‘We have to act like the underdog, even if we aren't': St. John's Prep boys' tennis understands the assignment

Boston Globe

14-04-2025

For an encore, the Eagles are poised for even more dominance.
St. John's Prep is the favorite to repeat as Division 1 champion, returning its top five players from last year and adding one of the state's top talents in junior
Rudr Malayya
, who transferred from fellow Division 1 power Lexington.
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The Eagles are off to a roaring 4-0 start, highlighted by 5-0 victories over Brookline and BC High — both reigning Division 1 quarterfinalists — and a 4-1 triumph over Concord-Carlisle, last year's Division 1 runner-up.
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'We're the team everybody wants to go get. Now we're the favorite. And we've never been that before,' said senior captain
Jack Prokopis
, who plays at second singles. 'But we know we can't get complacent. We have to act like the underdog, even if we aren't.'
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The Eagles already were thrown a major hurdle during the first week of spring practice, when senior
John DeAngelis
— last year's starter at first singles — suffered a back injury. Though DeAngelis could return late in the season, the weight of his absence is eased by Malayya's arrival.
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Malayya is the
Even with the Eagles' lineup at full strength, Malayya was expected to compete with DeAngelis for the top singles position. Once DeAngelis went down, Malayya at No. 1 became a no-brainer.
'He's just a great all-around player with no holes in his game. He's really fun to watch too,' Metropolis said. 'He has most of the shots, and he's really smart on the court . . . It's just hard to find a way to beat him.'
St. John's Prep returns its top five players from last year's Division 1 state champions, who beat Concord-Carlisle in the final.
Greg Levinsky
Malayya has fit into the Eagles' tight-knit group, having known most of his new teammates since seventh grade, when they trained together at the MAC By the Sea Tennis Club in Manchester.
Since Malayya did not play last season, he was immediately eligible upon transferring to St. John's Prep. MIAA rules require transfer students who did not move residences to sit out one varsity season, but the sit-out period can occur before or after the transfer commences.
'When I told them the decision that I was going to go there, they were all really excited,' Malayya said.
With Malayya serving as a direct replacement for DeAngelis at first singles, the Eagles' lineup closely mirrors last year: Prokopis and junior
Luke Free
slot in at second and third singles, respectively, and
Luke
, and junior
Boris Kouzminov
are the state's best first doubles unit. The only other changes have come at second doubles, with a new pairing of juniors
James de Buy Wenniger
and
Wade Evitts
.
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The Eagles' dominance in the MIAA ranks has led Metropolis to seek out additional competition, and scrimmages are on the schedule against NEPSAC foes Roxbury Latin, Phillips Andover, and Phillips Exeter.
'It's fun for us to play high-level tennis against competition like that,' said Luke Prokopis. 'Just trying to bring our games to the next level against those types of guys. It gives us just another thing to build for.'
For Metropolis, embracing those smaller challenges and keeping the team focused are critical for building repeat champions — just as his program has done for more than three decades.
'This team and last year's team definitely rank up there,' he said. 'There was just the one team back in the '90s that was just as potent. But, like always, the most important thing is the group, and these are great kids. And that's what you need for [sustained] success.'
Senior Jack Prokopis is hoping to lead St. John's Prep back atop the state for his second state crown in as many years.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Extra serves
▪ The Winchester girls' program has reached the Division 1 quarterfinals each of the past two seasons, but has fallen, 3-2, both times.
The Red & Black graduated four starters from last year, but the program's calling card is its depth — and this year's squad is among the deepest in coach
Greg Lowder's
eight-season tenure.
Daryana Skobeleva
and
Andrea Bilic
hold the top two singles spots, with
Sophie Kim
slotting in behind them. To begin the season, the doubles pairings feature
Mia Lock
and
Esha Bhalla
at first doubles, and cousins
Avery Machemer
and
Cate Sheehan
at second doubles.
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'I feel like this is the strongest team, top to bottom, that I've had,' said Lowder. 'We have a lot of depth, especially on the doubles side. On any given day, any of our doubles combinations could be our top doubles team.'
Winchester has rolled to a 4-0 start without dropping a match, and will face its toughest test Wednesday against Lexington — the class of the Middlesex league the past three seasons.
▪ At just 23 years old, newly hired Xaverian coach
Matthew Malley
is among the state's youngest head coaches in any sport.
Malley played for the Hawks and graduated in 2020. He's on a year-long Xaverian fellowship after graduating from Boston College, and was an assistant coach for Xaverian's basketball team this winter.
I'm honored to share that I have been named the new Head Varsity Tennis Coach at Xaverian. Very excited for the opportunity to lead the program I once played for. Let's build a championship culture. Go Hawks!
— Matthew Malley (@mattmals5)
Though the Hawks have started 0-3 against a challenging schedule, the transition has been eased with six returners, led by junior
Cam Peterson
, who has started at first singles since his freshman year.
'My senior season didn't happen [due to COVID-19]. This is cool to have the ability to finish something that I hadn't finished as a student, and to be able to come back and now lead the program,' Malley said. 'I plan to be the tennis coach for a long time and continue to build on what this program has done.'
Matty Wasserman can be reached at