Warrior Rackets Repeat as State Champs

By Eliot Schickler

Winning one title is sensational, but repeating as champions is even sweeter.

This was the thought process of the Brookline boys tennis team in its successful quest of capturing its second straight Division 1 State title. Brookline repeated as state champs and ended the season at 24-0 with a 5-0 victory over Algonquin Regional High (19-3) Wednesday in the Division 1 State Finals at Shrewsbury High School.

“It’s huge,” said Warriors Coach Nick Pero. “I’m super excited and proud of the boys.”

Brookline also won its 41st straight match. The Warriors’ last loss was May 1, 2018 in a 3-2 decision at Lexington High.

“It feels great,” senior captain Josh Fleishman said. “I think it’s better the second time. An undefeated state title is unprecedented in BHS tennis, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Senior captain Aaron Fleishman said, “Last year, we weren’t expected to win the state title, but this year, we were expected to win it. We played the teams we faced in the playoffs, during the regular season [which helped in the playoff run].”

Before beating Algonquin, Brookline beat Lexington 3-2 in the Eastern Mass. Finals – which was considered the real state championship match by many people – tantamount to the NFC Championship in the early 90s and the NBA Western Conference Championship this millennium. Although Lexington is a better team than the Algonquin Tomahawks, the gulf between them isn’t huge.

“This was definitely one of the best teams we faced in the regular season,” Pero said. “We knew we had to play well today, and it was not a gimme. We had to come out focused and with intensity.”

The Warriors defeated Algonquin 5-0 at home on May 29. Although they swept the Tomahawks twice, the matches weren’t typical 5-0 verdicts. Brookline had an easier time in its 5-0 triumph over Marlboro in the 2018 State Championship match.

“It was one of the top three teams we faced all year, and this match was closer than last year’s state final,” Josh Fleishman said.

This match, which was originally scheduled for Thursday (June 20), was moved up a day because of the pending rain. The move was the correct one because it rained heavily in the area Thursday. However, the Warriors had two days between matches instead of three, but they remained undaunted.

“I don’t think all of us were on our A game, but we raised our game when it mattered the most and got it done,” Josh Fleishman said.

Sophomore Sam Feldman fell behind 2-0 at first singles, but those were the only games he lost. Feldman bounced back with 12 straight wins in 6-2, 6-0 victory over Tomahawk senior Riyan Farhat.

“I came out sluggish and he was hitting well, but once I won a game, I started to relax and pulled through,” Feldman said. “I found my groove.”

Feldman, who was last year’s Bay State Conference Most Valuable Player and was undefeated this year, secured the first point of the match for Brookline.

“I was kind of relieved,” said Feldman. “Usually, I’m not the first to finish in the regular season. I gave everything I had, knowing it was the last day of the season. I put it all out there and it was a good day.”

Aaron Fleishman and junior Kei Ogawa put the Warriors on the brink of clinching the title with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at second doubles over senior Josh Harmon and sophomore Curran Moholkar.

Shortly after making it 2-0, Josh Fleishman and junior captain Ben Moolman provided the clincher for Brookline with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Andy Zhao and freshman Ethan Zhang.

“It came to staying focused,” Moolman said. “A lot of the match was close, and we did what we had to do.”

Freshman Jayanth Devaiah completed an undefeated season at third singles with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over sophomore Bharathan Sundar.

“Staying focused under pressure,” said Devaiah. “He made a surge in the second set and I responded well.” Sundar took a 4-1 lead in the second set, but Devaiah fought back and closed it out by winning five straight games.

“Staying focused under pressure,” said Devaiah. “He made a surge in the second set and I responded well. I stuck to my game plan. My teammates were there to support me and cheer me on.”

Devaiah enjoyed his rookie season with the Warriors. He said, “I came in with little expectations. It felt good going out there and competing every day for the team.”

Sophomore lefty Noah Schwartz lost his first set at second singles for Brookline, but showed resilience in battling back against an experienced opponent, who will play for Division III College Rensselear Polytechnic Institute next year. Schwartz defeated Algonquin senior captain Christian Jorgensen, 2-6, 6-4, 10-6 (they played a 10-point tiebreaker instead of a full set to decide the point because the Warriors had already clinched the overall match).

Once the match ended, the Warriors had a pleasant ride eastward.

“It feels great,” Moolman said. “We stayed focused during our title run. It was a blast, we had fun and came together as a team.”

Mother Nature was Brookline’s biggest obstacle this spring. Because of the constant rain, the Warriors didn’t practice as much as they wanted to, but that didn’t deter their title run.

“I’m really proud of all the guys,” Aaron Fleishman said. “It was a tough season with ups and downs, but we played well all year, and I’m glad we won the title.”