Boston, MA
2024 Boys Tennis All-Scholastics and League All-Stars
BOYS TENNIS
Lucas Bikkesbakker (Concord-Carlisle)
Kiran Bhatia (Brookline)
Ravin Bhatia (Brookline)
Tucker Catalano (Duxbury)
Peter Chen (Weston)
John DeAngelis (St. John’s Prep)
Dillon Denny-Brown (Bedford)
Deven Devaiah (Brookline)
John Dickens (Milton)
Max Ding (Weston)
Mika Garber (Marblehead)
Boris Kouzimnov (St. John’s Prep)
Connor Liona (Westford Academy)
Jack Prokopis (St. John’s Prep)
Luke Prokopis (St. John’s Prep)
Arvind Rajarajan (Lexington)
Evan Saptari (Lexington)
Lochlan Seth (Newton North)
Bennett Stout (Duxbury)
Timothy Vargas (Duxbury)
HONORABLE MENTION
Oscar Andren (Haverhill)
Winston Chan (Brookline)
Rishi Dasari (Acton-Boxboro)
Ben DiPesa (Scituate)
Luke Free (St. John’s Prep)
Luke Grief (Wakefield)
Neema Khosravani (Mansfield)
Joe Krattenmaker (Hopkinton)
Charlie Lankow (Cohasset)
Saunak Manna (Westford Academy)
Jay Raj (Mystic Valley)
Charles Schepens (Swampscott)
Parker Schultz (Hingham)
Ronak Wakhlu (Lexington)
Ethan Warhaftig (Hingham)
Julian Wong (Belmont)
ALL-SCHOLASTICS
LUCAS BIKKESBAKKER
CONCORD-CARLISLE
The Dual County League Player of the Year went 16-1 playing at first singles during the season, giving him a career record of 41-9. The senior was a mainstay for Concord-Carlisle which went 14-4 and advanced to the Div. 1 state finals. He will play tennis and double major in economics and political science at Holy Cross.
KIRAN BHATIA
BROOKLINE
The junior was 20-1 at first doubles and also won his only singles matches in helping his team advance to the Div. 1 state semifinals. For his career, Bhatia has a doubles record of 52-2. The two-time Bay State Conference All-Star was awarded the 2022 Jason Schreiber Award for Most Influential Freshman Athlete on the boys tennis team.
RAVIN BHATIA
BROOKLINE
A two-time Boston Herald All-Scholastic and Bay State Conference All-Star, Bhatia went 20-1 for a Brookline team that advanced to the Final Four in Div. 1. An excellent student with a 4.0 unweighted GPA, Bhatia’s long term goals are to study political science and journalism.
TUCKER CATALANO
DUXBURY
The senior doubles specialist capped off a perfect career by going 21-0 including a deciding match victory in the Div. 1 state semifinal. Catalano ended his career by posting a 60-0 record. An excellent student, Catalano maintained a GPA of 4.05 or higher in each of his four years of high school. He will attend Connecticut College.
PETER CHEN
WESTON
The all-Dual County League performer earned his second straight All-Scholastic berth after posting a 13-0 record during the regular season, improving his career mark to 31-0. Chen competed in the inaugural USTA Massachusetts High School State Individual tournament, advancing to the second round.
JOHN DEANGELIS
ST. JOHN’S PREP
The No. 1 player for the Div. 1 state champions was 18-3 on the season and reached the quarterfinals of the USTA Massachusetts High School State Individual tournament. The MVP of the Catholic Conference, the sophomore has lost just four matches in his career. He is a member of the Spanish National Honor Society.
DILLON DENNY-BROWN
BEDFORD
The junior led Bedford to a 14-6 season and a berth in the Div. 3 state finals. Highly touted with a 7.2 Universal Tennis Rating, Denny-Brown reached the Round of 16 at the USTA Massachusetts High School State Individuals. His eventual aspirations are to play Div. 3 college tennis or Div. 1 at the club level.
DEVEN DEVAIAH
BROOKLINE
The No. 1 singles player for the perennial state tennis power helped Brookline reach the Div. 1 state semifinals. A former Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Devaiah has an unweighted 4.0 GPA in all honors and advanced classes. One of the top ranked players in the state, Devaiah is involved in USTA tennis.
