East Hampton Tennis Players Embrace Spring Season, Move to Division I

Spring practice began the week of March 9, and the East Hampton Bonackers arrived at the courts ready. Head coach Pablo Montesi didn't need long to take stock of what he had. "We're very excited," he said. "The team is enthusiastic. Everyone is looking forward to each practice, so that's really fun. They're always ready. They're always listening. They're ready to get started."

The enthusiasm has context. East Hampton moved into Division I's Conference III this season, a structural shift that brings larger schools from eastern Suffolk County into the Bonackers' regular rotation. Under the newly implemented power rankings format, teams play six conference opponents home and away, with coaches ranking team strength for postseason positioning. The top six teams in each conference qualify for the Suffolk County team tournament.

The move reshuffles the schedule in ways Montesi didn't entirely anticipate. Conference III includes Westhampton Beach, a familiar opponent, alongside Bellport, Longwood, Rocky Point and Sachem. Missing from that list are Southampton, Hampton Bays and Ross, programs Montesi knows well. "It's disappointing we aren't facing Southampton, Hampton Bays or Ross in our conference," he said. "We have a lot of teams I don't know."

His players seem less troubled by the uncertainty. Cooper, a returning player who identified himself as having "the same schedule since eighth grade," welcomed the fresh matchups. "It's gonna be fun," he said. "I've had the same schedule since eighth grade, so it will be nice to play new people and new teams." Returners junior Leonardo DeCarlo Cooper and Marcus Wechsler, along with sophomore Justin Arias, form the experienced core of the roster.

The newcomers have drawn early attention. New senior Evan Schaefer arrived with a multi-sport background from his years at East Hampton, and Montesi wasted no time flagging his potential. "He's showing great improvement already in three days on the tennis court," the coach said. "He's a great athlete." Freshman Chase Bohnsack has made an impression as well, drawing praise from Cooper himself: "His forehand and overall improvements are impressive." Rounding out the new additions are freshman Harrison "Harry" Schultz and eighth-grader Alex Valentin.

East Hampton opened the season hosting Patchogue-Medford, with results unavailable at press time. The Bonackers traveled to Riverhead on Friday, March 20, at 4:30 p.m., and host Ward Melville on Tuesday, March 24, at 4:30 p.m.

For those looking to stay sharp between matches or get younger players into the game, the East End offers a range of facilities. The Ross School Tennis Center at 20 Goodfriend Drive in East Hampton operates six HarTru courts enclosed by a bubble from mid-fall through mid-spring, making it a year-round option. The center is open to the public and reachable at (631) 907-5162, tenniscenter@ross.org, or Ross.org/Tennis.

Sportime Amagansett, located in the Town of East Hampton, sits on a 23-acre campus with 33 outdoor Har-Tru courts, a hard-surface tennis and pickleball court, and a heated outdoor pool. The facility serves as the Hamptons' summer home to the John McEnroe Tennis Academy and also hosts East Hampton Sports Camp @ SPORTIME for kids ages 3 to 13. Details are at SportimeNY.com/Amagansett.

Hampton Racquet Club at 172 Buckskill Road, one of the oldest tennis clubs in the Hamptons, offers tennis and wellness programming and can be reached at (631) 324-0297 or HamptonRacquet.com. Future Stars Tennis Camp at Aspatuck Tennis Club in Westhampton Beach runs programs for ages 6 to 16, with three to four hours of daily instruction covering fundamentals, match play and video sessions; contact FSCamps.com or call (631) 287-6707. Gotham Montauk rounds out the summer options with private lessons, adult clinics, camps and home lessons, along with affordable family memberships.