SHEA MCCARTHY shut out his first singles opponent 6-0, 6-0 in the Div. 4 State Championship on Sunday at MIT. (Courtesy Photo)
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
CAMBRIDGE — Last year, the Lynnfield High boys’ tennis team lost, 3-2, to Manchester-Essex in the Division 4 state finals.
The two schools met again on Sunday for this year’s Div. 4 state crown and the Hornets won this one, again, by a 3-2 score at the DuPont Courts on the campus of MIT in Cambridge.
“I was so proud of our team,” stated Pioneers head coach Joe Dunn. “We lost to them, 4-1, in the regular season but we made some changes in the line-up and this match could have went either way.”
At first singles, Shea McCarthy shut out Jack Cummins, 6-0, 6-0. Second-singles player, Shlok Kudrimoti lost to Alex Montarsi, 6-3, 6-2, while Brady Trippe fell to Charle Langendorf, 6-0, 6-2.
In doubles, action, the team of Raffi Arkun and Matt Reinold beat Finn Birkland and Jack Lawler in three sets. They won the first one, 6-4, lost the second one, 3-6, and won the rubber set, 6-4.
“That is the first time they have been beaten this year,” pointed out Dunn of the dominant Manchester-Essex first doubles duo.
At second doubles, the team of Andee Shieh and Emile Coumans lost to Shay Engelhart and Charlie Rubens in three sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
That was the mach clincher for the Hornets.
“They have a very strong team,” said Dunn. “They are solid from top to bottom.”
With the loss, the 2nd-seeded Pioneers ended up at 17-4. Meanwhile, the top-seeded Hornets ended up at 22-1.
This match was originality scheduled for Saturday but was rained out and moved to Sunday like all of the other state finals tennis matches.
This was the third consecutive year the Pioneers have lost in the Div. 4 state final as they fell to Weston two years ago.
In the state semifinals on June 12, the Pioneers defeated Sturgis Charter West, 5-1, at Hingham High School.
McCarthy defeated Ray Zhang, 6-4, 6-1, while Kudrimoti lost to Francisco Garcia Raya, 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 (10-point third set since the match was already decided).
Reinold played third singles in this match and he won, 6-3, 6-3, over Rob Mukov.
In doubles action, the team of Arkun and Shieh beat Kieran Murphy and George Foster, with matching 6-2 scores.
The second duo of Rishabh Anand and Rowan Bayer defeated the Smith twins, Mason and Caleb, 6-4, 6-3.
“We played an excellent match,” said Dunn. “Both of our doubles teams played very well.”
The 6th-seeded Navigators ended the year at 11-3 with the loss.
Sturgis Charter is located on Cape Cod in the town of Hyannis.