JOHN DICKENS
MILTON
The junior was nearly perfect during the regular season, going 15-0 and losing just one set in the process. The two-time Bay State Conference All-Star was MVP of the league’s Herget Division and team MVP for the second time. He has a career record of 48-3. An honor roll student, Dickens was the recipient of the Williams College Book Award in May.
MAX DING
WESTON
The senior was Dual County League Player of the Year after posting an 18-4 record at first singles for the Div. 3 state champions. A four-time Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Ding is a member of the National Honor Society and earned the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy for proficiency in Latin. Ding will major in applied mathematics and finance at Washington University in St. Louis.
MIKA GARBER
MARBLEHEAD
Garber battled through a hamstring injury to post a 15-2 record and helped the Magicians advance to the second round of the Div. 2 state tournament. The three-time Northeastern Conference MVP ended his career with a 60-9 mark, all coming at first singles. A high honors student with a 4.2 GPA, Garber will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he will study computer science and play club tennis.
BORIS KOUZMINOV
ST. JOHN’S PREP
The sophomore stepped up at first doubles, losing just one match as St. John’s Prep rolled to the Div. 1 state title. A high honors student, Kouzminov wants to become a professional in the field of dentistry. In the offseason, Kouzminov trains at Montoya Tennis.
CONNOR LIONA
WESTFORD ACADEMY
The winner of the first USTA Massachusetts High School State Individual tournament, Liona went 14-3 and earned MVP honors in the Dual County League. The three-time team captain ended his career with a 43-15 mark, all coming at first singles. A member of the National Honor Society, Liona will play college tennis at Sacred Heart University.
JACK PROKOPIS
ST. JOHN’S PREP
The Catholic Conference All-Star posted a 20-2 mark in helping his Eagles win the Div. 1 title. A three-time league all-star, Prokopis has a career record of 56-9. He is a member of both the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society and received an Academic Excellence Award in Religious Studies.
LUKE PROKOPIS
ST. JOHN’S PREP
Prokopis was outstanding at first doubles, posting a 20-1 record for an undefeated St. John’s Prep squad. The three-time Catholic Conference All-Star has an overall record of 54-6. A member of the National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society, Prokopis carries a 4.43 GPA.
EVAN SAPTARI
LEXINGTON
A Middlesex League All-Star, the sophomore went 16-3 at first doubles as Lexington advanced to the Div. 1 state semifinals. The two-time honor roll student lists guitar, fishing, running, and skiing as his hobbies. Saptari trains in the offseason at the Thoreau Club.
LOCHLAN SETH
NEWTON NORTH
The senior standout was one of the top players in the state, losing just one match during the season. The MVP of the Bay State Conference was a finalist at the USTA Massachusetts High School State Individuals. Ranked among the top three in New England and top-100 nationally, Seth will continue his tennis career at Colgate University.
BENJAMIN STOUT
DUXBURY
One of the premier doubles specialists in the state, Stout was undefeated at first doubles in helping Duxbury go 20-2 and advance to the Div. 2 state team finals. The junior trains in the offseason at the Weymouth Club.
TIMOTHY VARGAS
DUXBURY
The MVP of the Patriot League as well as a league Scholar Award recipient, the junior played first singles for the eventual Div. 2 state finalists. An honor roll student, Vargas was a semifinalist at the USTA Massachusetts High School State Individuals and also won an L4 USTA clay court tournament.
