CAMBRIDGE — The Drive For Five was not to be for the Hamilton-Wenham girls tennis team.
Their Cape Ann League rivals from Manchester Essex won all three singles matches and ended the four-time defending Division 4 state champions’ reign Saturday on the tennis courts at MIT’s duPont Athletic Center, 3-2.
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” said Hamilton-Wenham’s long-time head coach, Joe Maher. “They’re well-coached; Barrett (Ashton, the M-E coach) does a great job there. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to them.
“I liked how we competed, but it just wasn’t enough today.”
Hamilton-Wenham had captured 24 straight postseason wins, dating back to 2022, prior to Saturday’s setback. It also ended the top seeded Generals’ in-season winning streak at 14 matches and saw them finish the season with a 17-3 record.
Second seeded Manchester Essex, which split with the Generals during the regular season, had dropped the state final to them in both 2023 and 2025 while falling in the state semifinals in both 2022 and 2024.
“You saw the emotion we all showed there at the end … that’s as good a feeling as you get in sports,” said Ashton. “Couldn’t be happier.
“We have a great rivalry with them,” he added. “When I saw they won in the semis, I was happy to know it was going to be against them again (in the final). We feel to be the best you have to beat the best, and they’ve been the best for a long time.”
Continuing a run of season-long dominance, H-W juniors Evelyn Esdaile and Sofie Greene make quick work of their Hornet opponents at second doubles, prevailing 6-0, 6-2 over Sofie Egan and Annie Kent.
“They’ve been our rocks all season, losing only one match,” Maher said of the duo, both of whom were named CAL all-stars. “I was really pleased by Evelyn and Sophie and how well they played.”
Maher figured his team would have an edge in doubles competition but that Manchester Essex (20-2) might hold it in singles. That proved true as the Hornets won all three matches there, with junior Sarah Cort defeating H-W senior Emily McIntosh, 6-1, 6-2 in first singles and the team’s only senior, captain Grace Scarbrough, doing likewise at second singles, 6-2, 6-3 over Generals freshman Krishna Guruju.
Sophomore Charlotte Ireland battled the Hornets’ talented freshman, Ellen Gibson, at third singles. After dropping the first set, she led 6-5 in the second before Gibson rallied to send it to a tiebreaker, which the freshman won, 7-1, to officially give Manchester Essex its first state title since 2018.
“We knew we’d have some tough singles matches,” admitted Maher. “They have two seasoned players at 1-2 and a really good freshman who’s super consistent and tough to beat.
“Charlotte changed her game and got a little more aggressive in that second set, making a nice comeback to take the lead,” Maher added. “But to (Gibson’s) credit she made some big shots when she needed to.”
Although the state title had already been decided, Hamilton-Wenham earned its second point of the match from its first doubles team of senior captain Gabriella Jewett and freshman Madeline Fennell took a three-set super tiebreaker, 10-7 over the Hornets’ Maeve McArdle and Lila Braier.
“It’s hard to be out there when you know the match is over, but they kept their focus,” Maher said. “They’ve been great as well.”