another 6-0, 6-0 result at second doubles.

Somerville’s lone point came at first singles, where Ryan Ricciardi defeated Ethan Qian in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.

Boys Lacrosse: Mancilla Stands Tall, but Cougars Fall to Somerville

Montgomery’s boys lacrosse team came up short in an 8-5 loss to Somerville, despite a standout effort in goal from Xander Mancilla.

Mancilla was under heavy pressure throughout the game and finished with 22 saves, keeping Montgomery within striking distance against a Somerville attack that generated steady offense. On the offensive side, Will Schwartz scored twice and added an assist to lead the Cougars with three points. Zach Mutton also scored two goals, while Stephen Lu added Montgomery’s other goal.

Montgomery got strong hustle numbers from several players. Miles Dawson led the team with eight ground balls, while Mutton collected four. Lu and Colin Long each had three ground balls, and Brady Forma and John Balasz added two apiece. Roman Mondillo battled at the faceoff spot, winning five of 14 attempts.

Somerville was led by Ryan Hayden, who finished with three goals and two assists, and Griffin Kaye, who scored four times. Goalie Ryan Kappmeier made six saves for Somerville.

Softball: Princeton Pulls Away Early to Defeat Montgomery

Montgomery softball fell to 8-7 after a difficult outing against Princeton, which used a fast start to secure a 15-1 victory.

Princeton scored six runs in the first inning, added another in the second and broke the game open with six more in the third. Montgomery collected six hits in the loss, with Nicolette Shackelford and Ryane Riddell each recording two hits to lead the offense. Matilda Suh added a hit as well, and Shackelford scored the Cougars’ lone run.

Princeton was paced by Greta Knierim, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including a home run. Elle Villarini added two hits and three runs scored, while Mia Abrams-Sartor drove in three runs.

For Montgomery, Suh took the loss in the circle, while Riddell pitched in relief.

Photo Credit: Nick Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomry.com