LEAGUE ALL-STARS
BAY STATE CONFERENCE
John Dickens, Ethan Tran (Milton); Jack Rixner, Jack Wexler (Needham); Deven Devaiah, Winson Chan, Dhevin Nahata, Kiran Bhatia, Ravin Bhatia (Brookline); Lochlan Seth, Johnny Wastcoat, Warren Feldman (Newton North); Arthas Goutham, Griffin Jordan (Wellesley); Michael Boland, Stephen Jung (Walpole); Nadav Fuxman (Natick); Jordan Cohen (Framingham)
MVP: John Dickens, Lochlan Seth
CAPE AND ISLANDS
ATLANTIC DIVISION: Zak Potter, Caleb Dubin, Otis Forrester, Kyle Levy, Tommy Flynn, Kert Kleeman (Martha’s Vineyard); Eric Arabadzhiev, Brennan Riley, Michael Higginbotham. Connor O’Reilly (Barnstable); Soren Jones Carlson, Salvi Cacciola (Nauset); Ryan Casey, Roman Pavluzhenko (Monomoy)
MVP: Zak Potter
LIGHTHOUSE DIVISION: Ben Catalano, Connor Hall, Garret Wilson, Ayden Naydenov (Cape Cod Academy); Henry Kathawala, Sam Iller, Fuller Holland (Nantucket); Colby Hall, Robert Muhov, Frandisco Garcia Raya, Thomas Nutbrown (Sturgis); Jack Flynn (Rising Tide); Ben Kowal (St. John Paul II)
MVP: Ben Catalano
CAPE ANN LEAGUE
Max Clarke, Henry Stinson (Hamilton-Wenham); Roman Ton (North Reading); Dan Levin, Shea McCarthy, Russell Kasdon, Shlok Kudrimoti, Slate Lopilato, Kurt Rothermund, Matt Reinold (Lynnfield)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dan Levin, Max Clarke, Henry Stinson
CATHOLIC CENTRAL LEAGUE
Max Comey, Kaya Yuceler, James Mallon, Nakul Bhatia, Casey Fennell (Bishop Feehan); Brian Ward, Thomas Clavell, Nicholas Hutchens, Noah Yetman (Bishop Stang); Sean Caldwell, Luke Nanopoulos, Gabriel Aljalian (Arlington Catholic); Steve Nason, Thomas Shea (St. Mary’s); Cole Schroeder (Bishop Fenwick)
MVP: Sean Caldwell
CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
John DeAngelis, Jack Prokopis, Luke Free, Luke Porkopis, Boris Kouzminov, Mark McDuffee, Alex Melville (St. John’s Prep); Chris Curran, Andrew Garofoli, Ethan Holson, Ryan Berns (BC High); Agam Kukreja, Andrew D’Angelo, Aarav Jain, Lukas Pannenborg (St. John’s Shrewsbury); Cam Peterson, Tripp Carven (Xaverian); Andrew Spagnuolo (Catholic Memorial); Nam Dinh, Matteo Peledge (Malden Catholic)
MVP: John DeAngelis
COMMONWEALTH ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
CO-ED: Jess Campo, Isobel Callahan, Chloe Callahan, JC Luna, Brody Adkins, Aiden Gibson, Ethan King, Marc Taboucherani (Fellowship Academy); Annabel Senechiame, Julio Kuchuminski, Avery Dube, Sydney Geoffroy, Norah Rondeau, Abigail Honan, Luiggi Ferreira, Giovanni De Oliveira, Samuel Lucena (Greater Lowell); Katherine Xu (Mystic Valley); Riley Olsen, Khianna Ducharme (Nashoba Tech); Matt Cipriano, Victor Phan (Saugus/Northeast); Jasmine Johansen, Sarah Johansen, Ethan Hines, Faith Martin, Trevor Engel (Shawsheen)
DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE
ALL-CONFERENCE: Max Ding, Peter Chen (Weston), Lucas Bikkesbakker (Concord-Carlisle); Connor Liona, Saunak Manna (Westford Academy); Marti Sarquella, Rishi Dasari (Acton Boxboro); Dillon Denny-Brown (Bedford); Toby Kylberger (Wayland)
ALL-STARS: Jeremy Gu, Spencer Goss, Logan Cox (Bedford); Jeffrey Zhang, Josh Proctor, Henrique Abecasis (Wayland); Magnus Sterritt (Weston); Ethan Tran, Luis Bullock Gonzalez (Boston Latin); Nikolas Joannidis (Waltham); Benjamin Ostrovsky, T.J. Fahey, Pedro Nachbin (Concord-Carlisle); Siddhant Ganeshawaran (Acton-Boxboro)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Max Ding, Lucas Bikkesbakker
GREATER BOSTON LEAGUE
Damian Mangino, Ethan Cross, Emmett Easton (Somerville); Mogos Ghile, Archer Ou, Illyes Ouldsaada, Steven Luong (Malden); Axil Ortiz, Victor Bun, Andy Ly (Lynn Classical); Edward Salazar, Eric Salazar (Lynn English); Leo Mantenuto (Medford); Bryant Jiminez (Everett); Nicolas Aguiar (Revere)
