Now it’s getting good.
The first round is over for the boys tennis sectional team tournaments and the quarterfinals are upon us. A couple already played late last week a bit early, but the vast majority will take place on Tuesday.
BRACKETS
Here are the matches to keep an eye out for, one in each section. Stay tuned for NJ Advance Media’s picks for each match on Monday night.
NON-PUBLIC, NORTH
6-Montclair Kimberley at 3-Delbarton, 3:15
This matchup features two of the highest rated teams on UTR, and they have the privileges of playing each other in the state tournament quarterfinals. Delbarton has a Power 6 UTR of 44.23 while Montclair Kimberley, though seeded lower, is tad higher at 45.93. MKA has used a couple different lineup combinations, but either way, Delbarton has the clear edge at first singles in James Lian. He is the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming state singles tournament. In its first round win over 11-Oratory, MKA swept all three singles spots without giving up a game from Chris Hernandez, Sean Wang, and Luis Crespo. MKA’s doubles tandems are good, too, as are Delbarton’s, which is ranked 9-14 in the state doubles tournament (Anthony Reale/Arjn Bobba). One key note is the questionable status of Lian, who had to retire from his Morris County Tournament final match last weekend. He did not play in Delbarton’s first round win over Pope John. Hudson Bonetti, Jack Gibbons, and Jack Wells played at singles.
NON-PUBLIC, SOUTH
5-Rutgers Prep at 4-Princeton Day, 4
Fourth-seeded Princeton Day (37.65 UTR) and fifth-seeded Rutgers Prep (36.35) is an on paper evenly matched postseason match. Princeton Day edged Rutgers Prep back on April 10. Rutgers Prep had taken the previous three meetings by 3-2 scores as well dating back to 2021. First singles features a matchup between Heyang Li and Tanay Patil. Li is a No. 3-4 seed in the upcoming state singles tournament. Patil isn’t seeded, but still is a good player in his own right and very well could have been seeded. Second singles Joshua Chu should match up against Jonah Aliwalas. PDS won at 1S and 2S early last month. PDS also won at first doubles. The first set was 7-5. Third singles was won by RP in three sets. Both teams played Pingry tough this season and took their opponents to three sets. PDS won the Prep B title. Rutgers Prep advanced by late forfeit (Paul VI) while PDS beat 13-Moorestown Friends, 5-0.
SOUTH, GROUP 4
7-Vineland at 2-Lenape, 4
Lenape took down 15-Egg Harbor, 5-0, while Vineland had to squeak past 10-Millville, 3-2, to start their postseason run. It has been a few years since Lenape and Vineland met on the courts. Lenape won the previous two battles in 2018 and 204 while Vineland won in 2013. They were all in the South, Group 4 tournament. Milan Karajovic lead the way for Lenape. He is one of the top players in South Jersey and already won the BC Open back in April. Lenape has a very good UTR score as well (32.53) and might be too goo top to bottom for Vineland to handle. However, the Fighting Clan will do just that, fight, like it has all year. Vineland has won 15 matches in a row since losing three-straight including twice at the Stockton Invitational near the end of April. The Clan won the CAL-National division this spring. One thing to note, Karajovic did not play against Egg Harbor last Thursday.
SOUTH, GROUP 3
11-Cherry Hill West at 3-Toms River East, 2
Cherry Hill West upset 6-Lacey, 3-2, in the opening round on Thursday. Now it will be looking to do the same thing against Toms River East, and it isn’t out of the question. CHW already took down a team with a higher team-wide UTR in Lacey. Against Lacey, Christian Pacella gave CHW the win with a three-set comeback win at second singles. Victor Hernandez Sosa and Bryan Reese also came up clutch with a three-set win at first doubles, too. TRE had a bye, but it beat Lacey, 4-1, on April 20 While nobody on the current teams played in the match, CHW defeated TRE the last time they met, 3-2, back in 2019. The bracket was put together based on power points, but TRE could have been jumped by teams such as Moorestown. The match for all intents of purposes could feel more like a 4-5, 8-9, or 6-11 kind of seeded dual.
SOUTH, GROUP 2
5-Delsea at 4-West Deptford, 2
Based on UTR, you can’t get much closer than 12.06 for Delsea an 11.84 for West Deptford. Both Delsea and West Deptford had byes in the opening round. The home Eagles defeated Delsea, 4-1, in last season’s SJG2 quarterfinals and 5-0 earlier in the year. Almost the entire lineup is back for Delsea, and they remember how they felt after losing last spring. Some players are back for West Deptford, too, but playing at different spots. The experience for Delsea in relatively the same positions and have that extra motivation could be enough to put it over the top. Delsea at 15-7 and West Deptford at 17-6 have each done a lot of winning this season. This one will most likely be a 3-2 finish. Andrew McWilliams, TJ Natalie and Eli Croce for Delsea and Nate Bassett, Andrew Eagle, and Carter Watson for WD all have similar UTR scores at singles.
