TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Abram Paulhamus, left, and Luke Sarge, right, prepare for a District 4 quarterfinal match against Selinsgrove on April 30, 2026. The duo earned the clinching point against East Pennsboro in Saturday's semifinal, helping the Bulldogs advance to the PIAA Class AA final with a 3-1 win.

HERSHEY – Heading into Saturday’s closing rounds, there were three distinct possibilities for how Jersey Shore’s historic run could end. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they experienced perhaps the most heartbreaking of the three.

After defeating East Pennsboro to advance to the evening’s PIAA Class AA final, Shore faced District 10 champ Cathedral Prep for a shot at a historic, first title.

The Bulldogs fought valiantly but for the first time this season, the effort fell short of three points. Cathedral Prep controlled singles while picking up a point in doubles, enough to lead the Ramblers to a 3-0 win and state title.

Despite the heartbreaking result, the Bulldogs handled it with grace when it was all said and done, showing sportmansship in congratulating the victors. They left Hershey with plenty of reason to do so holding their heads up high, producing a run they’ll look back on fondly for decades to come.

“I didn’t think we were going to win districts, let alone states,” said Shore junior Abram Paulhamus following Saturday’s final. “I’m super pumped about what we were able to accomplish.”

“They played with integrity and class and represented our community, our school and their parents with honor,” expressed Jersey Shore athletic director Bill Mincer.

“The whole week, they just played incredibly. They fought the whole time and that’s the biggest thing I can say. They played very well, played hard to the end and showed great sportsmanship.”

In Saturday’s championship loss, Cathedral Prep’s Charbel Moubarak and Arjun Noticewala won in straight-set fashion, with Moubarak defeating Shore’s Ezra Paulhamus 6-4, 6-2 and Noticewala beating Saul Hensler 6-2, 6-1. Joe Prichard and Chris Scott granted the Ramblers a point in doubles, defeating Abram Paulhamus and Luke Sarge 6-1, 6-2.

Outside of finished matches, the Bulldogs had a shot at securing two points prior to the match being called.

At Singles Court 1, Fink held a 4-3 lead in the second set after dropping the first by a score of 6-4. And Dillon Harsanyi and Dylan Hensler were two games away from earning the Bulldogs a point, winning a first-set tiebreaker 7-2 and holding a 4-3 lead in the second.

JERSEY SHORE 3, EAST PENNSBORO 1

To kick off the closing day of the PIAA Class AA team tournament, the Jersey Shore boys tennis team faced District 7 third-place finisher East Pennsboro.

A 2-0 finish in singles and three-set win from No. 1 doubles duo Abram Paulhamus and Luke Sarge propelled it to a 3-1 victory and advanced it to the state championship final.

Following straight-set singles wins from Shore’s Ryder Fink and Ezra Paulhamus, it was up to either Paulhamus and Sarge or No. 3 singles player Saul Hensler to finish the job. Each held leads late in their third sets, with the doubles duo ultimately getting the job done.

After dropping a hard-fought first set 6-4, the Bulldog pairing battled back, first scraping out the second set, 6-4, before taking it to East Pennsboro’s Connor Hacker and Jackson Carchidi through the third. There, they won six of eight, winning the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to send Jersey Shore to the state final.

“We just started playing better,” said Paulhamus on the match. “We started hitting a lot more in and then lobbing over them when they rushed the net.”

“It felt really good because the match before that, we kind of got spanked. It felt good to win,” he added.

In singles, Ryder Fink kept up his dominant play, only dropping one game before his opponent forfeited late. Ezra Paulhamus faced a tighter battle, but was able to edge out both sets, winning 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).

“It was super close,” said Paulhamus on the match. “I think in the end, it came down to mental toughness, and I wanted it more.”

After leading through the first set’s entirety, Paulhamus’s opponent, Blake Pasda, was able to respond to start the second. A change in playstyle helped him quickly get out to a lead, and at one point, he led 5-3.

However, Paulhamus was able to work his way back, evening the score at 5-5 before the pair traded wins on the way to a tiebreaker. The Shore sophomore largely controlled it, using the momentum obtained from his second-set rally to win it, 7-2.

“I think just trying to get in his head,” said Paulhamus on what worked for him in that tiebreaker. “He switched his whole playing style up, so I kind of had to adapt to that.”

With the win, the Bulldogs advanced to their first ever PIAA championship appearance before finishing as state runners-up and with a 22-1 record. They head into 2027 with plenty of confidence and optimism, losing No. 1 singles player Ryder Fink to graduation but maintaining everybody else.

PIAA CLASS AA BOYS TENNIS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

FINALS

Cathedral Prep 3, Jersey Shore 0

SINGLES

1. Gavin Ferretti (C) led Ryder Fink (JS), 6-4, 3-4. 2. Charbel Moubarak (C) def. Ezra Paulhamus (JS), 4-6, 2-6. 3. Arjun Noticewala (C) def. Saul Hensler (JS), 6-2, 6-1.

DOUBLES

1. Joe Prichard/Chris Scott (C) def. Abram Paulhamus/Luke Sarge (JS), 6-1, 6-2. 2. Dillon Harsanyi/Dillon Hensler (JS) led Sam English/Clark Brown (C), 7-6 (7-2), 4-3.

SEMIFINALS

Jersey Shore 3, East Pennsboro 1

SINGLES

1. Ryder Fink (JS) won by forfeit over Ian Aunkst (EP), 6-1, 5-0. 2. Ezra Paulhamus def. Blake Pasda (EP), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). 3. Saul Hensler (JS) led Brogan Barlup (EP), 5-7, 6-3, 4-3.

DOUBLES

1. Abram Paulhamus/Luke Sarge (JS) def. Connor Hacker/Jackson Carchidi (EP), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. 2. Elliot Bruhn/Tyler Nematka (EP) def. Dillon Harsanyi/Dylan Hensler (JS), 6-0, 7-6 (7-3).