MVP: Damian Mangino
HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE
Neema Khosravani, Nikhil Nain (Mansfield); Kyle Neuendorf, Tyler Rocchio, Luke Hinton, Brady Rosen (Attleboro); Bharat Ramanathan (Canton); Luca Meyer, Raj Jetty (Foxboro); Jay Gorgas (Franklin); Arjun Kollu, Luke Bailer (King Philip); Quinn DiFiore (North Attleboro); Nick Westerbeke (Oliver Ames); Alex Budovalcev, Sava Kassev, Matthew Lally, Isaac Chen, Jacob Slavsky (Sharon)
MVP: Neema Khosravani
MAYFLOWER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Connor Kennedy, Michael Larivee (Diman); Brett Brophy, Ajani Bunting (Wareham); Sam Van Saun, Jack Keane, Luke Coelho (Westport)
MVP: Sam Van Saun
MERRIMACK VALLEY CONFERENCE
Oscar Andren (Haverhill); Nik Narina, Akarsh Janarthanan, Conor Rea, Sam Gomer, Peter Doan, Kian Keyhan, Hridai Dharan (Andover)
MVP: Oscar Andren
MIDDLESEX LEAGUE
LIBERTY: Ronak Wakhlu, Neil Keltcher, Ronnie Prasad, Sritan Devineni, Evan Saptari, Arvind Rajarajan, Darius Jin (Lexington); Sam Song, Jeff Chen, Thomas Andrews, Raffi Parseghian, Max Griffin, Carl Stredicke (Winchester); Omkar Adhiya, Elia Kikuchi, Yuta Kikuchi, Henry Ruderman, Leo Fritsch (Arlington); Charlie Osborn, Julian Wong, Ben Miller, Henry Moriarty (Belmont); Luke Zannino, Pip Balas (Reading); Anik Patel (Woburn)
FREEDOM: Sohan Shah, Aditya Pathak, Andrew Perl, Abhay Jhunett, Krish Soni (Burlington); Luke Greif, Trevor Vellieux, Kevin DeGray (Wakefield); Anvi Ganghu, Said Karani, Ryan Weinstein (Wilmington); Daniel Teittinen, Nathan Chow (Melrose); Nash Goldstein (Watertown); Anubhau Thapaliya (Stoneham)
MVP: Ronak Wakhlu, Julian Wong, Luke Greif
NORTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
ALL-CONFERENCE: Julian Flacke, Lucas Bereaud, Charles Schepens (Swampscott); Jayden Janock, Leo Winocour, Mika Garber, Etan Farfel (Marblehead); Andre Payano Sosa, Shane Widtfeldt (Gloucester)
DUNN: TJ Kelly, Anthony Vizy, Ty Cooper (Marblehead); Nick Custer, Trevor Talebian, Sam Schepens (Swampscott); Anders Littman (Gloucester); Kai Hird, Jack Eaton (Masconomet); Luca Pasquarello (Beverly)
LYNCH: Jack Osburn, Nick Cirelli, Nathaniel Derosier (Winthrop); Finn Hangar, Rylan Workman, Eden McClain (Salem)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Charles Schepens
PATRIOT LEAGUE
KEENAN: Tim Vargas, Peter Burnham, Taylor Bettencourt, Bennett Stout, Tucker Catalano (Duxbury); Parker Schultz, Ethan Warhaftig, Travis Rugg (Hingham); Will Bergendahl, Danny Stephenson (Plymouth North); Tristan Baker (Whitman-Hanson); Dylan Cicone (Silver Lake)
MVP: Tim Vargas
FISHER: Ben DiPesa, Shea Tinkham, Cooper McDonald, Jack Dalicandro (Scituate); Tom Duan, Philip Wang, Ian Ronan (North Quincy); Daniel Lyons, Charlie Ruggiero (Plymouth South); Alex Fredette (Hanover); Henry Wilde (Quincy); Jason DeBella (Pembroke)
MVP: Ben DiPesa
SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE
Will Horton, Nathan Belmore, Ethan Clark, Ryan Abreau (Apponequet); Zach Costa, Jacksson Souza, Max Petit (Somerset Berkley); Abhi Patel (Seekonk); Jacob Hadley, Peter LeGassic (Old Rochester); David Anghinetti (Dighton-Rehoboth); Coby Yin, Kole Pinto (Fairhaven); Owen Borges (Case)
MVP: Will Horton
SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE
Banks Beckwith (Bridgewater-Raynham); Luke Bloom-Glover, Shreyas Rathod, Owen Nielson, Charles Camisa, Isaiah Beckwith, Stephen Wei (Dartmouth); Will Rumsey (Durfee)
MVP: Luke Bloom-Glover
SOUTH SHORE LEAGUE
SULLIVAN: Connor McNaughton (Middleboro); Evan Petit, Aidan Gilmartin, Luca Moretti-Fuli, Matt Alabiso, Ben Garland (Norwell); Kaden Gestel, Nick Mesheau, Mo Asad, Lucas Cavicchi (Rockland); Andrew Emmel, Andrew Chanya, Kallen Kestenbaum (Sandwich)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Andrew Emmel
