Division 3 state tennis: Weston boys, Pembroke girls are champs

CAMBRIDGE – In two highly competitive tennis state championship matches, No. 1 Weston took down No. 2 Bedford 3-2 to win the Division 3 boys championship, while No. 3 Pembroke defeated No. 4 Weston 3-2 to claim the girls Division 3 title.

Both matchups came down to first singles, with Weston’s Max Ding winning in straight sets and Pembroke’s Nicole Makarewicz outlasted Weston’s Olivia Rome in a third set to claim the win.

Weston’s boys came into the match incredibly comfortable. That’s because it was their seventh consecutive appearance in the state championship round and the program’s seventh consecutive victory.

What was different was the division, as the Wildcats had spent the prior two seasons at the Division 4 level. Head coach George Conlin said moving up a division was best for his program from a competitive standpoint.

“We were in Division 4 for two years and they were two of the strongest teams we ever had so that shouldn’t have happened,” Conlin said. “It’s nice to be back where we belong.”

Bedford got the better of Weston in both doubles matches, winning them in straight sets. This put extra pressure on the singles. Second and third singles came off the court quickly, however, and this set up the first singles match as a winner-take-all. Ding had won the first set 6-4, despite being down 4-3 at one point, and coach said that the title resting on his result felt like fate.

“To have the match come down to him was awesome,” Conlin said. “When it was 2-2, we felt confident that he could bring it home.”

For Ding, this was a chance to secure four championships in four years, becoming the first player in program history to accomplish that feat.

“I was just focused on winning the match,” Ding said. “I knew after the first set that I had all of the momentum. I knew he was getting tired.”

On the girl’ side, Pembroke earned the title just days after a controversial end in the semifinal matchup against defending champion Newburyport. Emma Gerlach earned a third singles victory to win the match 3-2, but tournament rules were not followed, and the matter ended up in Salem Superior Court, where the preliminary injunction was denied.

“It did not turn out the way we would have wanted to in terms of celebrating,” Pembroke coach Jessica Walls said. “At the end of the day I just said to the girls, ‘we’re moving on, we’re focused on Saturday, and you deserve it.”

Gerlach would claim a victory in third singles, and the Titans would take second singles as well while dropping both doubles matches. This signaled that Rome and Makarewicz’ third set would be for the title.

“Best high school tennis I have seen,” Walls said. “I’ve been coaching for 12 years and it’s the best I’ve seen in my career.”

Makarewicz claimed the first set 6-2 but dropped the next one 6-4. As she prepared for the decisive set, she focused on repeating what worked at the beginning.

“I was just trying to play exactly like how I played in the first set.” Macarewicz said. “It was really exciting; I didn’t feel that much pressure.”

She relayed this into a 6-1 win that clinched the title, much to the delight of the fans in attendance.

“With such a big crowd, it was a great experience,” Makarewicz said. “It was really fun.”