Sports
Season Recap: Winchester Tennis Enjoys State Championship
After losing the state title last year, the Sachems reclaimed the title.
When Winchester boys tennis team to claim the Division 2 North sectional title, there was a small celebration, but not an overwhelming outpouring of joy.
"The biggest thing was us still being hungry for the (state) title," Sachems coach Tobe Okoye said. "That was step 1 and now we need to complete the next step."
After losing in the Division 2 state championship last season for the first time in five years, the Winchester boys tennis team had its sights set on reclaiming the championship trophy.
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It accomplished that goal, in the state championship match to finish the season 20-2.
“Last year left a bitter taste in our mouths, and we didn’t want it to happen again,” coach Tobe Okoye said. “It feels amazing. Everyone came out here and really stepped it up.”
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The team featured seven seniors, including captain Christian Boulanger at first singles, Ben Davis at second singles, Alex Saich at first doubles and Mike Laurentano at second doubles.
Sophomore Jake Criss (third singles) and juniors Erik Meiler (first doubles) and Matt Roll (second doubles) filled out the starting lineup.
As expected for a veteran team, Winchester had a strong start to the season, sweeping Reading and Stoneham and earning a 4-1 win over Burlington, its opponent in the past two sectional finals.
Though the Sachems eventually lost a league match to Lexington, they finished the regular season 16-2 and claimed the top seed in the Division 2 North tournament. It beat Reading 5-0 in the quarterfinals without dropping a set, and then knocked out Burlington for the third straight year with a 3-2 win in the semifinals behind points from Boulanger, Criss and the duo of Laurentano and Roll.
"That was a jolt we needed to get our focus back and really see how much we wanted it," said Okoye, who coaches at the Winchester Indoor Tennis Club and was leading the Sachems for the first time.
That would be it for suspense, as Winchester cruised past North Andover and Sharon to win the sectional and state titles.
