By HockomockSports.com Staff

Across all of the sports in the Hockomock League, there hasn’t been a program as dominant as Sharon has been in boys’ tennis. The Eagles have won all but one Davenport division title (2017) and had at least a share of every Hock title prior to that going back to 1980. In the Kelley-Rex, five different programs have earned a banner since the split including Attleboro’s first-ever crown last year. Here’s our preview of the 2024 season.

For Sharon, senior Matthew Lally is a four-year starter while junior Jacob Slavsky enters his third year as a key piece in the lineup. Both have experience playing at first singles, giving Sharon two very strong options at the top of the lineup, and junior Alex Budovalcev is another three-year veteran to complete a very talented trio of singles players for Sharon. In doubles action, there are a lot more familiar faces with seniors Isaac Chen and Savir Basil plus juniors Sava Kassev and Joel Zwicker.

With all three of its singles starters back from the 2023 campaign, Mansfield is looking to challenge the Eagles at the top. The trio of junior Neema Khosravani, senior captain Nikhil Nain, and senior Iniyan Karruppusamy was the backbone for the Hornets last year, leading to a second-place finish in the division. Mansfield only dropped two league matches last year, both to the Eagles, including a tight 2-3 decision in the second meeting. With just two seniors gone from last year’s team, there are a lot of familiar faces in the lineup including the doubles team of senior captain Jake Weiner and junior Josh Weiner, who had a strong year together in 2023. Sophomores Justin Curtis and Kingston Carey are in the mix for time in the lineup as a doubles team while seniors Liam Lasbury-Casey and Justin Lim both worked very hard in the offseason and should also see considerable play. Senior Dhruv Jain and sophomore Dev Godara are also in the mix.

“The singles players should be able to build upon this success and help the Hornets to the postseason again,” said Mansfield head coach Gary Belastock. “With more maturity and consistency, our doubles teams should match well with most of the league.”

After losing only a single starter from last year, Foxboro has a strong lineup ready to contend in the Hock and make a push for another postseason berth. Junior Raj Jetty is a top returner and will compete for a top spot in the lineup while newcomer senior Niki Illia looks to be a promising addition to the Warriors. Junior Luca Meyer is fresh off a successful season playing doubles and is in contention for time in single action. Evan Paluzzi, Nate Urman, Nathan Cote, and Greg Simone will also be in the mix for Foxboro.

Canton has some movement in its lineup with sophomore Bharat Ramanathan moving up to the top spot in the lineup. As a freshman, Ramanathan notched 10 wins at second singles and is coming off a strong winter. Junior captain Justin Ngan has a lot of singles experience and will slide into the second spot; sophomores Eli Weaver, Matt Wright, and Alvis Huang are all contending to play at either third singles or first doubles. Tyler Benson, a junior, and Spencer Reich, a freshman, will be playing second doubles for the Bulldogs.

“We have a very young team, but they work hard and they’re excited about the season,” said Canton head coach Bill Donovan.

Fresh off their first-ever Hock title, Attleboro boasts a strong core back looking to repeat at the top of the Kelley-Rex division. Seniors Kyle Neuendorf and Tyler Rocchio are both back in the mix after competing at first and second singles, respectively last year. Senior Luke Hinton and junior Brady Rosen return as one of the best doubles teams in the league and senior Noam Cook has a lot of experience as well. Freshman Jackson Fazzina could be an instant contributor for the Bombardiers.

There is a lot of depth on the Franklin squad this year as they enter the season with expectations to contend for the division title. The Panthers finished second last year and now bring back one of the top singles players in the league in Jay Gorgas, who played at first singles last year and was named a Hockomock League All Star. Beyond Gorgas, first-year head coach Mike Bennett has 10 returning players including seven that saw varsity time in 2023. Ahan Shetty is a seasoned veteran in the Franklin lineup and is lining up to play second singles while juniors Vikram Chakrabhavi and Dan Reis are battling for time at the third spot. Senior Andrew Amante anchors doubles play, working with both junior Aaron Ramaswamy and freshman Adarsh Presanna. Senior Pritam Sompally, juniors Jai Kandula and Gabe Terry, and freshman AJ Trull are in the mix for doubles action.

King Philip head coach Matt Barker will also have a good amount of familiar faces returning to the lineup in 2024. Senior captain Leo Manning, junior Arjun Kollu, and sophomore standout Luke Bailer all have varsity experience and will be competing for spots in singles action. Sophomores Brent Schneider, Logan Riley, and Jaydon Ajoy along with juniors Henry Cron and Chimezie James are all competing to break into the lineup in doubles play for KP.

Both Taunton and Milford will be relatively young this year. Taunton first-year head coach Barrett Hodgson has just two players back from last year’s starting lineup. Senior captain Kenny Dias and sophomore Rowan Kimmer are both back and will play in singles action while a pair of seniors in Samuel Farrar and Matthew Klayman are set to be important pieces in doubles action. Hodgson said there is still a lot of competition for the remaining spots in the lineup.

“I am excited that we have a team who is eager to compete and play against some great opponents across the Hockomock League,” Hodgson said. “I am looking forward to seeing these student-athletes grow on and off of the court over the course of the season.”

The Scarlet Hawks will be leaning on mostly juniors and sophomores during the 2024 campaign. Junior Corey Rattray is coming off a very strong season battling against some of the top competition in the Hock and will be back at the top of the Milford lineup. Juniors Connor Wong, Sean Prevelige, and Todd Ostertog are all in competition to find time playing between second and third singles. Junior Luke Fabry and sophomores Harsh Mannava and Abhirup Mahanta are options for head coach Shawn Austin in doubles play. Sophomore Drew Cahill and junior Lokesh Addagiri have also impressed early on and could break into the lineup.