St. Francis Prep’s Kilby Featherston won his first Mayor’s Cup title, becoming the fourth member of his family to take home a crown. (Damion Reid)
Mayor’s Cup titles have become something of a tradition at the Featherston’s Rockaway household. Martina, Ellenoira and Shinann all won four team championships at St. Francis Prep and Shinann, who now stars for the University of North Carolina, won four singles crowns in a row.
Kilby, a junior at SFP, came into this year as the lone tennis-playing Featherston without a Mayor’s Cup trophy. He came close last year, but he and partner Chris Jimenez fell to teammates Alex DeRienzo and David Arroyave in the doubles finals.
“He might not be able to go home if he doesn’t win one,” Terriers coach John Brennan joked.
It’ll be a much easier ride down to the peninsula now. Kilby finally broke through, winning the doubles title with Jimenez in a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Archbishop Molloy’s Brian Driscoll and Kemet Dugue in the final Sunday at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center.
“I guess it was expected of me,” Kilby said with a laugh. “It was definitely relieving to finally do it.”
Brennan said that Kilby has focused completely on doubles and that has made the difference in his game.
“Doubles is a big part of college play,” Kilby said.
It’s also a big part of the incredible success St. Francis Prep has had in the last decade. On the girls side, Katie DeRienzo and Marylen Santos won the doubles title Sunday, beating Brooklyn Tech’s Allie Jackson-Hing and Azriel Shields, 6-2, 6-2. DeRienzo won last year with Lisa Ventimiglia and Prep has not lost a doubles match in its 11 years straight winning the Mayor’s Cup team competition.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Brennan said of his players sweeping the doubles for the second straight Mayor’s Cup. “Doubles has been the strength of this program.”
The boys and girls teams at St. Francis are close and the players train together often. DeRienzo said playing with the boys only makes her and her teammates stronger tennis players.
“We’re such a family,” she said. “We train hard together.”
DeRienzo was also happy to see Kilby get the proverbial monkey off his back. Pat Featherston, the patriarch of the clan, was pleased that his son was able to follow in his sisters’ footsteps.
“I knew last year he was very disappointed when he didn’t win it,” he said.
It’ll be yet another plaque to add to a bundle of them at the Featherston home. Pat said he’s happy his kids were able to make their mark not just in outside tournaments but also on the high-school level.
“As everyone knows there’s ETA, USTA and scholastic,” Featherston said. “As a father, I’m very proud that my four children have always prioritized the Mayor’s Cup and the tradition of the city high school and middle school sports.”
The Featherstons have a tradition of their own and Kilby has now added to it.
“I finally did it,” he said.