Welcoming back a team that has a majority of its players with a max of one prior season of tennis under their belts, one might think the outlook would not be too bright heading into a season, yet the East Haven boys’ tennis squad is defying that prognostication with a group playing well beyond their years.

Last season, the Yellowjackets finished with an overall record of 4-16. East Haven is nearing matching or surpassing that prior victory count with a 3-10 record in 2023–defeating Career twice, along with Wilcox Tech. Last week, following a 7-0 loss at Cross on April 24, the Yellowjackets rebounded nicely 24 hours later by edging out Career 4-3 on the road.

Thus far through the first month of on-court action, Head Coach Jacob Callahan is pleasantly surprised by the progress of his youthful and spry squad. As several kids have taken quite nicely to a game they are somewhat new to, he explained that it is all about following and trusting the process when it comes to the long game of building an experienced and big-match cultured club.

“We are competing right where I thought we would! For 90% of my team, this is their first or second year of playing tennis, so I wasn’t expecting us to be super competitive or make states yet,” said Callahan. “However, the kids are determined to improve, and the future looks bright. We just have to take baby steps. I am hoping to win six or seven games next year and qualify for states the year after that! By that time, my seniors will have been playing tennis for four years, so they will have the experience to hopefully get us to states.”

Leading the charge for the Yellowjackets this campaign are a dynamic duo of players in senior Shiv Patel and junior Greg Vera. Vera occupies the top solo assignment in the lineup for East Haven, while Patel is slotted into the No. 3 spot. Callahan denoted that they were each designated captain after seeing their steadfast dedication towards being the best versions of themselves on the court, away from it, and around school.

“I chose them as my captains, because they are role models to the rest of the team. They like to lead by example, and the team respects them for that,” said Callahan. “They give their all when they are on the court and hold themselves to a high academic standard off of the court. The two of them help their teammates if they have questions about tennis and school, going as far as helping a teammate fix their serve by showing them what to do. I heard Shiv on the bus home from our match against Career giving advice on which AP classes the underclassmen should take since he has taken them. That’s the type of captain that I wanted—one that can help on and off the court and help the team bond.”

Senior Victor Unabia joins the two captains in the singles’ circuit as the No. 2 competitor for East Haven. The individual itinerary is rounded out by sophomore and doubles-turned-singles athlete Gustavo Flores-Soto, and additionally, the Yellowjackets have had added contributions from one half of the No. 3 doubles pairing with junior Jacob Ushchak—a newcomer to the sport.

“Victor is my second singles player and has incredible mental fortitude. I’ve seen him lose a point in a match and, instead of losing his composure, he laughed it off and continued to play. Tennis is a mental game, so having the ability to maintain composure is incredibly important,” said Callahan. “Jacob is such a hard worker and, even though this is his first season, he has absorbed everything that I have taught him, even winning some of his matches. Gustavo is my fourth singles player, and he has improved significantly since last year. He was my third doubles player last year, but he was determined to become a singles player, so he worked hard training in the offseason, and the results speak for themselves.”

The Yellowjackets are competing in Tier 3 of the Southern Connecticut Conference this year with the likes of Career, Foran, Hamden, Lyman Hall, West Haven, and Cross. East Haven swept the season series with Career, plus it has a pivotal rematch with Lyman Hall on Thursday, May 4, after a non-conference clash with Platt Tech the preceding day.

“Some of the key matches this season are against Lyman Hall, Career, and Platt Tech,” said Callahan. “We beat Career [on April 25], giving us two wins against them. Lyman Hall took the first match, but we visit its court in a week, and I am hoping we win this match. We have never played Platt Tech before, but I’m expecting it to be a good match.”

As Callahan and the Yellowjackets are zeroing in on overtaking the four-triumph tally of a campaign ago, East Haven wants to persist with its focus on the boys harvesting and perfecting their individual skill sets while continuing cultivating cohesion away from competition.

“On the court, I want them to win five matches, one more than last year. We are currently at three wins, so this goal is still possible,” said Callahan. “I want the kids to keep practicing and improving their game, so that we can do even better next year. Off the court, I want the players to keep building up that team bond. They are a young team, with a majority of the kids being underclassmen, so continuing to build that bond is important for their future success. The kids hang out with each other after practice, and even meet up on the weekends to hit the ball around.”

The 2023 East Haven boys’ tennis team roster is comprised of seniors Patel, Nathaniel Rivera, Amareen Singh, Unabia, Kevin Vicuna, Widman Vicura; juniors of Jack Castillo, Ushchak, Vera; sophomores with Aedan Conners, Flores-Soto, Wilmer Guaman, Nicolas Lopez, Matteo Martinez, Mateo Romero, Justin Sieng, Valenzuela Tejeda, Justin Trudeau, Trevor Vaccino, Angel Vazquez; and finally freshmen Steve Condo and Angel Orozzo. Junior Lucas DeAntonio also travels with the team and competes in the Yellowjackets’ matches as a Team of One for North Branford High School. Callahan is in his second season as the Yellowjackets’ head coach.

2023 East Haven Boys’ Tennis Team Results and Schedule

April 3: Foran 6, East Haven 1

April 5: Cross 7, East Haven 0

April 6: Hamden 7, East Haven 0

April 7: West Haven 7, East Haven 0

April 10: East Haven 6, Career 1

April 11: Shelton 6, East Haven 1

April 15: East Haven 5, Wilcox Tech 2

April 18: Lyman Hall 7, East Haven 0

April 19: North Haven 7, East Haven 0

April 21: Foran 7, East Haven 0

April 24: Cross 7, East Haven 0

April 25: East Haven 4, Career 3

Wednesday, May 3: at Platt Tech at Eisenhower Park at 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, May 4: at Lyman Hall at Doolittle Park at 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, May 11: at Sheehan at 3:45 p.m.

Monday, May 15: vs. Law at 3:45 p.m.

Tuesday, May 16: at Branford at 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, May 18: vs. Xavier at 3:45 p.m.