SouthCoast boys tennis teams enjoyed success at the local and state level with Apponequet and Dartmouth winning their respective conference titles and Apponequet and Fairhaven reaching the Elite 8 round of their respective divisions.
For the Blue Devils, it was the furthest the team has made it in the playoffs in recent memory while the Lakers returned to the state quarterfinals for the second straight year.
Here’s a look at The Standard-Times’ top boys tennis players from the 2024 season.
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BOYS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
When it mattered the most, Will Horton was at his best.
“At the tail end of the season and going into the playoffs, he was playing the best tennis I’ve seen in a long time. He was locked in,” said Apponequet head coach Nate Eleuterio. “He was at the core of our success. His demeanor and his play; he’s got such a good attitude. He’s the center of motivation and positivity.”
Horton agreed, “I played my best tennis toward the end of the year. I feel like that’s important. When the games mean the most, you have to play your best tennis.”
In his second year in the No. 1 spot, Horton went undefeated during the dual meet season and added three more playoff wins to power the Lakers to the Div. 3 Elite 8 for the second year in a row.
“It was definitely a great year for the team,” said Horton, a two-time Standard-Times Boys Tennis Player of the Year. “We were undefeated up until our last game so we played great tennis this year. We all got along really well. We had great chemistry. It was a lot of fun to practice.”
Apponequet once again was a force in the South Coast Conference, winning its fourth straight conference title while wrapping up a perfect regular season that also included a pair of non-league wins over Dartmouth.
The South Coast Conference MVP went undefeated during the regular season (17-0) and postseason to earn his second Player of the Year Award and finish year with an overall record of 20-0. … He lost to Fairhaven’s Kole Pinto in the finals of the South Coast Conference Individual Tournament, but that did not count toward his overall record. Horton defeated Pinto in both regular season meetings.
Horton said his favorite match of the season was against Dighton-Rehoboth freshman Ty Perry in which he won on a third-set tiebreaker after saving two match points to win. “He lost the first set and had to come back,” said Eleuterio. “It was a battle.”
From sophomore year to junior year, Horton improved several aspects of his game through offseason training.
“He added more power and even more consistently,” Eleuterio said. “He worked a lot on his game and he improved in every category.”
Entering his senior year, Horton said he plans to focus on improving his serve.
“That’s something I could make a lot better in practice,” he said.
Horton also plays basketball at Apponequet. … Horton lives in Lakeville. He has a younger sister, Elise.
SUPER TEAM
Belmore was instrumental in Apponequet going undefeated during the regular season (17-0) and reaching the Div. 3 Elite 8 with his play at second singles. The two-time South Coast Conference All-Star, who filled in a couple of times at first singles, went undefeated until the last match of the tournament when he suffered his first loss against Martha’s Vineyard. He finished with an overall record of 19-1. “His motivation to win,” said Apponequet head coach Nate Eleuterio of what separated Belmore from others. “He’s a very win-hungry person. He’d change his game up to whatever was working against his opponent.” Belmore finished his career as a three-time Super Teamer.
In his second year of playing first singles, Bloom-Glover helped Dartmouth go undefeated in conference play and capture the Southeast Conference championship. Bloom-Glover, a two-time Super Teamer, was named the SEC MVP. He finished the year 11-6, including the state tournament. “Luke added a little bit of power, but he also got better, faster and smarter,” said Dartmouth head coach Donald York. “He’s unbelievably consistent. In the longer matches, he’d wear his opponents down.”
Pinto was once again dominant at first singles for Fairhaven, helping the Blue Devils reach the Div. 4 Elite 8 for the first time in recent memory. After going 15-3 during the regular season, Pinto won all three of his first singles matches in the playoffs for an overall record of 18-3. He also beat 2024 Player of the Year Will Horton in the finals of the South Coast Conference Individual tournament, but Horton won the two regular season meetings. A three-year player, Pinto is a two-time Super Teamer and 2022 Standard-Times Player of the Year. He’s also a three-time SCC All-Star. “He just wants to get better,” said Fairhaven head coach Mike Gomes. “He plays all year round. His confidence went through the roof after he beat Will.”
