There may have been four matches on last week’s schedule, but the only opponent the Dragons were focusing on was Hingham. 

Having watched Hingham walk away with the Patriot League crown for the past few years, Coach John Bunar was optimistic that his Dragons had a good shot at putting an end to Hingham’s dominance. His optimism will have to be put on hold a little longer.

A 3-2 loss to the Harbormen last Tuesday ended the Dragons’ opportunity to claim the league title outright.

A great performance by junior Brayden Minahan at No. 1 singles gave Duxbury a 1-0 lead when he won in straight sets over Chandler Semien, 6-1/6-2. Also coming through big for Duxbury was undefeated sophomore Peter Muncey at No. 2, who bested senior Sanjai Rau 6-2/3-6/6-2.  

The match began to turn in doubles, as Duxbury’s Alex Holopainen and Max Cote were over-matched and lost in straight sets, while the No. 2 duo of senior captains Pete Tenaglia and Steve Day took a tough defeat in straight sets 6-3/7-5 to make it 2-2.

The clinching point for the Harbormen came at No. 3 singles, as sophomore Par Rau defeated sophomore Connor O’Keefe in a three-set marathon match, 2-6/6-2/6-2.

The rest of the week was a breeze, as the Dragons cruised by Marshfield, Rockland, and Hanover by identical 5-0 scores. 

Highlights of the matches included doubles victories against Rockland by first dubs Mike Lattore and Erik Schneider (6-2/6-2) and Pat Mahoney/Andrew Pierce winning 6-4/6-4. 

Both Minahan and Muncey continue undefeated in league play, as they are locks at the one and two positions.

It is another busy week for the Dragons, who play four matches in five days including Friday’s tough encounter with Pembroke at home at 4 p.m.