MacArthur aces conference tests

MacArthur’s boys’ tennis team aced the regular season and now has eyes on a conference title.

The Generals completed a perfect 13-0 regular season with a 5-2 victory at Sewanhaka last Friday. Two days earlier, MacArthur clinched the Conference B-3 regular season championship with a dramatic 4-3 victory against Long Beach. The Generals will now be looking to keep the winning ways going in a quest for the Conference III title starting with semifinal playoff match Wednesday.

“We have a team where everybody works together to help each other win,” MacArthur coach Phil Machner said. “We have a deep team.”

MacArthur’s depth has included the ability to field four solid doubles teams who have made the difference in some close matches including the third doubles tandem of Antonio Abatte and Pepe Barsallo, who clinched the league title May 6 against Long Beach with a 7-6, 7-6 win. Brian Monaham and Eric Pappas have anchored the first doubles, with Justin Rouzier and Mike Gentile leading the second doubles matches. Stepping up in fourth doubles have been Dan Monahan and Jake Kaufman.

“We’ve been consistently winning all the big doubles matches,” said Machner, who is in his eighth year at the helm. “This has been my strongest doubles group ever.”

Phil Sclar, Chris Simonetti and Liam Schmidt lead the first, second and third singles, respectively. Sclar and Simonetti also serve as senior co-captains, and Machner has been impressed with how they have guided the younger players on and off the court. Both captains also excel in the classroom with Simonetti headed to Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. and Sclar going to nearby Adelphi.

“They have been role models for everyone,” Machner said of his two senior captains. “They pick up the team.”

Sclar and Simonetti were selected to compete as a doubles team during the Nassau County individual championships at Oceanside High School this past weekend and reached the second round. The seniors were part of a 2013 team that went 13-1 and captured the program’s first conference title since 1993. MacArthur then graduated seven of its 11 starters and, coupled with a move up two divisions, struggled to a 3-8 record last year.

“Last year was tough, but it made it us stronger for this year,” Machner said. “We lost three quarters of the team.”

Machner said his 2015 team is filled with so many quality players, that some who would normally start are on bench. He has, however, managed to get many reserves into doubles matches as a way of earning valuable experience. Some subs who have contributed to the team’s success include Steve Galli, Matt Appel Darren d’Hedouville, Dan Monahan, Austin Sibal, Alex Calderon, Tom Epp, John Deegan, Rav Dhilon and Robin Erdakos.

“Everybody plays hard in practice,” Machner said. “We have a deep team.”

MacArthur will host a Conference III semifinal match this Wednesday afternoon, after press time, against the winner of Monday’s meeting between Calhoun and Glen Cove. The championship match would then follow later in the week should MacArthur keeps its unbeaten streak going.