It's thumbs up for the Alvirne girls tennis team according to the Broncos' new coach, longtime area tennis instructor Moe Leclerc. (Courtesy photo)

HUDSON – A new season begins for the Alvirne High School girls tennis team today when Hanover comes to town for the season opener.

And a new life begins for the Broncos coach, Moe Leclerc.

Leclerc had spent 33 years building a tennis empire/instruction program at Nashua Country Club, and other places in the region as well, but unfortunately he and NCC had a parting of the ways last September.

And now he’s making his debut as a high school coach.

Everything fell into place.Longtime Alvirne coach Jen Ruigrok stepped down after leading the Broncos to the Division II title, and Leclerc had heard about the possible opening last summer from a couple of Broncos he taught. So this was a natural, even though it will be a challenge, coaching a high school team and also a program that has moved up a division to Division I.

But this isn’t the first challenge Leclerc has faced. Three years ago, in the midst of COVID, he was feeling ill with fatigue, pain in his back, nosebleeds, and other strange symptoms. And he also gained weight uncharacteristally. One night when he could barely make his way off the court he was advised by a member not to wait for his annual physical set in a few days, and head to the ER.

Long story short, he discovered he had leukemia, or more specific, hairy cell leukemia, which Leclerc found out has a high survival rate.

“If you’re going to get leukemia, you want to get hairy cell leukemia,” Leclerc said. “It’s like hitting the lottery of cancer. There’s a 99 percent survival rate, and less than one percent recurring.”

Still, it was another battle with the disease he had lost his wife to eight years ago. Leclerc had a choice of an aggressive treatment lasting five days or treatment spread out over six months. The first thing he thought of was it was June and he needed to get back on the courts. It was June and Leclerc had 175 hours or program instruction he needed to cover; he could with the staff he had but it the help was young and it wouldn’t be ideal.

Leclerc chose the aggressive treatment, and side effects were minimal, the main one being fatigue.

“I slept for 18 hours a day, it was unbelievable,” he said.

After six weeks, his blood cell counts were strong enough for him to return to work, and doctors were stunned. Before that he had daily phone calls with the staff to go over everything.

“Six weeks into it I was back on the courts,” Leclerc said. “And I got the program going flawlessly.”

Leclerc had other health woes as well,including having hip replacement surgery and even hamstring surgery after a bad tear.

But he’s a survivor, and the Broncos are giving him a chance to continue something he was really born to do.

“I love what I do, I haven’t done anything else since 1981,” he said. “It’s second nature. The girls are bonding tremendously.”

He has 10 players on the Bronco roster five back from last year and two he’s coached for years. He has worked on trying to learn the opponents, and also has brought in former longtime Pelham coach Phyllis Morris to help him in today’s opener. She’s been on his instructional staff on and off for 25 years.

Tennis has been new Alvirne girls tennis coach Moe Leclerc’s life, as far back as some 30 years ago and beyond. (Courtesy photo)

Coaching at Alvirne is a good fit in more ways than one.

“I need a home base,” Leclerc said. “I can’t be going from house to house, and carrying big buckets of balls on to the court.”

So when talking with Alvirne athletic director Karen Bonney, he was able to also get the use of the Alvirne courts from time to time in the off-season for his instructional program The Next Champions.

With his coaching the Broncos and his instructional program, he intends to turn Hudson into Tennis Town. Clinics for all ages, from tiny tots on up.

“We’ll be on those courts til sundown,” he said. “This is it for me. This is my final resting ground.”

MERRIMACK GIRLS FALL

The Merrimack High School girls tennis team had a rough opener Monday as the Tomahawks fell 9-0 to Dover, the closest match being 8-2.

But the day was not lost.

“The Dover players were excellent opponents,” Tomahawks coach Amy Tupper said, “but every single one of my 16 girls got to play in at least an exhibition.”

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED

Nashua North’s Calla Kutschke was awarded a Division I scholarship by the New Hampshire Athletic Directors Association at the NHIAA’s Awards Ceremony that took place Monday and continues today. Kutschke runs cross country as well as competes in indoor and outdoor track.

TODAY’S SCHEDULE

The Alvirne girls aren’t the only tennis team to open today as the Hollis Brookline girls will host Milford indoors t Longfellow Tennis Club in Nashua.

The Souhegan boys host Lebanon at Camp Young Judea in Amherst while the Alvirne boys are at Keene. The Souhegan girls home tennis match, originally scheduled for today, was moved to Wednesday.

The Alvirne matches were originally set for Wednesday but moved to Tuesday.

Track and field also begins today, with Alvirne hosting Bishop Guertin and Windham, and Merrimack hosting Manchester Memorial and Concord.