• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
Itemlive

Itemlive

North Shore news powered by The Daily Item

  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Police/Fire
  • Government
  • Obituaries
  • Archives
  • E-Edition
  • Help
From left, Luke Prokopis, Luke Free, and Jack Prokopis raise the MIAA state championship trophy for St. John's Prep. (Joey Barrett)

St. John’s Prep Eagles fly away with back-to-back state titles

Joey Barrett

June 15, 2025 by Joey Barrett

CAMBRIDGE — When a program goes on a 44-match winning streak and captures back-to-back Division 1 state titles, what’s the secret?

If you ask St. John’s Prep Coach Mark Metropolis – whose top-ranked Eagles defeated No. 6 Lexington, 3-1, Sunday morning on MIT’s duPont Tennis Courts – his answer is straightforward.

“They put the time in,” said Metropolis, a Peabody resident who has now coached six state championship teams. “They’re one of the hardest-working groups I’ve had in a long time. They showed how tough and resilient they were and 22-0 isn’t an easy thing to do with the schedule we play.”

Prep’s Rudr Malayya, a Lexington native who attended Lexington High as a freshman, delivered an early first-singles win (6-3, 6-3).

Then again, the 16-year-old just completed an undefeated regular season.

“I just trusted my hands – I have a lot of trust in them,” said Malayya, who admitted to having hometown friends on the other side. “I just tried to put balls into play and not do too much.”

Lynnfield’s Luke Prokopis and Boris Kouzminov won at first doubles (6-2, 6-3). Despite winning early and not knowing if their teammates would replicate, the duo remained positive.

“We knew they needed our point,” Kouzminov said. “That point is crucial and hopefully it gave everyone else some confidence.”

Prokopis admitted it was tough spectating after an early win, but took pride in supporting his teammates.

“You’ve got to trust your guys,” he said. “It’s also a point to not get them too amped . . . too high or too low.”

With Kouzminov, Prokopis, and other Eagles cheering on James de Buy Wenniger and Wade Evitts at second doubles, in came the theatrics.

Ending a hard-fought showdown (4-6, 8-6, 6-2), Evitts’ forehand smash after a Wenniger serve won the state title for St. John’s.

“I just turned and saw him (Wenniger) start going crazy,” Evitts said. “Keep my feet moving forward. If you know Coach Metro, that’s what he says to his doubles teams every day in practice.”

When asked about his mindset – with hundreds of people wrapping around the court – Wenniger kept it simple.

“One point at a time,” he said.

Metropolis was happy seeing the duo “keep their adrenaline going.

“They’ve come close, but they haven’t been able to win against the big teams,” Metropolis said. “But they kept working and kept their heads up – that was huge.”

Lynnfield’s Jack Prokopis split the first two sets in his second singles match and was up 4-1 in the third, but once the doubles team clinched the championship, the match was suspended.

The Eagles, 10-0 in-conference, picked up tournament wins against No. 33 Methuen, No. 17 Belmont, No. 8 Needham, and No. 5 Concord-Carlisle en route to Lexington.

“When we got to the end of the season, they were ready because we played some great teams,” said Metropolis, whose program defeated Concord-Carlisle, 4-1, in the title match last spring. “It just worked out.”

  • Joey Barrett

    Joey Barrett is the Daily Item's Sports Editor. He reports on local high schools, colleges, and professional teams. Prior to his current position, he worked for UMass Athletics, the Cape Cod Baseball League, and Gannett Media, among others. Barrett was also Sports Editor at Endicott College and treasurer of Endicott's Society of Professional Journalists branch.

    View all posts

Related posts:

Luke Kelly the overtime hero as St. John’s Prep wins fifth straight title St. John’s Prep grapples to third-place nod in Division 1 state championship wrestling meet Fiore, St. John’s Prep making a splash Team of the Week – St. John’s Prep lacrosse

Primary Sidebar

Advertisement

Sponsored Content

What questions should I ask when choosing a health plan?

Advertisement

Upcoming Events

#SmallBusinessFriday #VirtualNetworkingforSmallBusinesses #GlobalSmallBusinessSuccess #Boston

July 18, 2025
Boston Masachusset

1st Annual Lynn Food Truck & Craft Beverage Festival presented by Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce

September 27, 2025
Blossom Street, Lynn,01905, US 89 Blossom St, Lynn, MA 01902-4592, United States

2025 GLCC Annual Golf Tournament

August 25, 2025
Gannon Golf Club

Adult Color/Paint Time

July 11, 2025
5 N Common St, Lynn, MA, United States, Massachusetts 01902

Footer

About Us

  • About Us
  • Editorial Practices
  • Advertising and Sponsored Content

Reader Services

  • Subscribe
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Activate Subscriber Account
  • Submit an Obituary
  • Submit a Classified Ad
  • Daily Item Photo Store
  • Submit A Tip
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions

Essex Media Group Publications

  • La Voz
  • Lynnfield Weekly News
  • Marblehead Weekly News
  • Peabody Weekly News
  • 01907 The Magazine
  • 01940 The Magazine
  • 01945 The Magazine
  • North Shore Golf Magazine

© 2025 Essex Media Group