Drake Turcotte spins his racket as he stays loose during tennis practice at Skowhegan Area High School on April 15. Turcotte, a senior, is the team’s No. 1 singles player. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

They’re playing tennis in part because of their older siblings — albeit in somewhat different regards.

Originally a baseball player, Drake Turcotte eventually gave up that sport for tennis after years of watching his brother, Dawson. Claire Dwyer, meanwhile, found success against her sisters, Madelyn and Grace, on the tennis court.

“It was probably the one sport I was better at than my sisters,” Dwyer said. “It just kind of spoke to me, and I’ve stuck with it ever since.”

Both have, and they’ve become staples of central Maine high school tennis. Now seniors, Skowhegan’s Turcotte and Maranacook’s Dwyer are looking for more success after already leading their programs to unprecedented heights.

Where Skowhegan boys tennis is now might have been unthinkable five years ago. After going winless from 2017-19 and failing to produce a winning season since 1994, the River Hawks have gone 44-14 this decade and won the first two regional titles in program history in 2023 and 2024.

In 2021, Dawson Turcotte helped deliver a winning season at last as the River Hawks went 7-6 during his senior year. Then came his younger brother, who former coach Paul Daigle called the best freshman in program history. Drake Turcotte was a reliable No. 2 during Dawson’s senior year, then powered back-to-back Class A North champions as a No. 1.

“It’s been awesome to see all the progress we’ve made over the past few years,” Turcotte said. “We’ve really brought history to the school, and it’s been really special. I’m very fortunate to have been here with all these great people around me.”

Turcotte has also done well in the state singles tournament, reaching the second round as a freshman and the Round of 16 as a sophomore and junior, including as the No. 9 seed last year. He’s 27-7 in team play for the River Hawks since moving up to the No. 1 spot two years ago.

As a team, Skowhegan will look much different this spring, with only two of the seven players from last year’s lineup (Turcotte and Erick Cunliffe) returning. Turcotte is the only one in the same spot. Cunliffe is moving from No. 1 doubles to No. 2 singles.

“Drake has really taken on the role of helping the younger guys and getting them to stay focused,” said Dan Riley, Skowhegan’s coach since 2023. “He’s an example of what you can do if you put in the time. Nobody works harder than Drake, and that’s what you want in your leadership.”

Dwyer stepped into Maranacook’s No. 1 singles role as a freshman. Maranacook has gone 40-6 in her three seasons, including a Class C state title in 2023 and three consecutive regional final appearances.

Dwyer is 33-12 overall and 7-3 in the playoffs, including a 4-0 playoff run during Marancook’s run to the state title. She made the state singles second round as a freshman and the Round of 16 as a sophomore and junior.

“It’s been the greatest thing to be part of a team like this; we lift each other up, and being able to achieve such great things has been easy because of that,” Dwyer said. “Now, it’s senior year, and you always want to go out with a bang. The goal is always to go further.”

That’s achievable, both individually for Dwyer and for Maranacook as a team. Only five returning players from last year’s state singles tournament were seeded higher than Dwyer (No. 11). Maranacook coach Lou Gringras and Dwyer think the Black Bears can contend for a title with Dwyer and star freshman Lydia Garofalo leading the way, along with numerous options at doubles. 

“I think it’s going to be one of my stronger teams,” Gingras said. “Claire is experienced and a great player to have at No. 1, and we’re also strong at 2 and 3. We’ve got 24 girls, and they’re dedicated. We had a practice (two weeks ago), and we had 15 of them stay after practice to keep working. They love the sport.”

Both Turcotte and Dwyer will continue to play tennis after graduating in June. Dwyer is headed to Rhode Island to play at Roger Williams University, while Turcotte is staying in-state at the University of New England, where he will be part of a brand-new program that’s set to debut this fall.

Before that, though, one final chapter remains. More important than winning, Dwyer said, is keeping Maranacook’s strong team culture alive. Turcotte, with a younger team than in past years, wants to lay a foundation for those players.

“It’s definitely a change, but it’s going to be good to build the team up this year and see how far we can go,” Turcotte said. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to make the runs I’ve made, and hopefully, there’s still one more.”