Published May 29, 2019

By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI

LYNNFIELD — In their final match of the regular season last Saturday afternoon, the Lynnfield High boys’ tennis team lost at Ipswich 3-2 as the Tigers were able to get a split of the season series. The first match was the official Cape Ann League match which the Pioneers won 3-2 as this one was a non-leaguer.

With that defeat, the Pioneers end the regular season at 13-3 overall.

Jamil Khodr lost 6-0, 6-0, at first singles while Mike Gentile won 6-2, 6-1, at second singles. David Kasdon lost 6-3, 6-0, at third singles.

In doubles action, David Gentile and Mike Maffeo won with matching 7-5 scores. The second team of Matt Gunning and Jason Stelman lost in three sets. They won the first set 6-4 but lost 6-3 in the second one. They then lost 7-6 (7-5 tiebreaker) in the final set as that match could have went either way.

JAMIL KHODR won his first singles match during Lynnfield’s 4-1 win over Div. 2 North Andover on May 22. (Dan Pawlowski File Photo)

“We are two even teams,” said Lynnfield head coach Joe Dunn. “What really hurt us is not having Harrison (Luba) at second singles.”

Luba, who is 15-0 at second singles this spring, was away for this match.

Conquer Scarlet Knights

On May 22, the Pioneers beat visiting North Andover, 4-1, on Senior Day at the Lynnfield Middle School.

“This was a great win,” stated Dunn, as the Scarlet Knights are a Division 2 team. “The kids stepped up against an opponent who is a division higher than we are.”

Khodr won with matching 6-3 scores at first singles. Luba, a freshman, won 6-0, 6-3, at second singles. Mike Gentile won 7-5, 6-3, at third singles.

David Gentile and Maffeo won 6-4, 6-2, at first doubles. Gunning and Nick Dow lost 6-1, 6-2, at second doubles.

On May 31, the Pioneers, who won the CAL Kinney division for the second year in a row as they went 8-1 in league play, will find out who they will take on in the first round of the Division 3 North state tournament that will start next week.

Last season, the Pioneers reached the Div. 3 North final before falling to Weston 3-2 to end the year at 17-1.