A wrench was thrown into the Eagles’ plans before they could even unveil them.
The top-ranked 16-year-old in New England and the reigning Catholic Conference MVP were both prepared to take the courts donning navy and white. In the eyes of coach Mark Metropolis, the team was going to be “unbelievable” with them at the helm.
But that reality never materialized. The latter of the two suffered an offseason injury, and has yet to compete in 2025.
The Eagles dominated anyways.
Courtesy of a second-consecutive 17-0 regular season, St. John’s Prep boys tennis again earned the No. 1 seed for the MIAA Division I state tournament, set to commence this week. The defending state champions ride a 39-match winning streak into the postseason.
“They want to win back-to-back, and that’s enough incentive to get them to come out and play really hard,” Metropolis said. “They want to say that this was the greatest team that I coached.”
He’s already stewarded a slew of the state’s finest. Before last year’s crown, the longtime coach guided the program to titles in 1994 and 1995, as well as 2000 and 2001.
Another pair is within view, and on this latest journey to complete the feat, Rudr Malayya has steered the ship.
Rudr Malayya pumps his fist after winning a point at first singles.Jack Nelson
The junior transferred in from Lexington as the then-No. 1 player in New England for Boys 16 & Under, per the USTA. St. John’s Prep, meanwhile, had a void to fill at first singles after junior John DeAngelis was ruled out for the foreseeable future with a back injury.
Malayya has delivered perfection in his place, posting a 12-0 record without dropping a set.
“He has a real good head for the game. He can figure things out on the court and then do what he’s supposed to do,” Metropolis said. “He knows the right shots and he knows the wrong shots.”
But the core of these back-to-back hopefuls was built before the four-star recruit’s arrival.
Seniors Jack and Luke Prokopis are crucial cogs. The two Holy Cross commits have operated at second singles and first doubles, respectively, assembling a combined record of 24-2 this campaign.
Their penchant for winning dates back further. Across their high school careers, Jack Prokopis is 67-10, while Luke Prokopis is 67-7.
The twin brothers – hailing from Lynnfield – have worked for years to put the Eagles on the cusp of consecutive championships.
Last year’s fire still burns.
“It’s easy to get complacent once you feel like you’ve achieved what you want to achieve,” said Luke Prokopis. “But we remember what it felt like to win last year and just stay hungry for that feeling.”
Luke Prokopis begins his serving motion at first doubles.Jack Nelson
Neither of them, though, are St. John’s Prep’s most triumphant contributor in 2025. Senior Luke Free lays claim to that distinction with a 15-0 mark largely earned at third singles, and by taking 29 of 31 total sets played.
It’s a murderer’s row of singles players, standing at a shared 32-1 in their primary positions this season. Any prospective opponent will have to defeat at least one of them to have a shot at toppling the team as a whole.
Though the Eagles have regularly trampled their competition – securing 12 sweeps this regular season – challenges did come.
Without Malayya against now-No. 4 seed Newton North on May 1, the group was pushed to a 3-2 outcome, needing a three-set win from Free to remain unbeaten. Then it posted the same score against now-No. 6 seed Lexington five days later with Malayya in the fold.
In all, Metropolis and Co. own regular-season wins over all other top-seven teams in their bracket except for No. 2 seed Acton-Boxborough.
They’ve passed every test.
“There’s just a lot of good teams competing, and we know that,” said Luke Prokopis. “We have to keep our guard up and not get too comfortable.”
All their success has been accomplished in the absence of DeAngelis. Facing a loss that many wouldn’t be able to manage, the Eagles still haven’t faltered.
Their lineup is laden with the champions of last year. They’re different at the top, but thus far, they’ve proven to be no more beatable.
