Harborfields Defeats Hills West To Win Suffolk County Large School (Division 1) Championship
After reaching the quarterfinals in 2024, and the semifinals in 2025, the Tornadoes of Harborfields went two steps further this spring. On Wednesday afternoon at Shoreham-Wading River High School, Harborfields defeated Half Hollow Hills West 5-2 to win the Suffolk County Large School (Division 1) Championship.
The title is Harborfields first in boys’ tennis since 1978.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” said Harborfields head coach Justin Stybel. “We’ve worked for years to get to this moment, and we went through some talented teams with amazing coaches, so it feels really good to come out on top.”
Hills West would claim the first singles and second singles matches as Alan Yu won 6-3, 6-3 at first singles, while Aviraj Narayan was a 6-0, 6-0 winner at second singles.
But Harborfields would claim the other five courts including a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win from William Rocco in the third singles position.
The clinching win for Harborfields would come from its senior-freshman pairing at fourth doubles. Caleb Thaler, the senior, and Cole Vegna, the freshman, held their nerve as the other courts finished up to win 7-6, 6-3 at fourth doubles and seal the county title for the Tornadoes.
“It feels amazing. The entire season has been leading up to this,” said Thaler. “This is such a great group of guys, and we’re so happy to have gotten to this point and win.”
Vegna added:
“We relied on each other, and utilized a bunch of different strategies to get it done. I’m really happy we got this win for the team.”
At first doubles, Brody Surbeck & Joey Serventi won 6-1, 6-2, while the second doubles pairing of Boden Rudloff & Ian Chae posted a 6-3, 6-4 victory at second doubles. To round out the scoring, Justin Lee & Dylan Marra were 7-5, 6-3 winners at third doubles for Harborfields.
When asked to describe his team, Stybel said:
“Resilient. I don’t know how many times this year we’ve dropped the first few games or even a first set, and we are able to not let it negatively affect us. I think that’s a quality that’s going to benefit them later in life. So it’s a special group we have.”
Harborfields advances to Friday’s Long Island Large School (Division 1) Championship at Smithtown East High School. The Tornadoes will play Nassau champion and the three-time defending New York State champion Syosset for the title.
“It’s going to be a challenge for sure, I know the level that they have. We’ll do the best we can,” said Stybel. “Be patient, stay calm and see what happens. Tennis can be a crazy game, and we’re excited for the opportunity.”
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