By STEVE MAZZONE

Sports writer

PAWTUCKET – Within seconds after he scored his final point, freshman Sean Farrell turned to his teammates lined against the fence and proudly stated, “That’s it, it’s done. State Championship.”
Just like that, Woonsocket High’s chances for a team title were over.
Farrell’s two-set, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dan Robillard gave No. 4 seed Exeter/West Greenwich four of the first five matches and secured the Division IV crown, an eventual 4-3 win at the Slater Park.

“It’s pretty even when ever we play them. It’s pretty well-matched, just a couple of points here and there,” said Exeter/West Greenwich coach John Krom. “We were lucky to get the matches that we got. They’re a very tough team, very tough players individually and in doubles. I’m just happy it worked out in (five). I don’t know if I could take the seventh one.”
Woonsocket, a No. 6 seed, was looking to win its first state title since capturing its lone crown, a D-II title, in 1977. The setback was the second straight year that the Villa Novans have finished as a runner-up and third time in the last five years.
But the writing was on the wall right from the beginning on Friday. After the first hour of the match, the Villa Novans were already behind by a set in all four singles matches.
At No. 3 singles, Woonsocket junior Alvin Loyd held a 5-0 advantage over Ried Brackenbury. In what was a turning point in the match, Brackenbury rallied back and swept by Loyd with scores of 7-5, 6-1.
“He was up 5-0 and he decided (tonight’s) prom was more important,” said longtime WHS head coach Dale Seward, whose squad has just two seniors on this year’s team. “He wanted to get out of here so he took the easy way out and let the team down. Other than that, I think it was our inexperience, too.”
Woonsocket, which finished with a 7-6 mark in D-IV North, had won four of its final five matches to end the regular season. The highest seed in the bracket, the Villa Novans then defeated No. 3 Cranston East and No. 2 Tiverton with identical scores of 4-3 to advance to the title match.
A key contributor during their run was senior Johnny Chansyna, who hooked up with the team midway into the season. On Friday, Chansyna and teammate Dan Southiseng won at No. 1 doubles with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Nate Lapierriere and Zack Peterson.
“Once he came on board, the team got a lot of confidence and we started winning. They knew they could play,” Seward said. “I think they just couldn’t look at this one like they looked at the last two. They just saw finals and I think it jittered them a little bit.”
“I don’t want to take anything away from Exeter/West Greenwich,” he added. “Their singles came to get the job done and they did.”
Exeter/West Greenwich, which defeated Woonsocket, 5-2, during the regular season, earned its first team championship in the school’s short history. In the 2007 season, the Scarlet Knights finished 3-10 overall and never made it to the postseason.
This year’s version was slightly different, placing third in IV-South at 9-4. In its playoff run, Exeter/West Greenwich knocked off Providence Country Day, 5-2, and then posted a 5-2 upset win over top-seed West Warwick (11-2 in II-South) on Wednesday.
“We matched up pretty well against West Warwick,” Krom said. “Our singles have been strong for us all year. Our doubles came through for us. We had a great day against West Warwick, a tough team. We played them tough and they played us tough. We were lucky to come out with the win.
“I’m just happy for the seniors (today). We got through some growing pains the last few years, not having enough guys to have third doubles, forfeiting a lot of matches. To win a state championship their senior year was just something special.”
With the verdict already decided, Woonsocket achieved a moral victory by sweeping the doubles matches. In addition to their win at the top slot, the No. 2 team of Damian Whitfield and John Leak beat Ishawn Picillo and Kyle Farrell in a hard-fought 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 10-3 victory and the third doubles tandem of Andrew Sounraj and Mike Inthisensouk were a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Dan Barbour and Brendan Dumican.
Considering how the season started off - the Villa Novans lost their first four matches - and how it finished, Seward wasn’t completely dissatisfied with the final outcome.
“I’m very happy with them. They came back. They played well,” he said. “But their inexperience did them in (today). To come in as a sixth seed and make it to the finals, you can’t complain too much.”
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Singles – Ryan Gouveia, E/WG, def. Martin McGeehan 6-3, 6-1; Jim Glendinning, E/WG def. Chris Vongkhankeo 6-4, 6-2; Reid Brackenbury, E/WG def. Alvin Loyd 7-5, 6-1; Sean Farrell, E/WG, def. Dan Robillard 6-3, 6-4.
Doubles – Dan Southiseng-Johnny Chansyna, W, def. Nate Lapierriere-Zack Peterson, 6-4, 6-4.
Damian Whitfield-Jon Leak, W, def. Ishawn Picillo-Kyle Farrell 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 10-3;
Andrew Sounraj-Mike Inthisensouk, W, def.  Dan Barbour-Brendan Dumican 6-3, 6-2.