WILBRAHAM – It came down to third singles.
For a moment, it seemed like the No. 2 East Longmeadow boys tennis team might sweep their Western Massachusetts Class B finals against No. 4 Pope Francis since the Spartans claimed the opening first and second doubles matches.
The Cardinals said otherwise, though, as twin brothers Marcus (6-2, 6-4) and Oliver Tran (6-1, 6-2) won their respective first and second singles matches in straight sets to even the series at 2-2.
The championship outcome was now between Declan Dulchinos and John Sitnik in the third singles. It wasn’t an unfamiliar match for the duo, as Dulchinos emerged victorious during a regular-season game last week.
Despite the familiarity, nothing was easy during this final match. Sitnik returned from a 5-1 deficit in the third set to force an impressive super tiebreaker, in which the winner must reach seven points first and lead by two in case of another tie.
And that’s precisely what happened, as the tennis court lights shone on the family, friends, and teammates standing along the chain-linked fence waiting to see how the three-hour match might conclude.
Dulchinos then responded with an unreturnable backhanded wrist shot to the far right corner to ensure East Longmeadow defeated Pope Francis 3-2 on Wednesday night at Minnechaug High School.
“Not a lot was going through my mind during the final moments,” Dulchinos said. “I just wanted to continue getting one point after another. After competing against each other beforehand, we both knew how the other played.
“It was a good match, and I wasn’t expecting it to be that long. Overall, though, just grinding iot out helped me get over the hump. We both play at the same level, and Sitnik is a great player. It was an endurance match, and I wish them luck during the state tournament.”
Behind the third-singles win (6-7, 6-2, 7-6 [9-7], the Spartans improved to 11-6 and claimed their second consecutive sectional crown.
East Longmeadow started the competition in style, as the quadruple effort of Andrew Lonczak and Luke Lonczak defeated London Stinson and Jayden Hernandez by a final score of 6-0, 6-1 in the second doubles match.
Samuel Sares and Sean O’Neill followed their teammates’ lead with another straight-sets win over Blake Ondrick and Aiden Send at 6-1, 6-1 in first doubles to ensure the Spartans an opening 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
“This feels great, especially because we only need one singles win to come through to get the overall team win,” Sares said. “It’s different being in this class and not with the bigger teams like Longmeadow and Northampton in Class A.“
O’Neill was proud of their performance.
“I think we stayed steady and didn’t get mad over bad shots,” he said. “And then we were getting hyped on good shots. So I believe we played solid all around and focused on our opponent’s weak points.”
Since all three singles matches were still undecided, the Cardinals understood it wasn’t over. And even if East Longmeadow only needed one more win, Pope Francis (12-4) was going to make them earn it.
And to no one’s surprise, the Cardinals made sure the final result came down to the wire, as Marcus and Oliver Tran helped their team even the score after the fourth combined match.
“Despite the score, I reminded myself to only focus on my match,” Marcus Tran said. “And then make sure I do my part to help our team win. And then, if anyone else can help in their matches, we will see how far we can get from there.
“During the match (against Jack Serafini), I tried to be aggressive and force errors since I wasn’t trying to be too passive. Sometimes, I peek over my shoulder to see how my brother Oliver is doing. But other times, I try to keep that out of my head.”
In the end, those efforts weren’t enough.
East Longmeadow earned its second regional championship in school history, and the team will now focus on the upcoming Division III state tournament. The Spartans were ranked No. 19 in the latest MIAA Power Rankings.
“In the past, we haven’t made it that far,” Sares said. “So just to make it past one or two rounds would be great because it’s all about the little stuff at a time.
“Regardless, this sectional tournament is more meaningful to us.”
