Manchester-Essex nips Lynnfield for Div. 4 boys tennis crown

CAMBRIDGE – In a nearly three-hour match with three three-set matches, Manchester-Essex rallied to take its first state title since winning the Div. 2 title back in 1998.

The No. 3 and No. 2 singles players came away with thrilling third set victories as the No. 3 Hornets came from behind to upend top-seeded Lynnfield 3-2 at the duPont tennis courts at MIT on Saturday afternoon to win the Div. 4 boys team tennis state championship.

“It feels amazing,” said Manchester-Essex coach Robert Bilsbury about winning the third state title in program history. “What a great group of boys. These kids have been phenomenal all season long. The growth and mindset every day in practice and battling with each other, getting better. Throughout the season, I feel like we’ve gotten more and more locked in and focused.”

With three matches simultaneously playing a third set, it was either team’s match to win and Manchester-Essex (19-5) gave it its all to get back into the second and third single matches.

After Lynnfield (19-2) claimed first doubles as senior captain Russell Kasdon and senior Brendan Sokop claimed the team’s second point with a 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 7-5 win over juniors Jack Lawler and Finn Birkeland, the Hornets knew that second and third singles had to come out on top.

First, senior captain Jan Vytopil regrouped after dropping a second set to senior Shlok Kudrimoti to take the match 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2.

Then senior captain Charlie Virden rallied from losing the first set to take the final two sets and released his pent-up emotion on the final point to take it 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 over junior captain Shea McCarthy.

“I couldn’t do it without (my teammates),” Virden said about being the clinching point. “I’m just one point. We’ve been practicing all season in these conditions. We’ve been putting in the work. … This is the moment we wanted. We were ready for the pressure and we delivered.”

Lynnfield claimed the first point as senior captain Daniel Levin swept junior captain Jack Cummins 6-1, 6-1. Manchester-Essex’s second double tandem of senior captain Alexander Breuker and junior Charlie Langendorf flipped the script after being swept by the Pioneers in the regular season 5-0 loss by sweeping senior Kurt Rothermund and junior Matthew Reinold 6-2, 6-3.