LYNNFIELD — With six of seven starters returning, this may finally be the season when the Lynnfield boys tennis team grabs the brass ring and brings home a state championship.

For the last five springs, dating back to 2018, the Pioneers’ season has come to an end at the hands of powerhouse Weston – the last two in the Division 4 finals.

But this year, one thing is absolutely certain; Weston, which has won a state title for six consecutive years, will not spoil the Pioneers’ party as the Wildcats have moved up to Division 3, possibly leaving Division 4 up for grabs. 

“Weston is always such a strong program year after year and has such incredible depth,” said Lynnfield coach Joe Dunn. “I told the kids at our team meeting that I want them to give everything they have at every two-hour practice and that we have only three months to train for the state championship. So that’s 65 days, 7,800 minutes, and 480,000 seconds that I don’t want anyone wasting a single second on the court. We have a very good group coming back and I cannot wait to get back on the court with them.”

The Pioneers will be led by senior captains Dan Levin and Russell Kasdon, as well as junior captain Shea McCarthy.

Levin returns at first singles, while McCarthy returns at second singles. Kasdon had a breakout year in 2023, posting an 18-1 record at first doubles with Rafik Khodr, who graduated last year.

“What I love about Dan is his focus. He stays within himself with every point and takes one point at a time… His focus is amazing and he does that better than anyone and goes through his routine every time,” Dunn said, “Shea plays with so much energy and is just a fun player to watch with a real enthusiasm for the game and leadership, and Russell is just a great communicator. Having the three of them together as captains is going to be great. They are very analytical and compliment each other so well.”

Junior Shlok Kudrimoti, junior Raffi Arkun and senior Brendan Sokop also return. Kudrimoti played mostly third singles last year, while Arkun and Sokop played second doubles.

“Shlok is very patient and focused and is stronger at singles than doubles,” Dunn said. “And Raffi and Brendan played terrific together last year. It’s still so early, but those six all had good seasons last year, so we’ll see how it all shapes up.”

Dunn said 35 kids signed up for the team, but just 20 will stay due to lack of court space. 

“I’d love to keep all of them, but that might not happen due to the fact we have five courts at the high school and only four at the middle school,” Dunn said. “So 20 is my approximate goal, but we do have some wiggle room to go a little higher.”

The Pioneers will be tested right off the bat on April 4 when they host Division 1 perennial powerhouse St. John’s Prep at the new tennis complex at Lynnfield High. The Eagles made it to the Final 4 in the 2023 tournament.

“We’re going to play them straight up, knowing we’ve never played them when they had a weak team,” Dunn said. “I’m throwing them right into the fire to get them thinking that we have to work hard every day.” 

Other non-league opponents include Swampscott (home and away), Bishop Fenwick (away) and Beverly (home). The Pioneers open league play on April 8 at Newburyport.

Dunn said he’s very excited to have all five matches on the new courts at the same time. He also expects that longer points may be in play this year due to the surface being a bit slower.

“The surface is great, but it’s not very fast, so I expect it will play to the more consistent players and that big hitters may see their shots slow down a little,” he said. “I’m not sure why it’s slower, but I love it. It will be fun to see longer points.”

As far as the Cape Ann League goes, Dunn said the usual suspects – Manchester-Essex and Hamilton-Wenham – are “stacked pretty well,” and that North Reading has “very good players” at first and second singles.

In terms of the Division 4 competition, he added that Cohasset, a team the Pioneers defeated, 3-2, in the 2023 Final 4, may be the team to beat.

“We beat them in a very close match with some of them needing three sets, but they’re returning their entire team, so I expect they will be very tough,” Dunn said.