It was coming down to the wire of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II semifinals between 2nd-seeded Manasquan and defending champion, 3rd-seeded Hopewell Valley Central High.
The pressure was immense and the match had yet to be decided when first doubles team Kaito Mahon and Andrew Hou got locked in a tiebreaker.
During an end change break, Warriors coach Ryan Ritchey called his duo over to discuss strategy, so Hopewell coach Dave Burchell did likewise.
“They said, ‘What do you want to tell us?’” Burchell recalled. “I said ‘Nothing, but their coach is talking to his kids so I wanted to make it look like I was coaching you.’”
The players broke out laughing, the tension was shattered and they went on to win the tiebreaker 10-6.
“That’s all you can do,” Burchell said, “is have that demeanor and disposition.”
Throw in talent and you’ve got it made. After beating Manasquan, the Bulldogs went on to win their second straight state title, sealing it with a 3-2 win over Haddonfield in the Group II final.
After never winning a state title in 50 years of coaching, Burchell now has two straight. This one wasn’t a surprise, since Hopewell only graduated its first singles player last year. But it was hardly automatic as the ’Dogs had to grind out 3-2 wins in the sectional and state finals.
“Obviously it’s never easy to win a state championship,” said Zach Weisenfeld, the team’s only senior starter who paired with Manas Sinha at second doubles. “We had a confident group. We had a large portion of the team coming back which was pretty helpful. A lot of us had been in that position, so we were optimistic.”
Asked to compare the significance of each title, Weisenfeld said: “They were both pretty exciting in their own ways. Last year, none of us scratched the surface before that. This year was remarkable in that a lot of people thought we’d slip because we lost our first singles player. But a lot of people showed we had a good team.”
Hopewell finished 19-6 against a loaded schedule that included top-flight teams in and out of the Colonial Valley Conference. That certainly helped when the stakes were raised in the states.
After 4-1 wins over Somerville and Manasquan, HVCHS visited top-seeded Rumson-Fairhaven in the sectional finals. With the match tied 2-2 it was up to Hou-Mahon, both juniors, and second singles Danyal Rizavi, a sophomore. Rizavi won a 10-4 tiebreaker while the first doubles won a 10-6 tiebreaker.
Rizavi’s match was the last one being played, which intensified the pressure.
“We’re called the Bulldogs and that kid is just a Bulldog,” Burchell said. “Last year he lost against Rumson 6-0 6-0 (in the sectional finals) and I was shocked. He told me he was sick and I said, ‘You should have told me that before you walked on the court.’
“So, he carried that on his shoulders for a year and moved up to number two. Waiting for him was the same kid. He trailed the first set, kept it close, broke through and won a tiebreaker, and then won the Super tiebreaker.
In the state finals against Haddonfield — a South Jersey dynasty — Hou-Mahon won their first set, rallied to take a 6-5 lead in the second only to lose, 7-6 (8-6 tiebreaker). The Bulldog duo led 6-3 and lost five straight would-be state title points, which meant a winner-take-all super tiebreaker.
“I was standing next to our principal, Trish (Patricia) Riley, she’s a great person and she was pretty nervous,” Burchell said. “I said, ‘Don’t worry, we’re pretty good at tiebreakers.’ We’re up 6-3 and one more point and we’re state champs. We lost all five and my hair is getting gray as fast as you can say it.
“Now we’re in the super tiebreaker. I look at the principal and said, ‘But we’re particularly good at the super tiebreakers.’ Don’t you know we end up trailing 7-8.”
Before Riley could fire Burchell for false advertising, Hou-Mahon stormed back to win three straight points and a thrilling second straight state crown.
“They just made it extra long,” Burchell said with a laugh. “Extra exciting.”
Weisenfeld felt it symbolized the team.
“Against Rumson it came down to Danyal and I think that’s where having last year’s experience came through,” he said. “He had been there before and was confident going into it and able to pull through. Then it came down to first doubles and they were able to pull through. That speaks to the mentality of the team. We all had key wins.”
Weisenfeld is indicative of Hopewell’s depth and strength. He played at second doubles for the second straight year — this time with a new partner in Sinha — and despite not moving up the ladder, he is going to play college tennis for Gettysburg College next year.
When a team’s second doubles player is also a college player, it’s in pretty good shape.
“I’m really excited,” Weisenfeld said. “I was looking at a bunch of different schools, I emailed a few. Their coach said he would love to have me. They have a pretty good team.”
Weisenfeld has a grade point average of 3.85 and was part of HVCHS’ Model UN for three years.
“That was a new experience,” he said. “It helped me grow with my leadership. I’m a little shy at times, that helped me step out.”
Weisenfeld and classmate Om Sharma were team captains along with Mahon and Hu.
“I just tried to help any way I can (with leadership),” Weisenfeld said. “It was great because we had another senior (Sharma) who was always there supporting us and cheering on the team. We didn’t need a ton of leadership.”
Indeed not, as pretty much everyone was in the starting lineup last year except for Sinha.
“Second doubles were a great combination,” Burchell said. “It was their first time playing together and they won some big matches.”
First doubles were even better. In their second year as partners, Hou-Mahon qualified for the NJSIAA Individual Doubles Tournament in addition to their big wins for the team.
“They’re the best doubles team to ever play at Hopewell, they have the most wins of any doubles team,” Burchell said. “They serve better this year, they’re tough. In big points they step up.
“Kaito Mahon is the best volleyer I’ve ever had. He’s the bravest kid at the net. Nothing makes him flinch. He’s fearless and that’s one of the keys. You gotta be tough at the net and they are.”
The singles lineup contained all underclassmen, starting with underrated first singles Eshaan Doshi. The junior moved up from second singles and won two matches in the sectional tournament but, for the most part took his lumps this season.
But that doesn’t mean he didn’t contribute, as Burchell named him the team’s Most Valuable Player.
“He has to play the very best players from every school and that’s tough,” the coach said. “He doesn’t have a lot of wins, but he’s the best player on our team. He’s just playing other great players. Nobody’s gonna ask him 10 years from now what his record was in high school. He can say he played first singles for a state championship team.
“He’s our MVP because he makes everybody on the team better. They all get to play down. If he wasn’t there, my two and three would have to move up and I would have had to break up my first doubles. It’s like dominoes falling. So, he’s the difference.”
Rizavi was versatile player at second singles who is able to move the ball around the court.
“He gets a little soft serve in there to get the point started, then he draws you into the net and gets past you,” Burchell said. “He’s so clever and he has a lot of courage too. He’s a year better and I don’t know how good he’ll be when he’s a junior.”
Third singles featured Kevin Gu, whose talent landed him a starting spot as a freshman.
“He just needed some match experience,” Burchell said. “He hits big, he has a great serve, he’s smart. I don’t know where he’ll end up before he leaves here but at third singles he was a terrific player.”
It has basically been a terrific nucleus for two years and will be again next season.
Asked what makes the team special, Weisenfeld said, “Just the chemistry and experience of our team. A lot of us have been together since middle school. The mentality is that not everyone has to win (every flight) every match, we just need enough guys to step up and win three each match.”
Burchell refuses to use the term that describes three straight championships – so it won’t be mentioned – but he can’t hide his excitement for next year.
“I’ve been at this a long time and my wife keeps telling me to quit while I’m ahead,” he said. “I keep telling her if we keep winning like this, it will keep me young!”
Coach Dave Burchell named junior Eshaan Doshi, first singles, Hopewell Valley boys’ tennis MVP. (Photo by Mike Schwartz/mssphoto.com.),
Hopewell Valley senior tennis player Zach Weisenfeld. (Photo by Mike Schwartz/mssphoto.com.),
