The Cranston East boys tennis team reached the Division III Championship for the second straight year as it took on top-seeded Providence Country Day last Sunday at Slater Park.

The Knights were unbeaten against DIII opponents this season and cruised past Johnston/Scituate 4-0 in the semis. PCD left little doubt who the best team in the division was as it went on to sweep the Bolts 4-0 as well.

The match was decided at first singles, as PCD freshman Benjamin Kravitz earned a 6-4, 6-0 win over East captain Eri Ogunde. PCD’s Isaiah Murad, who was also an individual state tournament qualifier, topped Jason Barrera at the second spot in a 6-0, 6-2 effort. 

Aaron Sutton earned a win at third singles, beating East’s Jefferson Shi. Jack Caletri and Ezekiel Dodd defeated East’s Leonardo Lopez and Kyle Herman at third doubles to grab another point for the Knights.

After last year’s champion North Smithfield jumped up to DII, the door opened for the Bolts to make another run at a title and win it. However, PCD made the move down from DII and was immediately slotted as the favorite to take home the crown. The Knights were dominant all season, collecting 10 sweeps and only losing to East Providence, which competed for the DII title just before the DIII match went down. 

East will be graduating a few key pieces, including Adrian Rosales, the team’s typical second singles player who was unavailable on Sunday, as well as Barrera, Shi, Ansony Chavarria and James Fabiano. Ogunde will be returning atop the lineup with Lopez and Herman filling in behind him.

Ogunde has worked his way up the ladder since his freshman year at East, starting as a doubles player, then joining the singles group in 2024 before being elevated to the top spot this season. 

Although Ogunde was disappointed in the final result, he was grateful for the chance to prove himself as one of the state’s elite this spring and will remember the fun the core had.

“We made it back again after a tough semis, so that was great. Playing first singles this year was fun, there was great competition and it was a great experience,” said Ogunde. “Everyone was excited to be with each other, everyone is funny and likes being with each other. We had a lot of fun.”