Clark and Abreau were a force at first singles as Apponequet won the South Coast Conference Blue Division championship, went 14-2 during the regular season and reached the Div. 3 Elite 8. Clark and Abreau finished with an overall record of 15-2 together and the pair were named South Coast Conference All-Stars. “He comes from a tennis background,” said Apponequet head coach Nate Eleuterio of Clark. “He’s been playing for a while. His strength is his serve and knowledge of the game. He never gets rattled.” On Abreau, Eleuterio said, “He’s fairly new to tennis, but he’s athletic and intense. He’s very into the game. He gets into it a lot. His desire. They’re complete opposites, but they worked well together.”
Playing together for the second year, Camisa and Nielson went undefeated at first doubles with a record of 4-0 as Dartmouth won the Southeast Conference championship. The pair were named SEC All-Stars for the second straight year. Nielson, the school’s valedictorian, went 5-3 at second singles while Camisa went 10-4 overall at doubles. “Owen has a big serve; he’s tall and long,” said Dartmouth head coach Donald York. “Charlie is just a speedster and has amazing reflexes. The two of them together were really tough because they were different players.”
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ALL-STAR TEAM
Le Gassick provided a steady presence at singles, playing most of his matches at the No. 2 spot. He did fill in occasionally at first singles and faced Apponequet and Dighton-Rehoboth’s top players. “He had a strong record,” said Old Rochester Filipe Miguel. “He beat almost all of the No. 2s in the conference. He also had a good win over the No. 2 at Dartmouth.” le Gassick was named a South Coast Conference All-Star.
Rathod, a two-time Southeast Conference All-Star, contributed to Dartmouth’s conference championship with his performance at second singles and doubles. He went 7-2 at the No. 2 spot and won a match at doubles. “He had a composed attitude; he didn’t get angry,” said Dartmouth head coach Donald York. “He was steady emotionally.”
Playing mostly second singles, Yin had a hand in Fairhaven making a deep run to the Div. 4 Elite 8. The South Coast Conference All-Star went 14-4 in the regular season and 2-1 in the playoffs for an overall record of 16-5. “He played mostly third singles the previous season so he’s been in the singles mix for three years,” said Fairhaven head coach Mike Gomes of the four-year letterman. “He’s got a big forehand and he’s got a pretty good serve. He’s got a good all-around game.”
In their second year playing together, the senior duo had just three losses with one coming in the playoffs. They also reached the finals of the South Coast Conference Doubles Tournament, but lost to Apponequet. “They came on really strong,” said Fairhaven head coach Mike Gomes. “They’re very different. Chris has a really good serve. That’s his best shot. He’s also got a good forehand. Noah is a very good athlete. He did a good job of taking short balls and coming into the net.” Hu went 15-4 at first doubles and 1-0 at singles while Pacheco was 14-5 at first doubles and 1-0 at singles.
When they played together, Wei and Harrington were a strong pairing for Dartmouth at second doubles. As the team’s most improved player, Wei was named a Southeast Conference All-Star. “He’s super steady,” said Dartmouth head coach Donald York. Harrington, who also saw action at singles, going 5-2, was 6-0 at doubles play. “He grew so much,” York said. The big win of the season for Harrington and Wei came against Apponequet.
HONORABLE MENTION
Judson Cardinali, Apponequet, Junior; Tommy Clavell, Bishop Stang, Junior; Nicholas Hutchens, Bishop Stang, Senior; Brian Ward, Bishop Stang, Senior; Noah Yetman, Bishop Stang, Senior; Isaiah Beckwith, Dartmouth, Senior; Alex Hu, Fairhaven, Sophomore; Hugo Jacob-Reig, New Bedford, Sophomore; Chase Besancson, Old Rochester, Senior; Jacob Hadley, Old Rochester, Senior; Ethan Miguel, Old Rochester, Sophomore; Brett Brophy, Wareham, Freshman; Ajani Bunting, Wareham, Sophomore.
