Winchester Tennis Team Aiming for State Title

After winning four straight Division 2 state championships in boys tennis, was snapped in a 3-2 loss to Hingham in last year's state final.

Though that defeat was heartbreaking, it will serve as motivation for this year's group.

"There's seven seniors who are out there and they know they're not going to play high school tennis again, and one of the things on the agenda for sure is to get that title," coach Tobe Okoye said.

Okoye, who coaches at the , is in his first year leading the high school team, but the Sachems haven't missed a beat yet. In their first three matches they won them by a combined score of 14-1 — sweeping Reading and Stoneham and beating Burlington, thought to be its top competition in the Middlesex League, by a score of 4-1.

Winchester has beaten Burlington in the Division 2 North championship match each of the past two years. In the season opener this year against the Red Devils, Ben Davis and Jake Criss won their singles matches in straight sets, as did the doubles teams of Alex Saich-Erik Mieler and Mike Laurentano-Matt Roll. First singles player Christian Boulanger lost to Joe Piotti in three sets.

"Without any doubt, we keep playing the way we're playing right now, staying intense, staying motivated and not letting up at any point, I see us getting there (to the finals) and hopefully go one better this year," Okoye said.

Boulanger leads the charge. The senior captain has big ground strokes, including a devastating forehand that can finish points. He also has a really big serve and a strong mental game.

"He leads the pack in terms of effort and fighting for every point," Okoye said. "He's also calm on the court."

Next in the lineup at No. 2 singles is Davis, a senior who played mostly doubles last year. He has a steady backhand and wicked inside-out forehand, and still carries a strong net game from his time as a doubles player that takes advantage of his 6-foot-1 size.

There will be a rotation at third singles between Criss, a sophomore, and juniors Mieler and Roll.

The top doubles team is Mieler, a junior, and Saich, a senior who is new to the starting lineup. Saich is another six-footer, so his long wingspan helps with the angle of his serve and the amount of space he can cover at the net. Mieler, a returning player, has a big serve and a big forehand who is very aggressive at the net.

The second doubles team is Laurentano, a senior, and Roll, a junior. Laurentano has a big return on the backhand side, while Roll is very smooth on the court.

After Burlington, the team split sets in two of its five matches against Reading, and then lost a total of just one game in their five matches against Stoneham.

"I'm working with them on being more aggressive," Okoye said. "No matter the results just keep working hard. If we win 3-2 we want to win 4-1 next time. If we win 4-1 then we want to win 5-0."

Besides losing in last year's final, the team also gets motivation from the girls tennis team, which has won four straight titles and carries a 92-match winning streak into the season.

"There's a little competition between the girls and the boys," Okoye said. "It's one of the things that just keeps us going."

Winchester boys tennis

Last season: 19-4

Key players: Chrisitan Boulanger, Sr., Ben Davis, Sr., Alex Saich,Sr., Mike Laurentano, Sr., Erik Meiler, Jr., Matt Roll, Jr., Jake Criss, So.

Key losses: Kevin Potter, second singles; Jonathan Mott, third singles; Ryan Ludwig, first doubles.

Outlook: Despite losing three of its starters from last year, including two singles players, Winchester is looking strong as it shoots for a seventh state title in nine years. It already beat its toughest Middlesex League competition, Burlington, by a 4-1 score. The team needs to play more aggressively at times and must stay focused, though the memory of last year's final loss should help.

Quote: "We keep playing the way we're playing right now, staying intense, staying motivated and not letting up at any point, I see us getting there (to the finals) and hopefully go one better this year." —coach Tobe Okoye.