AMHERST – It was a battle of two of Hampshire County’s best boys tennis players on Wednesday at Hampshire College.

Northampton’s Reilly Fowles and Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School’s Lee Ferguson squared off at first singles and didn’t disappoint. The two heavyweights gave each other all they could handle, but in the end, Fowles won out, downing Ferguson in two lengthy sets by scores of 6-4 and 6-2.

The Blue Devils won 4-1 in the team competition, their lone defeat coming at second singles, to improve to 2-1 on the season. Fowles also remained unbeaten (3-0) this spring with the victory.

“Reilly, he’s one of the strongest players in the area and on a day like today, I think his experience really came through and he was really able to navigate that,” Northampton head coach Ben Lewis said.

It was less than ideal weather conditions Wednesday with temperatures in the 40s, plus occasional wind gusts, but that didn’t stop Fowles from playing his game. The senior’s sizzling serves were the noticeable difference between the two top combatants, however it was to be expected considering Ferguson is still only in seventh grade. 

“He has a lot of experience,” Lewis said. “He’s a senior, he’s a multi-year starter, he has significant tournament experience and he’s willing to come in with a game plan and also be ready to adapt as is necessary. Lee’s got a really good game and Reilly was able to find the holes when he needed to win the big points.” 

While Ferguson lacked the power in the matchup, the Dragons’ star made up for it with flawless technique. Ferguson received just about every one of Fowles’ serves successfully and managed to work topspin into a good amount of his returns. Ferguson ultimately was bested by Fowles strength and size, but the middle-schooler put together an impressive performance against the two-time Gazette Player of the Year.

“He’s a remarkable player,” PVCICS head coach Mike Locher said of Ferguson. “Week-in, week-out he faces bigger, stronger guys and this is the first regular-season match he’s ever lost for us. Today Reilly had his number, but he’s definitely progressing. Some day he’ll grow and when he gets bigger and stronger he’s going to be a real force of nature out there on the courts.”

Ferguson lost only one time as a sixth-grader in 2024 and that came during the MIAA Division 4 Final Four. 

Despite Ferguson’s smaller stature, he gets around the court surprisingly well and forces his opponents to really earn their points.

“He gets to a lot of balls,” Locher said. “He hits the ball, usually, right where he wants it. Reilly took some of that away, but he’s just got the ability to put the ball right down the line, right in a corner, take a short cross-court, a real sharp ball and a lot of the players we play out here in Western [Massachusetts] can’t deal with that. He’s got a very, very good game for someone his age.”

Derek Ye took home the Dragons’ lone point on the chilly afternoon at second singles, beating the Blue Devils’ Durrell Patrick, 6-3, 6-3. 

Northampton’s remaining three points came from a third singles victory from Kaz Sugihara over Devan Ye (7-5, 6-2) and both doubles matches. Oliver Levine and Reed O’Connor outlasted James and Teddy Scott (6-4, 2-6, 12-10) in three sets in the first doubles match, then Jude McCutcheon and Eli Wool bested Gabe Loinaz and Simon Speek, 6-4, 7-6 (10-4), in second doubles.

Even though both teams are relatively close to each other, Wednesday marked the first meeting between the two programs since Lewis became the Blue Devils head coach in 2022.

“They were a really, really solid team all the way through the lineup,” Lewis said of the Dragons. “It was super cold out here today. The guys were trying to stay committed to their shots but also not to get too frustrated when the wind takes the ball or something like that.”

Northampton next hosts Agawam on Friday at 4:30 p.m. PVCICS (5-2) will travel to Palmer next Monday with the match set for 4 p.m.