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07/12/2021 12:00 AMThe Westbrook boys’ tennis team put together an outstanding season in 2021. The Knights tallied the most team wins in the entire state with a 21-1 record on the year. Head Coach Dan Shapiro’s squad reached the Class S State Tournament finals to face Granby, but ultimately took a narrow 4-3 defeat for the team’s only loss on the year.
Westbrook went undefeated on the regular season for the second time in five years, and one of those years was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. During those four years, the Knights’ entire roster had been turned over with no players from the 2017 iteration of the squad present on the 2021 team. Coach Shapiro saw some similarities between those two squads, even though the 2021 edition had far less tennis experience coming into the year.
“Our system is always the same. Skill development, match strategy, and mental toughness were the same for both teams. Both teams were committed to all three. They accepted criticism and had authentic communication. When you have that between players and coaches, I think kids flourish. They see through communication that’s not real, instantly,” said Coach Shapiro. “There’s no need to berate a kid, but if a kid’s energy isn’t good, their strategy is off, or if they aren’t showing mental toughness, I let them know.”
The Knights losing their only match of the season in the state final was difficult, but Coach Shapiro thought his squad handled the defeat with aplomb. Regardless of the result, Westbrook left everything they had on the courts.
“You always want a fair fight against another small public school, and even though Granby is bigger with three times as many kids, they are still a public school in Class S. They just played better than us that day,” Shapiro said. “Our kids fought as hard as they could. No one gave up. We just came up one match short. If you’re going to lose, that’s how you want to lose. When it’s a fair fight, you play well, and you gave your absolute best shot. I could look every kid in the eye and know that they gave everything they had.”
Westbrook’s team mentality developed in large part as a reflection of senior captain No. 1 singles player Jesse McGannon’s demeanor. McGannon earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors and posted an overall record of 17-7 on the year.
“Jesse was one of the few captains in all my years coaching that I thought really made a huge difference as a captain. Although he’s not the most vocal guy, his work ethic set a standard for all the other kids on the team. That’s what really separated him,” Shapiro said. “He supported everyone on the team. He was as attentive to the players that just joined the team as he was to the veterans. That made a difference for the spirit of the team, and that was crucial to the team’s success.”
At the No. 2 singles spot, was junior Joey Caslin, who turned in a 23-1 overall record and earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors as well. Coach Shapiro was impressed with Caslin’s undefeated regular season, and his stellar showing in the postseason.
“Joey played as a freshman, had a good freshman year, and missed that whole year and he didn’t play much in the offseason. A few times, he won matches where he lost the first set, and that’s hard to do. He has a powerful forehand, and he had an incredible will to win. I think those were his biggest strengths. His match strategy is improving, but that’s something that comes with experience,” said Shapiro. “He was undefeated in the regular season. He won against Valley three times, East Hampton twice, and he won against Old Lyme. They all have excellent players, and he beat a strong, talented player from Granby in the final.”
At the No. 3 position was senior Cooper Whitehouse, who triumphed in the Shoreline Conference Tournament No. 3-4-5 Bracket. Whitehouse tallied a 25-1 overall record and earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors. Coach Shapiro admired Whitehouse’s desire to be a great player.
“Two years ago, Cooper lost a little confidence in his game. I think he came back this season with a new emphasis on his skill, and he worked really hard at it,” Shapiro said. “He’s always been mentally strong and always had that will to win. What really made a difference was regaining his confidence. The only way to do that is hit hundreds of tennis balls, and he was committed to doing that in practice.”
At the No. 4 singles spot was freshman Elliot Koplas, who posted an overall record of 24-1 and earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors. Koplas actually ended up facing Cooper Whitehouse in the No. 3-4-5 Bracket, and was runner-up in Shorelines. Coach Shapiro couldn’t have asked for any more out of Koplas, especially as a freshman.
“Elliot had one of the most remarkable freshman seasons ever. His skills improved all year long. He loved being on the team,” said Shapiro. “He was determined, and he beat a lot of good players at No. 4. He didn’t lose a single match against a No. 4, the only match he lost was to Cooper in the 3-4-5 singles bracket.”
Senior Daniel Ruppenicker manned the No. 5 singles position and made serious headway on his game this year. Ruppenicker turned in a 19-5 overall record, which was an excellent mark in and of itself but proven even more impressive knowing this was the senior’s first season on the court. When it was time for states, Ruppenicker teamed up with sophomore Erik DeSousa as a third doubles’ pairing.
“Daniel was very excited to play as a junior, but we lost the season to COVID. He worked so hard to get to where he was. He was often too hard on himself at practice. This was his first year in varsity. He didn’t play sophomore year, and I wanted him to put in perspective how well he was doing,” Shapiro said. “Most conferences play four singles and three doubles, so he and Erik DeSousa were able to get a few wins in the tournament. Erik had limited varsity time. We talked about it the pairing weeks in advance. We tried to separate mentally the regular season, the Shoreline tournament, and then the state tournament.”
At No. 1 doubles were junior Mason Malchiodi and senior Gareth Whitehouse. The pair went 15-4 after they were matched together. They also earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors for reaching the finals of the Shoreline Conference Doubles Tournament. Coach Shapiro thought the two players complemented each other very well.
“Gareth started at second doubles, but I had to move him to first after five or six matches. Gareth was just playing so strong, it was the right thing to do. Gareth played varsity doubles as a freshman. Mason, had some doubles experience, and he increased his mental toughness in a big way,” said Shapiro. “I think that Gareth’s strengths really complemented Mason’s. They jelled instantly. Gareth’s net play is dominant and Mason’s ground strokes and serve returns are important to their success. Gareth also worked on his approach shot and his ability to get to net and win points.”
Junior Jonah Freund and sophomore Ryan Engels held the No. 2 doubles position and posted an overall record of 16-2 on the year. Coach Shapiro lauded Freund’s team-first attitude after switching places with Gareth Whitehouse. The adjustment made Westbrook one of the strongest teams in the state, and Shoreline Champions. Both earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors for their performance in the conference doubles tourney.
“Jonah put the team first. For someone 16 years old to do that so willingly is a tribute to his maturity. Shoreline Semifinals as No. 2 doubles. The fact that they just went out there and won every match was great,” Shapiro said. “Ryan didn’t even own a racquet, but he became an excellent player. Jonah’s game improved all year long. They always supported each other even when things weren’t going well. They never got down on each other.”
Coach Shapiro hopes the Knights will always look back on this spectacular season whenever they need some encouragement. Westbrook bids a fond farewell to a handful of seniors, but Coach Shapiro hopes that the team’s success this year helps bring in others who are willing to work to win.
“Everyone on the team knew they had something special in terms of friendship, authenticity, and hard work. I hope they find this a big help in other aspects of their life,” said Shapiro. “I think our depth might be a problem next season. We have to find some new kids with only 100 boys in the school. Word of mouth spreads, though. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of this team. I’m hoping we can find some kids willing to work hard. If we do, then we’ll see what happens.”