Cape Cod and Islands high school boys tennis rankings: A new team takes the top spot

The MIAA state tournament starts this week, and nine of the 13 Cape and Islands boys tennis teams will be in action.

Martha's Vineyard (5th) in Division 3 and Sturgis (8th) in Division 4 lead the way in the brackets with top 10 seedings.

These rankings will feature all nine playoff teams, with a top five and four honorable mentions.

Here are the second boys tennis rankings of the season.

*Records, as of May 26, and previous rankings in parenthesis.

1. Martha's Vineyard (12-4, 2)

There is a new number one team on this ranking − the Vineyarders. They are the highest-seeded team for good reason. They have four losses, but they have only dropped matches to two teams in Sharon twice (2nd , Div. 2), and Apponequet twice (4th, Div. 3). The Vineyarders are unbeaten against every Cape and Islands opponent they have faced this season as they beat Monomoy twice, Nauset twice, Nantucket twice, Barnstable twice, and Falmouth twice. Martha's Vineyard has been dominant in its wins with eight sweeps, and four wins by 4-1.

Zak Potter (first singles) and Caleb Dubin (second singles) have been the leaders for the Vineyarders, while Kert Kleeman (third singles), Otis Forrester, Tommy Flynn, Kyle Levy, Henry Wansiewicz and Roger Schilling have also contributed at the doubles positions. Martha's Vineyard has made it to the Final Four the last two seasons and will look to make that trip to the state finals this season.

2. Sturgis (9-1, NR)

Sturgis and Martha's Vineyard are the two top teams in the playoffs, and also on this rankings list. Sturgis has only dropped one match this season to Cape Cod Academy (3-2), but returned the favor with a 3-1 win over the Seahawks on the road. Sturgis is currently on a five-match win streak entering the playoffs. They are the only team on Cape that has won at least two of the five sets in every single match. They beat Mashpee twice and Nantucket twice, two playoff Cape teams.

Ray Zhang, Ben Bass and George Foster have held it down at the singles spots, while Colby Hall, Francisco Garcia Raya, Robert Muhov and Thomas Nutbrown have been solid at doubles. Sturgis' playoff run ended in the Round of 16 the last two seasons, but they will attempt to break that trend this season.

3. Cape Cod Academy (12-2, 1)

The former number one team on this rankings list has dropped a couple of spots, but they are still one of the best teams on the Cape and Islands. The Seahawks were riding a 12-match win streak before the team above them beat them in the regular season finale 3-1. Their only other loss came at the hands of Monomoy in the season opener, so they opened the season with a loss and ended with a loss. In between the first and last game, they were on fire with wins over Falmouth twice, Monomoy, Nantucket twice, and Sturgis.

Ben Catalano, Ayden Naydenov, and Declan Livingston are the singles competitors, while Connor Hall, Garret Wilson, Cooper Hall, and Henry Daigle have been solid at doubles. The Seahawks made it to the Round of 8 the last two seasons but fell to back-to-back state champions Wayland both times. Wayland is now in Division 2, so the 18th seeded Seahawks' chances of going further this season are higher.

4. Barnstable (14-5, 3)

The Red Hawks are the lone Cape and Islands team representing Division 1, as the 28th seed. Barnstable has been playing their best tennis of the season. They won five straight, their longest win streak of the season, before they dropped their last match of the regular season to Nantucket. They also beat Nantucket earlier in the season, as well as Falmouth twice, Monomoy twice and Nauset. The losses have been to some tough competition as they fell to Nauset, Martha's Vineyard twice, and Cohasset (9th, Div. 4).

Brennan Reilly, Harry Baroni, and Eric Arabadzhiev are the singles competitors, while Mike Higginbotham, Connor O'Reilly, Thomas Berger and Andy Coombs have played well at doubles for Barnstable. The Red Hawks will seek their first playoff win since 2019.

5. Monomoy (12-6, 4)

The Sharks were a top 10 seed last season (7th) and in the 2022 season (5th), but this year they will be just outside the top 10 with the 13th seed. Monomoy lost in the Round of 16 last season, and the Elite Eight the season before. They have some quality wins over good Cape and Islands playoff teams as they have defeated Cape Cod Academy, Falmouth twice, Nauset twice and Nantucket. The losses are not as bad, as they have fallen to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard twice, Cape Cod Academy, and Barnstable twice. Ryan Casey, Gavin McDonnell, and Roman Pavluchenko have been solid at singles, while Ethan Seufert, Paul Carlson, Liam Jordan, and Blake Noonan have led the Sharks at doubles.

Honorable Mention

Nauset (11-5, 5)

The Warriors only have wins over two playoff teams this season in Falmouth (twice) and Barnstable. On the flip side, they have only lost to three teams over 16 matches in Martha's Vineyard (twice), Monomoy (twice), and Barnstable. They will enter the postseason as the 22nd seed in Div. 3.

Nantucket (7-9)

The Whalers have two good wins over Monomoy and Plymouth South (18th, Div. 2). They also have an argument for one of the toughest schedules on the Cape and Islands as all nine losses have been to teams in the playoffs. They have losses to Cape Cod Academy (twice), Martha's Vineyard (twice), Sturgis (twice), Barnstable, Monomoy, and Plymouth South. Nantucket will enter the playoffs as the 18th seed in Div. 4.

Mashpee (10-6)

The Falcons have no wins over playoff teams this season, but they are beating the opponents that are put in front of them. After a 4-4 start, they finished the regular season 6-2. Five of the losses came at the hands of postseason competitions in Sturgis (twice), Cohasset (twice), and Norwell (34th, Div. 3).

Falmouth (8-10)

Like Mashpee, the Clippers have not defeated any playoff teams this season, but their schedule was not exactly the easiest. They dropped matches to Nauset (twice), Cape Cod Academy (twice), Barnstable (twice), Martha's Vineyard (twice), and Monomoy. They will be the 31st seed in Div. 3, but will play host in their preliminary round matchup.

Contact Courtney Jacobs at cjacobs@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @CJ_Journalist.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape and Islands H.S. boys tennis rankings. Which teams made the list?