Sometimes, a second chance can go a long way.
The Byram Hills tennis team took full advantage of that second chance and turned it into a state title.
As part of a 16-5 season, the Bobcats fell in a heartbreaker to Rye Neck in the Section 1 championship. According to head coach Jamie Taffet, the team mourned the end of their season, turned their uniforms in and made peace with the loss.
But later, it was deemed that Rye Neck rostered an ineligible player during their win, and Byram Hills was sent as the Section 1 Division 2 representative to the New York state tournament.
“At the end of the day, myself as a coach, and all my players played by the rules every single match; we never cheated,” Taffet said. “We had awesome sportsmanship. We went out with grit and might. Rye Neck beat us that day. Fair and square.
“I sent the coach a congratulatory message and said that I hope he goes and wins the whole thing. They upset us, and they deserved to go.”
Taffet said that she did not know how the information about Rye Neck’s clerical error came to light. She specified that she did not raise the concern.
But even with a lifeline thrown at the Bobcats’ season, Taffet’s team was divided.
“We had a split team for a while that felt, ‘Maybe we don’t really deserve to go,’ and others who felt we did nothing wrong,” Taffet said. “(Rye Neck) broke a rule, and we were given a second chance. It took a while to get over that emotion, and to be honest, when we got on the bus to regionals, the team was still a little divided.”
Even in the unfinished matches, the Bobcats led.
However, once on the court, Byram Hills did not look like a team dealing with the off-court drama that persisted on social media throughout its tournament run.
The Bobcats rolled through the regional finals, winning 5-0, before winning by the same score in the state semifinals. In the state finals against Long Island’s Bayport-Blue Point, Byram Hills clinched first and second singles and third doubles, leading to the game being called after just three completed matches.
After being given a new life, Byram Hills won all 13 matches to hoist a state trophy.
“We had an incredible season,” Taffet said. “We are extremely deep and extremely strong. My boys played lights out in the finals. Every court was on fire and had the best sportsmanship I’ve ever seen.”
Scarsdale wins Division 1 state team tournament
Even in an individual sport like tennis, team camaraderie goes a long way.
A prime example of this is the Scarsdale boys tennis team, which, on the back of a strong connection between players, beat Syosset 4-3 to win the New York state Division 1 title.
“It was very exciting,” head coach Jennifer Roane said. “I won 3 state championships with the girls in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and you never know if you’re going to get back there.”
Three years ago, the Raiders fell to Syosset in the state finals. Since then, they had not been back. Three players from the 2026 squad – Jack Reis, Dylan Pai and Jerry Jin – were on that team and felt the pain of losing, just one game from their ultimate goal.
“(Reis, Pai and Jin) were freshmen at the time,” Roane said. “Now, in 2026, they’re seniors, and to play Syosset again and to have the outcome work in our favor is really special.”
To win the title, Scarsdale claimed all three singles matches, as well as the fourth doubles. The deciding match, which featured Roane’s fourth doubles pairing – Nathan Appleman and Emmett Klingsberg – stood out the most to their coach.
The pairing won a back-and-forth third set to give Scarsdale its fourth and final win of the day.
“I was screaming,” Roane said. “They’re both in 10th grade and were on Varsity B last year. Now, they’re here on the A team. They didn’t need any more pressure, so I just told them, ‘Live in the moment and play your game.’”
Scarsdale is star-studded. Reis won the state singles title just a week earlier, while the duo of Pai and Lucas Yao finished third in Section 1 and fourth in the state doubles bracket.
However, according to Roane, their connection as a team was their best quality.
“I’ve coached here for over 30 years, and now and then, some kids could have attitudes,” Roane said. “But all the kids on this team, they’re honest, they’re friendly and they each like each other. It’s a great group of kids, and that’s a big piece of our success.”
All-around, team success, epitomized.
George Caratzas is a sports intern for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Byram Hills and Scarsdale celebrate state team tennis titles
Reporting by George Caratzas, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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By George Caratzas, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