TOBIN: Nathan Ludlam, Will Wildfire (Abington); Eamon Maxwell, Charlie Lankow, Blaise Bastille, Tyler Henry (Cohasset); Colin Burdge, James Benners, Andrew Kelley (Mashpee)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Charlie Lankow
TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE
Joe Krattenmaker, Rishit Shekhar, Ilian Grace, Sooraj Sambasivam, Kais Guessab (Hopkinton); Dominik Dwyer, Kevin Bojkov (Dedham); Max Glick, Dalai Xu, Yair Elman, Harrison DePaola (Dover-Sherborn); Warren Churchill, Alec Bormann, Nathan DePaola, Fisher Roberts (Medfield); Gunther Guleserian, Andrew Easton (Westwood); Sam Tavassoli Hojati, Matthew Weise (Norton); Partha Jammalamadaka (Norwood); Alex Menard, Tommy Stotz (Medway)
MVP: Joe Krattenmaker, Dominik Dwyer
Boston, MA
A crowd scientist is helping the Boston Marathon manage a growing field of 30,000-plus runners
BOSTON (AP) — Running the Boston Marathon is tough enough without having to jostle your way from Hopkinton to Copley Square.
So race organizers this year turned to an expert in crowd science to help them manage the field of more than 32,000 as it travels the 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers) through eight Massachusetts cities and towns — some of it on narrow streets laid out during Colonial times.
“There are certain things that we can’t change — that we don’t want to change — because they make the Boston Marathon,” said Marcel Altenburg, a senior lecturer of crowd science at Manchester Metropolitan University in Britain. “Like, I’m a scientist, but I can’t be too science-y about the race. It should stay what it is because that’s what I love. That’s what the runners love.”
The world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon, the Boston race was inspired by the endurance test that made its debut at the inaugural modern Olympics in 1896 — itself a tribute to the route covered by the messenger Pheidippides, who ran to Athens with news of the Greek victory over the Persians in Marathon.
After sharing the news — “Rejoice, we conquer!” — Pheidippides dropped dead.
Organizers of the Boston race would prefer a more pleasant experience for their runners, even as the field has ballooned from 15 in 1897 to as many as 38,000 to meet demand for the 100th edition in 1996. It has settled at around 30,000 since 2015.
As the race grew, it tested the limits of the narrow New England roads and the host cities and towns, which are eager to reopen their streets for regular commutes and commerce as quickly as possible.
“It would be kind of great someday to be able to grow the race a little bit more,” race director Dave McGillivray said. “The problem with this race is that it’s about two things: time and space. We don’t have either. … So, we’re trying to be innovative.”
That’s where Altenburg comes in.
A former German army captain who runs ultra marathons himself, Altenburg has worked with all of the major races, other large sporting events, and airports and exhibitions that tend to attract large crowds on ways to keep things safe and flowing smoothly.
For the Boston Marathon, which draws hundreds of thousands of spectators in addition to the runners, his models allow him to run simulations that help him see how the race might play out under different conditions.
“We have simulated the Boston Marathon more than 100 times to run it once for real. That is the one that counts,” Altenburg said in a telephone interview. “They gave me, pretty much, all creative freedom to simulate more waves, simulate more runners and — within the existing time window — they allowed me to change pretty much anything for the betterment of the running experience.
