Varsity A and Varsity B Teams Set Records with Their Undefeated Seasons

Anthony Scarmozzino ’24

Both the Chaminade High School Varsity A and Varsity B tennis teams had seasons for the record books. For the first time in recent history, both teams ended the year with undefeated seasons. Both teams rallied to momentus victories against some of Chaminade’s largest rivals.

The Varsity A team saw fantastic leadership and dedication in the past season. Pitted against some of the strongest varsity teams on Long Island, the Flyers finished the end of the regular season with a 10-0 record.

Joe Moran ’23, the team’s first singles player, noted the success of the team. He commented, ”I’m especially proud that my team was able to have a victory for the third consecutive time against St. Anthony’s High School.”

As the regular season came to a close, the Varsity A team moved on to the postseason. The team began with the league-wide playoffs. After advancing all the way to the finals, the Flyers played the Friars for the fourth time this season. In a nail-biting series, the Flyers edged out with a 4-3 victory, crowning Chaminade the league champions.

After the playoffs, the team competed in the CHSAA individual tournament. Chaminade did exceedingly well: in the doubles division, Flyers closed out the finals with Luke Salerno ’22 and James Salerno ’22 just barely winning first place over Michael Byrne ’23 and Dylan Rhoades ’25. The Varsity B saw similar success as many underclassmen showcased their abilities to lead the team to victory. The season began by the Flyers beating out Kellenberg’s varsity Firebirds with a final score of 6-1. After a tight match against St. Anthony’s junior varsity team, the Flyers maintained an undefeated record. Chaminade then defeated St. John the Baptist in a 7-0 sweep.

The regular season ended with one of Chaminade’s most challenging rivals: Fordham Prep. The match was extremely close. After a complete dogfight, six out of the seven matches went into tiebreakers. Luckily, the Flyers squeezed out a 4-3 victory, sealing their 7-0 season-long record.

The Varsity B team ended the season at the Novice Tournament. This event pits the best young tennis players on Long Island against each other in an elimination-style tournament. In alignment with the extraordinary performance of the team earlier in the season, the Flyers closed out both the singles and doubles divisions. In the singles division, Martin Morgan ’24 was awarded first and William Souther ’25 received second. In the doubles division, the team of Alex

Konopka ’25 and Kevin Hyland ’25 won first and the team of Daniel Pszeniczny ’24 and Mark DaCosta ’24 received second place—a fitting end to a fantastic season!

Coach Andrew Salecker ’12 of the Varsity B team was prouder than anyone to see the hard work of the team payoff in their performance. As he remarked, “Our teams had a tremendous 2022 season. Going undefeated is always an impressive accomplishment, but most notable was the talent, dedication, and competitiveness exhibited by these athletes. Whether it was a regular afternoon practice or the biggest match of the season, these guys gave it their all. I’m proud to be their coach.”

It’s safe to say that this year’s Chaminade tennis team was extremely special. Both the underclassmen and upperclassmen demonstrated extraordinary leadership and hard work on all levels of play. As world renowned tennis star Novak Djokovic once stated, “The winner is the one who believes in victory more.” Undoubtedly, the Chaminade tennis team believed in exactly that this past season.