Henry Cooper rallies to third place in Division III singles tournament

Henry Cooper’s third-place finish in the Division III singles tournament read like a senior who refused to let the bracket define him. The action shots from his run show the East Hampton captain cutting, returning serve, sprinting into balls and finishing points with the balance of a player who had been in this kind of pressure before. The last frame, with Cooper and Westhampton Beach senior Bryce Groth congratulating each other, gave the result its proper tone: hard-fought, competitive and unmistakably respectful.

That finish carries weight in East Hampton because Cooper has spent three seasons as more than just another lineup name. Coach Pablo Montesi said Cooper had played more matches than anyone on the roster over the past three years and had been chosen as a captain, the kind of player younger boys tennis players notice first because he shows up often and keeps showing up. On senior night, East Hampton honored Cooper along with Griffin Beckmann, Joseph Martinez-Garces, Evan Schaefer, Julian Blandon and Lucas Centalonza after a 7-0 win over Longwood, a night that put the class of 2026 at the center of the program’s identity.

The tournament result also fits the way Cooper has handled higher-level competition all spring. East Hampton’s April 29 match against Sachem was its first against Sachem after Suffolk Division I realignment, and Cooper took on Leonardo Villacreses, identified as the second-best player in Suffolk County, at first singles. Earlier, he won his singles match in East Hampton’s 6-1 home-opening victory over Riverhead on March 23. Those results show the same trait Montesi has leaned on all season: Cooper does not just fill a line, he steadies one.

This was not his first time answering a tournament challenge, either. In May 2025, Cooper placed third in the Division IV tournament after recovering from a fractured hand, a reminder that his game has already been built through setbacks as well as wins. Moving from that finish to a third-place run in Division III gives East Hampton a senior benchmark that is both competitive and durable, the kind of standard local players and families can measure the program against.

Groth’s presence in the final image adds a useful local layer. Westhampton Beach has been close to the top of its division in recent seasons, with Groth and Giancarlo Volpe placing third in a division tournament in 2024 and helping Westhampton Beach finish 12-3 and second in the division in 2025. So when Cooper and Groth met at the end of this tournament, it felt like more than a photo finish. It was a handshake between two seniors who have helped set the tone for Suffolk boys tennis, and a fitting ending for the East Hampton captain who clawed his way back to third and left the standard clearly in place.