SOUTH, GROUP 1
10-Palmyra at Middle Township, 2
Palmyra is already playing above its seed as it beat 7-Woodstown, 4-1, in the first round. Middle Township had a bye. The two teams have no recent history against each other over the last decade. Palmyra though has won four of its last five matches and is 10-5 on the season. Its only recent loss came to Northern Burlington which is also playing in in the quarterfinals of a different section. Middle Township has had a tough slate to end the regular season against teams like Haddonfield and Ocean City. Middle Township also seems to find itself making a deep run in the playoffs, and even with different players in an out all the years, it doesn’t seem to matter. Middle (18.50 UTR)is ranked in the latest Group 1 statewide rankings. Palmyra’s UTR is 12.77.
BRACKETS
CENTRAL, GROUP 4
5-Hillsborough at 4-Edison, 11
If you’re just looking at records, one would think Edison has the clear advantage at 18-3 overall and a GMC-White championship with a 14-0 mark. Meanwhile, Hillsborough is just 10-7 and it went 6-4 in the Skyland-Delaware. Edison has had a great season as it has taken down St. Joseph Metuchen, Wardlaw-Hartridge, Iselin Kennedy, Franklin, Metuchen, and Old Bridge, but it doesn’t compare to Hillsborough which has beaten Bridgewater-Raritan, Rutgers Prep, Montgomery, Watchung Hills, Northern Burlington, and West Windsor-Plainsboro North. The Raiders also fared better against South Brunswick (4-1) a top-ranked team that Edison lost, 5-0, winning just a few games per individual match. Hillsborough is battle tested having played those aforementioned teams in addition to Ridge and Pingry. Edison is certainly capable of challenging Hillsborough, the the road team in this one is too deep with Sidd Arudi, Arul Gupta, and Rithvik Akella at singles along with its two doubles pairs.
CENTRAL, GROUP 3
8-Hightstown at 1-Middletown South, 3:45
Hightstown is better than a No. 8 seed. Let’s just get that out of the way. The Rams are 12-6 on the season. It beat 9-Colts Neck, 5-0, in the first round. Before that, it recently played tough matches that went down to the wire against Wet Windsor-Plainsboro North and Robbinsville. Middletown South might be a bit overseeded especially with other teams like Princeton, WWPS, and WWPN in the same bracket. It split two matches with 3-Freehold Borough. Princeton and WWPS are each ranked in the Top 20 while WWPN was earlier in April as well. Middletown South’s claim to fame this year was knocking-off Marlboro, 3-2. That stands as Marlboro’s lone defeat this year. Marlboro was not at full strength that day which played a major role in South’s win. Hightstown has the higher UTR at 34.04. Midd. South’s UTR is 25.27. It shouldn’t be a blowout by any means, but it wouldn’t be a shocker if Hightstown wins either.
CENTRAL, GROUP 2
7-Hopewell Valley at 2-Holmdel, 3
Holmdel and Hopewell Valley have met a couple times over the years in the state tournament with Hopewell’s winning the last matchup in 2021, 4-1. Holmdel won 3-2 in 2018 and 4.5-0.5 in 2011. Holmdel had a bye to start off the tournament, though it is coming off of a big victory over Rumson-Fair Haven which is the No. 1 seed in this section. Hopewell downed 10-Wall, 5-0, and will be looking for another semis appearance. Hopewell is led by Bradley Deeds are first singles, and in Group 2, he’s almost an automatic point. Holmdel counters with a talented lineup itself with Alan Sun and Brandon Hu at first and second singles. Vatsal Jain has third singles and first doubles.
CENTRAL, GROUP 1
10-Highland Park at 2-Woodbridge Magnet, 4
Woodbridge Magnet had a bye, but Highland Park is coming off of a 4-1 win over 7-Roselle Park. The Owls have the momentum and they’ve defeated Woodbridge Magnet the last two times they played in 2021. Woodbridge Maget, while it didn’t play a state tournament match yet, it has won 5-0 in a row. It had beaten tough teams this year in North Plainfield and Piscataway. Highland Park is a team that is in the title race every year. It won the overall Group 1 title in 2019 and is led the coach’s son, Ian Pellicane.
BRACKETS
NORTH 2, GROUP 4
6-Bridgewater-Raritan at 3-Watchung Hills, 3
The three other quarterfinals matches have already played, so this match is the one to watch default. But, that doesn’t mean it will not be good. Both teams come out of Somerset County and the Skyland Conference albeit different divisions. Watchung won the Raritan division at 9-0 while B-R was fourth in the Delaware with teams like Ridge, Pingry, Hillsborough, and Montgomery. Watchung Hills didn’t face that schedule during the year, but it did just battle Delbarton to a 3-2 loss. The Warriors have beaten Franklin, Phillipsburg, New Providence, and Bernards. B-R was ranked in the preseason before some losses piled up. Still, it has a good team, and each school have similar UTR ratings with the visiting Panthers having the slight leg up with Eric He at the top. The doubles matchups could be key.
