Brookline Faces Lexington for Eastern Mass Title

By Eliot Schickler

A showdown between the Brookline and Lexington boys tennis teams for the Division 1 Eastern Massachusetts tennis title is becoming an annual event.

Since 2018, the Brookline Warriors and Lexington High faced each other in the Eastern Mass finals, or the Division 1 State semifinals when a scholastic tennis season has taken place. Of course, everyone is aware that there was no season in 2020 because Covid-19 cancelled it.

In the two previous championship tilts, Brookline won 3-2 at Newton North High. The Warriors will host the Minutemen, the Division 1 North Champions Sunday, June 27 at Waldstein Park at 5 p.m. for the right to travel to Westboro High for a Tuesday (June 29) morning Division 1 State Championship match.

Although second-seeded Brookline, at 18-0, won the last two state titles, and third-seeded Lexington (15-0) are stronger squads, Central Division 1 champion Westboro (15-0) will host because it was a top-seed in its region. When teams are tied percentage-wise in each regional, the deadlock is broken by a coin flip.

“The guys are looking forward to play Lexington,” Warriors coach Mike Mowatt said. “Lexington has great doubles teams and we have great singles players. Playing [and beating] Wellesley [3-2 June 25 in the Division 1 South Sectional championship match] will prepare us for a highly competitive match between two great teams.”

Brookline enters the showdown with the Minutemen on a 61-match winning streak. The Warriors last came up short on May 1, 2018 in a 3-2 setback at Lexington in a regular season match. Since then, they won 61 straight matches. In addition to beating the Minuteman in the Eastern Mass finals in 2019, the Warriors beat them at home, 4-0, during the regular season that year (one of the matches wasn’t completed and Lexington was missing a few players).

Leading Brookline into its showdown with the Minutemen are junior Jayanth Devaiah at first singles, senior captain Sam Feldman at second singles and southpaw senior captain Noah Schwartz at third singles. The Warriors will be represented in doubles play by senior captain Vardaan Kharbanda, junior Anders St. Clair and freshmen Dhevin Nahata and Aarush Admala. It’s plausible that sophomore Jacob Kapusta could play at second doubles with St. Clair if one on the two freshmen isn’t there. Nahata is normally paired with Kharbanda at first doubles.

Anyone who is privy to Massachusetts high school tennis knows that whoever wins the showdown between Brookline and Lexington will win the state title – thus the Eastern Mass championship match is for the de facto state title. Whoever leaves Waldstein Park will be the prohibitive favorite against Westboro.

“I just hope to finish my high school career on the winning streak, and it’s my goal to win states,” Feldman said. “We’re all psyched for the match. It’s not the same Lexington team we played in the past, but they are still a very good team, and I’m looking forward to the clash.”

Schwartz said, “They have a great program and a strong program like we do. They lost players to graduation, but they usually reload with great players. I hope we can continue the trend of beating them.”

One difference with this showdown for the de facto state title is that the Warriors are hosting. Brookline battled the Minutemen at Newton North in their previous two showdowns.

“We’ve been used to trains going by and I hope we can use it to our advantage,” Schwartz said.

Feldman said, “Our courts is a better atmosphere for us. A lot of people came out to watch and support us [Friday June 25 against Wellesley in the South Sectional Championship]. Who knew we’d have such a good turnout.”

The Warriors are hoping that their friends and local tennis fans will cheer them on against a very formidable Lexington squad. Brookline knows it has to turn in its best performance in order to win and whoever wins at Waldstein, will have a much easier match at Westboro Tuesday morning.

“We have to stay focused and we’ve been preparing for this,” Schwartz said. “We have to stay loose and get ready. I hope my teammates will be prepared as well.”