“And then we checked every aid station, every mile, the finish, every important point, (asking): Is the result better for the runner? Is that something that we should explore further?”
The most noticeable difference on Monday will be that the runners are starting in six waves — groups organized by qualifying time — instead of three. The waves, which were first used in Boston in 2011, help spread things out so that runners don’t have to walk after the start, when Main Street in Hopkinton squeezes to just 39 feet wide.
Other, less obvious changes involve the unloading of the buses at the start, the placement of the water and aid stations, and the finish line chutes, where runners get their medals, perhaps a mylar blanket or a banana, and any medical treatment they might need.
“For an event that’s as old as ours, 130 years, it allowed us to be a startup all over again,” said Lauren Proshan, the chief of race operations and production for the Boston Athletic Association.
“The change isn’t meant to be earth-shattering. It’s to be a smooth experience from start to finish,” she said. “It’s one of those things that you work really, really hard behind the scenes and hope that no one notices — a behind-the-curtain change that makes you feel as if you’re just floating and having a great day.”
Shorter porta potty lines would also be nice.
“What I loved about working with the BAA was how aware they are of what the Boston Marathon is. And they won’t change anything lightly,” Altenburg said. “So it was very detailed work from literally the moment the race last year ended to now. That we check every single option. That we really make sure that if we change something about this historic race, then we know what we’re doing.”
The BAA will look at the feedback over the next three years before deciding about expansion or other changes.
“Fingers crossed, hope for the best, but we’ll get feedback from the participants,” McGillivray said. “And they’ll let us know whether or not it worked or not.”
But keeping the course open longer isn’t an option. And the route isn’t going to change. So there’s only so much that crowd science can help with at one of the toughest tests in sports.
“I can talk. I’m a scientist. I just press a button and it’s going to be,” Altenburg said. “But the runners still have to do it.”
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
Boston, MA
From across Boston they flock to play for Latin Academy boys’ tennis, a co-op of 29 schools – The Boston Globe
“I’ve done a lot of different things in my life, but there’s no question in my mind that the youth development aspect of what I’ve done with kids and tennis in Boston is the most important work I’ve ever done,” said Crane, who has dedicated the last 30 years of his life to youth tennis.
Once upon a time, Crane served as a sports journalist for the New York Post, the defender general of Vermont, and the executive director of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.
He has been the head boys’ tennis coach at Latin Academy since 2009, and last season led the Dragons to their first Division 3 semifinal appearance in program history.
This season, the Dragons are trying to repeat that success, and are doing so with players from five Boston high schools (Latin Academy, O’Bryant, Josiah Quincy Upper, East Boston, and New Mission).
Sophomore Mayfre Moreta, a New Mission student, has never crossed paths in the school hallways with his doubles partner, Gio Waterman, who attends Latin Academy, but the pair still managed to rally from a set down to clinch the deciding No. 2 doubles point in last year’s D3 quarterfinals.
“I think [that win] speaks to our identity as a program,” said Waterman. “It’s so nice to play with all these new guys from other city schools. We share that bond of representing the city of Boston.”
Along with the unique co-op structure, Crane runs a no-cut program that carries roughly 35 kids ranging from seventh to 12th grade every year who vary from beginners to experienced tournament players.
“We don’t cut because we want to teach kids from all over the city how to play the game,” said Crane. “We want to give them a sport that they’ll play for the rest of their lives.”
Mateus Washington, a Latin Academy senior, is in his sixth, and final, year with the program. Although Washington has dueled the state’s top players at No. 1 singles this season, he is just as proud that he gets to lead his teammates every day.
Matthew J Lee/Globe staff
“It’s really cool to see how the seventh-graders of this generation look so much like I did in seventh grade,” said Washington, who has posted a 3-3 record this year. “It’s super eye-opening and enriching to be a part of their development.”
Crane recognizes that the team’s makeup is unique and oftentimes difficult to manage.
“Logistically, it’s difficult. The kids are coming from all over the city, and they can’t all show up at the same time because their schools get out at different times,” said Crane.
