Waiting to hear on possible tournament berth

THE SENIORS on the 2018 WMHS boys’ tennis team have been excellent leaders for the Warriors on and off the court and were honored before the team’s final match at the Dobbins Courts on Monday. Pictured from left to right is Martin Timar, Domenic McArthur, Max South and Ryan McCormack.

Published in the May 24, 2018 edition.

By NOAH GREIF

WAKEFIELD — In what could have been their last match of the season, the Warrior boys’ tennis team showed no signs of fatigue.

On Monday, Wakefield faced off against one of the top teams in the Liberty division, Winchester, who won the Division 2 state title in 2016. However, the Warriors weren’t going down without a fight, with three out of the five matches going to a deciding third set. They were ultimately swept, but head coach Cheryl Connors was satisfied with the effort.

“It was awesome seeing us compete so well against a highly talented and deep Winchester team.”

At the top two singles, Noah Greif and Martin Timar were challenged by their opponents, but it ultimately brought out the best in them. Both matches saw heavy, consistent hitting, with Greif and Timar getting some rocketing winners past their opponents when they came to the net. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get enough momentum, with Greif losing 6-3, 6-4 to Owen Sullivan and Timar losing 6-2, 6-1 to Mark DeMichaelis.

Second doubles, first doubles and third singles all went three sets, with Wakefield winning the first set in each match. Johnny Stumpf lost to Nicholas Belivian, 6-4, 6-7, 0-1 (6-10), in a match where Stumpf forced Winchester to make the mistakes. But in the end, Stumpf’s opponent placed his shots well. At second doubles, Max South and Josh Cieniewicz were edged by Kam von Weissenberg and Benjamin Wilson, 6-3, 1-6, 5-7, in a competitive match that saw strategic lobs. Finally, Jack Palmer and Lucas Smith had a back and forth battle but ultimately lost to Dillon Harrington and Jackson Savage 7-5, 3-6, 2-6.

This may have been the last match for the team’s four graduating seniors. This fall, Max South will be attending UMass Lowell, Martin Timar will be studying in Germany, Ryan McCormack will be attending Le Moyne College and Domenic McArthur will be attending UMass Amherst. 

“All these boys have put in a lot of hard work this season, and I am very proud of them,” Connors remarked on the seniors. “It will be tough losing them.”

Overall, the Warriors put up a solid season, going 7-9. Their records are as follows:

Noah Greif: 6-10

Martin Timar: 6-9

Johnny Stumpf: 9-7

Jack Palmer: 5-9

Lucas Smith: 8-8

Max South: 6-8

Josh Cieniewicz: 7-7

Ryan McCormack: 3-2

Ian Schermerhorn: 1-1

Next year, Wakefield has four returning varsity players: Noah Greif, Johnny Stumpf, Jack Palmer, Lucas Smith, and Josh Cieniewicz. The Warriors will also have some new faces, with Ian Schermerhorn, who had some varsity experience this year, and Russell Harter.

There is a small chance that the Warriors will continue on to the state tournament if they come in second place in the Freedom Division. All of their regular season matches have been played and Wakefield is currently in a three-way tie with Burlington and Watertown. In head-to-head, Wakefield won more total matches against Watertown in their two meet ups this season with the Warriors beating the Raiders 4-1 in the first match but losing 2-3 in the second match. Against Burlington, Wakefield won 3-2 and lost 2-3, putting them in a dead heat. It is unknown how matches will further be analyzed to determine the second place team for the Freedom Division.

Either way, Wakefield had a great season and are hungry for additional success in 2019.