NORTH 2, GROUP 3
10-Montgomery at 2-Summit, 4
Montgomery upset 7-Iselin Kennedy, 5-0, to open up its tournament. Summit meanwhile had a bye. Montgomery was the best team in the state from 2017-19 when it won three Tournament of Champions titles in a row. It has had to endure a lot of losing this year playing in the already mentioned Skyland-Delaware, but it got to enjoy a win this past Thursday which it needed. The Cougars have faced plenty of tough teams this year and won’t be nervous. Shreyes Neururkar is a stud at first singles. It’ll be up to the rest of the lineup to step up. Summit came in a close second at the Union County Tournament and recently had took down Livingston, Montclair Kimberley, and New Providence. The two team UTRs are separated by just six points.
NORTH 2, GROUP 2
7-West Essex at 2-South Plainfield, 2
Because of its record and power points, West Essex was seeded pretty low in a section that is Mendham and everyone else. West Essex has faced the best of the best in Essex County like Millburn and Newark Academy, and it owns the second best UTR in the section behind 1-Mendham and even 4-Bernards, 2-South Plainfield, and 3-Gov. Livingston. West Essex defeated Leonia, 5-0, in the first round, and has a win over Glen Ridge earlier this month before it played Montclair, Millburn, and Livingston. West Essex is battle ready, and it has also beaten other playoff teams in West Orange and Seton Hall Prep. South Plainfield won the GMC-Blue and at 19-1, it is arguably having one of its best campaigns ever. NJAM has tried to get older records to compare to no avail. The Tigers were undefeated until May 8 when it fell to St. Joseph Metuchen, a team they took down earlier in the year.
NORTH 2, GROUP 1
10-Glen Ridge at 2-Whippany Park, 4
There are a lot of quality matches in this section. In fact, all of them could have made this list. Five of the eight teams left are ranked inside the latest Group 1 rankings including these two. Glen Ridge reached the sectional final last season and like West Essex above, its 9-12 record is misleading as it too played the top teams in Essex County. Tyler Blanz against Jacob Rha at first singles might be the best individual match to watch in all the quarterfinals. Whippany Park at 11-1 has beaten Kinnelon, Hanover Park, Morristown-Beard, Morris Hills, and Parsippany Hills while Glen Ridge has wins over Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, Bloomfield, and Dayton on the road in the opening round. Whippany Park scored a 3-2 win over GR back in 2011.
BRACKETS
NORTH 1, GROUP 4
5-Bloomfield at 4-West Orange, 4
West Orange has defeated Bloomfield twice this season already, 3-2. They say it is hard to beat the same team three times in one year. Can it do it? Or will Bloomfield say enough is enough and win when it matters the most. West Orange is just 7-16 (Bloomfield is 17-6), but they were in different divisions in the SEC. West Orange won second and third singles and second doubles in each of the matches against Bloomfield this year. Arian Abalos has guided Bloomfield into the playoffs, but he cannot do it alone. West Orange’s UTR is 23.66 while Bloomfield’s is 17.97.
NORTH 1, GROUP 3
10-Morris Knolls at 2-Northern Highlands, 2
Morris Knolls beat a familiar foe of Northern Highlands’, Ramapo, in the first round, 3-2. The Highlanders topped Ramapo twice this year, 4-1. NH and Knolls don’t have any recent history while they have similar records at 11-5 and 12-5, respectively, the home team has the better resume. The Highlanders have wins over Wayne Hills, Mahwah, Old Tappan, Don Bosco Prep, Demarest, and as mentioned, Ramapo. Knolls has really only beaten Pope John, Parsippany Hills, and Randolph. Knolls is in the conversation thanks to its opening round upset, but the NH, which has a higher UTR by almost 30 points, should win.
NORTH 1, GROUP 2
8-Demarest at 1-Pascack Hills
You can’t ever count out the Norsemen. They might have lost a lot of pieces from their past two Group 2 state titles, but everyone knows what they are capable off. Plus, it isn’t like it’s a brand new team. Aaron Khubani and Roan Ricci have been through the battles. Demarest, which defeated 9-Pascack Valley, 3-2, in the first round, will like to knock off Pascack Hills, a team that is 14-4 and in the Group 2 rankings. Hills beat Demarest, 4-1, back on April 20 in a close match. The matches were competitive with the losers of the flights getting four, five, or more games off their opponents. Two of the sets at second doubles and first singles went to three sets. The pressure is all on Pascack Hills to deliver. Can Demarest recapture the magic?
NORTH 1, GROUP 1
5-Kittatinny at 4-Cresskill, 4
Kittatinny got past 12-Midland Park, 4-1, while Cresskill downed 13-Waldwick, 4-1, in the first round last week. Kittatinny is 13-1 and it went 12-0 within the NJAC while Cresskill is 12-8 as it posted an 11-4 mark in the NJIC. Kittatinny (18.22 UTR) placed fifth at the HWST while Cresskill (9.42) took third at the BCSI. Midland Park was the only common opponent, and Cresskill also won on the road, 4-0.
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