But above all, Crane is thankful he can give his kids — many of whom come from low-income situations — the chance to play tennis, as well as offer them summer jobs at Sportsmen’s, Franklin Park Tennis Association, and other tennis facilities around the city.
“What motivates me the most is getting to know these kids, building relationships with them, and figuring out how I can be of help to them. I want to help them grow, help them succeed on and off the court, and help them get ready for the rest of their lives.”
▪ Emily Cilley has yet to lose a match as the head coach of the Swampscott girls.
In Cilley’s first year with the program, the Big Blue (4-0) have put last season’s second-round loss to Dover-Sherborn in the rearview mirror.
Key to their success have been sophomore stars Nikki Carr and Ginger Gregoire. Carr has been dominant at first singles, posting a 4-0 record without dropping a set, and Gregoire has been a great option at second singles, logging a 3-1 record and securing the deciding 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory in the season opener against Bishop Fenwick.
“They are both very disciplined players who understand the balance between being cautious and being patient,” said Cilley. “Their technical skills are on point, and they aren’t intimidated by the person across from them.”
The Big Blue’s strong start has catapulted them to the top of the Northeastern Conference. They’ll look to continue their unbeaten streak against St. Mary’s next Saturday.
▪ The girls of Central Catholic are off to their best start in program history.
The Raiders boast a 6-0 record after taking down Lowell 5-0 on Saturday morning. The win was their fifth sweep of the season, with the only non-sweep coming in a 4-1 victory over Notre Dame (Tyngsborough).
Morgan Bateman has looked unstoppable at second singles, as she is yet to drop a set, and Ella Asmar has been just as impressive at third singles, posting an undefeated record.
Although Haley Wolters was responsible for the only loss by a Raiders player this season, she has logged impressive victories at first singles, such as a 6-2, 6-3 win against Chelmsford and a 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Lowell.
The Raiders have a chance to extend their winning streak to nine with matches against North Andover, Lowell, and Haverhill on the horizon, before they clash with undefeated Andover on April 30.
Webb Constable can be reached at webb.constable@globe.com. Follow him on X @webbconstable.
Boston, MA
Practice Report: Bruins Have Last Skate in Boston Before Leaving for Buffalo | Boston Bruins
“It is a division team, we’ve played them enough to know kind of what they’re about. They’ve had a great season. They’re a high rush team, a lot of speed and a lot of skill. It is going to be a fun matchup,” Lindholm said. “It is a fun challenge for us, coming in a little bit as an underdog and prove people wrong.”
Lindholm has also been quarterbacking the second power-play unit, which is primed to feature James Hagens. The 19-year-old forward signed his entry-level contract on April 8 and played in the final two games of the regular season. The B’s, however, did not get on the man advantage in either game, so Sturm has yet to see Hagens on the power play outside of practice. The coach thinks it is one of Hagens’ best assets, though.
“He doesn’t have to play or make special plays. He has some really good players on that unit. As long as he’s going to play fast and keep it simple – I think that is something that might be different from college and NHL,” Sturm said. “I think it will be fine because Buffalo, they will come, they pressure hard. So you don’t want to be surprised. You want to be quick, you want to be fast. That’s something that has to be in his mind.”
Hagens has been skating on the third line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, and that stayed the same in Saturday’s practice. The three youngsters will all be playing in their first NHL postseason.
“Every night you have to give it your all. You have to give everything you possibly have. This is playoff hockey – you want to win every single game like always. Nothing changes, but there are a lot higher stakes,” Hagens said. “This is something you dream of. Something you grow up watching and praying that you could be in the moment one day and be playing in. Now that it’s reality, it’s something that is really surreal.”
After having a whirlwind start to his pro career, it has been helpful for Hagens to get full practices in with the group.
“It’s been great to be able to be out there, practice with these guys. Not only to learn the systems but to be able to talk to teammates, get feedback from coaches,” Hagens said. “Just the repetition, being able to do reps, try to learn day by day.”
The energy is palpable for Boston, but the team knows the work has just begun.
“Everyone is equal in this room. We’re a tight-knit group here, we’re all good buddies…Just go out there and play with that joy that we have in the locker room,” Lindholm said. “It is a really serious time of year, but I think within this room here, just go out there and enjoy, too. Play for each other – I think that’s how you win this time of year.”
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