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They did it – again! For the fifth consecutive season, the Boys Varsity Tennis team captured the Friends Schools League Championship Title. The No. 1-seeded Tigers beat No. 2 Westtown 5-0 on May 18 at home. It was the first time that the Tigers program recorded a sweep in the championship match. 

Two-time captain and No. 1 singles player Rishi Cohen ’22 led the team, winning both sets 6-0. No. 3 Jackson Zuercher ’23 beat his previously undefeated opponent handily at 6-3 and 6-1. No. 1 doubles captain Alex Sanderson ’22 and Asher Smith-Frank ’22 dropped only one game in two sets (6-1, 6-0), and No. 2 doubles Wil Tullo ’24 and Ben Tessler ’25 dropped only 4 games  (6-2, 6-2). With the FSL title already secured, the Tigers supported captain and No. 2 singles Jacob Morse ’22 as his match went into a tie-breaker, eventually ending in a victory (7-5, 2-6, 10-8) to clinch the 5-0 sweep. 

“I think we’re all super excited. Five in a row is big for us. We (the captains) were all part of four, or three, so we’re all excited,” shared Cohen.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet, that this is the end of the season and this is the championship, and I think over the weekend it will hit me that we won. It’s really awesome,” added Morse. 

Coach Chris Booth, in his tenth year with the program (two as the head coach), concurred. "It’s terrific! They all played really well. Everyone played to their level – as they were expected to play. We practice really hard and I think the fact that we do a lot of match play during practices reflected in the team being really prepared. Everyone made significant improvements throughout the season and the championship win today really showed that.”

Booth also commented on the team’s unwavering pursuit of a five-peat. “It’s interesting: When it really comes down to it, it’s not necessarily always the most talented players that win – and this team has a lot of talent – but it’s the will to win and the sacrifices you make along the way that get you there. This team really, really wanted it.” 

The senior leadership from Cohen, Morse, Sanderson, and Smith-Frank were key components to the team’s undefeated league record (9-0) and championship win, noted Coach Booth. 

“All of the seniors led not by what they were saying, but by what they were doing that was right. I saw the freshmen and sophomores watch them. And all four took the role of being seniors very seriously, and made sure that whenever the freshmen and sophomores were around, they gave guidance.” 

“I love the dominance that we showed today and the future guys showed today – their grit and their toughness. I think we’re going to continue for years getting these Friends League Championships,” said Sanderson. 

The present is awesome and the future is bright for Tigers Tennis.